Vertical (ice) spoons

[AtticaFish]

Here are some of my homemade slab spoons that have been working really well through the ice. They are tiny willow blades (i believe #2?) that i simply added a hole on the bottom, filled the back with solder for weight, then added split rings and hooks. The pics look big, but they are in fact very small!

I have only started using these this ice season, but the green one on the right has out produced all the others. Been tipping with waxworms or maggots. Both hooks are #12 mustad 3366 with seed beads. I'm calling them willow flies.

Next ones have #12's also dropped down using some braid line and a waxie or minnow head as bait. The bluegill & yellow perch in a clear lake i fish really liked these.

Caught my one and only crappie of the ice this year on one of these style with a waxie. These are #10 hooks.

Last couple have not produced yet, but are intended for more aggressive crappie or walleye. These were cut and shaped from brass sheet metal then added solder for additional weight.

I call them ice spoons, but sure believe they will work just fine during summer months. Planning on doing more with the fly patterns and small hooks. Can't wait to see what the bruiser bluegill think of these.

 

[CrappieHappy]

Nice work Russ.

 

[Jig Man]

excellent....

 

[jiggerjohn]

A real nice jiggin' spoon, Russ ! I've experienced tremendous success with similar soldered (single hook soldered lengthwise) willows for trout, bluegills, crappie, and carp. My first experience with one was about 20 years ago when the late Earl Cartwright, one of Akron's most creative and best bass/panfish anglers, soldered a no 10 longshank(English Partridge hook) with a bigger bead of solder at the rear of his willow jig. We'd slide a 1" crappie tube on backwards and the darn thing swam in reverse, away from us on its gentle glide.In fact, It was so consistantly effective on carp when tipped with a single kernal of corn, that we called the lure a "carp condom"!

 

[Kdog]

Russ, nice job and good use of the tap technique

 

[plateboater]

Absolute fantastic! How much time is it taking you per spoon. Sure would take about 20 of those......Hint With Jigger in Illinois we stack up some gills and crappies with spoons!

 

[papaperch]

It has always been my contention that just as good and in fact better. Ice lures could be manufactured by the do it yourselfer.

Rather than stick with what the major bait makers have to offer .

Russ it seems is now a proponent of the MIGHTY soldering gun. Ingenuity and solder have fashioned many excellent ice lures. Keep it up.

 

[Ron Don]

Those look really sweet. I should try one of those on a multi jig setup.

 

[Pup]

Those are really great-looking spoons. Nice assortment of colors and styles.

 

[AtticaFish]

Thanks for all the comments. I've used many a pinmin with the solid hook. They work no doubt, but have gotten hooked on the dropper spoon style and thinking the free swinging hooks lets the fish suck the actual hook in pretty easily. That green one on the first pic, mentally tried to get the 'fly' to look like a blood worm and the spoon to look like a small minnow that dug it out of the muck. Other fish might like to either steal the meal or eat both in one swipe.

plateboater - No clue how long they take, do all the steps at separate times. Actual painting only takes a couple minutes each. The solder seems finicky as i have learned not all solder is the same. Some flows and get smooth much better than others.

papaperch - I have a solder iron/pencil that i have tried to use but it makes me mad getting things not to move around on the bench. Not iron for me... heat them over open flame.

 

[LedHed]

Awesome. Gonna have to send you some big eye hooks...

 

[StumpHunter]

Those are sweet!!!

 

[eyecrosser]

Great looking spoons Russ. Just an extra idea for you to play around with; on the lighter spoons have you tried the stick on lead dots or strips from Storm products. Think they call them SuspenDots if I recall correctly. Just throwing that out there for ya. You could stick on the back side of the spoons before painting.