! E V I S S E R G G A T E G E V O M & K C I T S –
T T
By: Matt Johnson – Ice Team Manager
he modern age of ice fishing has trained us to be mobile (we can thank Dave Genz for that) and we’ve been taught to move until you find fish. We have gear that allows us to be mobile… lighter augers, lighter portable fish houses, lighter batteries for your Vexilar, better clothing – you name it, we’ve got it. However, many anglers oftentimes forget about the most important piece of a “fish catching” puzzle… and that’s what you present to the fish. We are in the mobile age of ice fishing, but we need to focus on the mobile age of presentations and baits, too.
bluegill, perch, or any species can resist. Then when you incorporate the Pinhead Pro you have a slenderbodied speed spoon allowing you to quickly present a darting and dancing minnow bait into the school of fish, and with a sequence of subtle quivers and shakes you can entice just about any fish to bite. Tag-team these two presentations (depending on the mood of the fish) and you have yourself a very deadly one-two punch for aggressively targeting fish with the right size presentation to get Clam Pro Tackle the job done!
You’re probably thinking, “Matt, what the heck are you talking about?! Mobile presentations?!” Well, I’m referring to the aggressive nature in which we fish. Lure size, action, weight… the fall-rate, how much it moves, darts, dances… how much is creates commotion, noise, vibration, appeal… generally simple things we just tend to not think about.
As far as the rod, reel, and line setup to complete the entire package… I prefer a longer noodle rod, an inline reel (if not too deep, otherwise a quality spinning reel for deeper applications), and then a 3-pound test ice line. Some of my favourite rod options are the Clam Outdoors Katana 34” Noodle, the Straight Drop 34” Noodle, and the Scepter 35” Noodle.
So, for me, we’re talking fast-moving presentations that get down to roaming (oftentimes cruising) fish, and then also attract AND trigger them to bite. This is where I lean heavily on smaller swimming baits and spoons – namely the Clam Pro Tackle Tikka Flash and the ever-popular Pinhead Pro jigging spoon.
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Pinhead Pro
See, both presentations allow me to get aggressive, staying on top of active schools of fish and getting down quick. I can also trigger these fish into biting once I’m down there – and many times, these presentations capture the fish’s attention as they drop into the strike zone. The Tikka Flash darts and glides as it falls into place, then when ripped or jigged it kicks out a ton of pulse and vibration with its tail-spin blade. You couple that with its small profile, and you have Clam Pro Tackle Tikka Flash a presentation that no crappie, Just Fishing . 34
Winter 2024
