whats everyones favorite bait and jig this time of the year. ok bluegill and crappie

What we fishing for??

Bullheads

Yep you need to say what you are wanting to catch

50 foot gill net.

too much snow here ,to much slush and water on top of ice ,even hard to get around with snowmobile

but normally a white or red jig top with wax worm

M80's or TNT. works good. lol

4 to 5 mm jig tipped with waxies or maggots , use 2 or 3 on your hook , do not over jig , bounce it a few times then just jiggle . This is not me but it is a good video .

You say bluegills and crappie. It really depends on what body of water so experimentation is the key. But from my experience people use too big of a presentation for bluegill. Smaller is often better for finicky big fish especially later in the season. My standard is a very, very small red do t (1/64 oz or smaller?) with a red spike.
Crappies is another story. Generally a fathead minnow on a very small number 12 or 14 hook with just a very small split shot about a foot above the hook. Minnow is not good if crappies are mixed with gills because the gills will pull but not hookup with the minnow. Crappies with gills you might try a red tail plastic fluttering on a rocker jig.

Another key to these fish is vertical movements of the jig. Raise and lower the jig as you provide swimming movements going up 6 " at a time going up a total of 3'. Then let it drop natural in segments as you let it go down. When the line goes slack on the way down a crappie has inhaled it.

Always exceptions. But generally smaller is better for me

Wife and I ice fish nearly every day. No slush and little snow on the lakes by us. My advise for ice fishing is get a battery operated auger, fish finder good pole with a ice fishing reel ( simular to a fly fishing reel) and a wide variety of tungsten jigs. Two of each color. Drill holes till you find fish and enjoy. This is a 12" bass I caught using 2lb test with clear thread as a leader. We use white or red spikes for bait. If we run into crappie we switch to rockers with two spikes. We do not use sinkers with rockers. The sinker falls faster than the lure. As the lure flutters down the fishing line can wrap around it and cause a knot. A knot in the thread will break quickly with a big spec on the hook.

Yes, also us a 2lb test clear mono or fluorocarbon 3' leader. Sometimes I even go 1lb but then you have to gingerly play big fish in. I use 30 lb spiderwire for the makeup portion of the line above the leader. Tie leader and spiderwire directly. The heavy spiderwire won't break when hooked to or frozen in ice.

Your best friend for these fish is a good vexilar. When you see a fish come in, it's often good to start raising the jig slowly in 6" segments teasing them until they inhale it

Hali Jigs

Seems ice fishing is the new hipster hobby. Check out this article from the New York Post:

https://nypost.com/2019/02/15/ice-fishing-is-the-zen-hobby-you-didnt-know-you-needed/

Perch Eye on any small Jig. You'll out fish anybody....About 8 " off bottom JIg about 10"

1/20th ounce custom jigs and wax worms caught those in a couple hours each Saturday and Sunday first time I have ice fished since I was 18 bought a couple light action ugly stick ice combos for 20 dollars each and decided to give it a try no better fish thN straight out of cold water.

Havent done much ice fishing in years here but when we used to we’d use 1/32 or 1/64 oz jigs, maribou or with curly tail and/or crappie nibbles.

I Nevah fished for crappie....but aftah seeing the size of some of these fish...I think Iam going to get some jigs and see if I can find them...through the ice of course. Iam a hard headed trout guy...could care less about Bass and Snot Rockets...

I grew up where the ice gets thick enough to drive a tractor trailer on it and I ice fished.
I moved south where the ice won't hold up a slung cat.
I tend not to do regular fishing anymore if its below 60 degrees out.
Am I soft, or did I just gain plain common sense?

Am going with soft....been ice fishing 5 Saturday’s in a Row....and 3 of those were Ice Fishing Derby’s....with another Derby this weekend. Something about a Flag popping ....that Nevah gets old for me. And I ain’t getting any younger (62) ...figured I’d give it heck ,while I feel good ! Drinking Beer and Ice Fishing ...cooking on the grill and playing beer shoes.....makes me happy !

I heard that about some northern MN lakes; fishing is impossible due to the large amounts of snow. Thing a lot of people don't realize is the average snowmobile isn't made to go through deep snow and can easily get stuck.

Fair enough, Nessy.
Its supposed to be 50 degrees out tomorrow. I have some time to kill. Maybe I will tough it out and fish off the bank of my favorite honey hole. I'll leave the truck running in case I get cold...

https://www.fishusa.com/product/Fis...JtMbK4AIVkh6tBh2fGw04EAQYBCABEgLPmvD_BwE

In glow and glow blue face for Gills and Crappies

Yikes! I hope those prices are per dozen.

I wish it was. That’s why a tear is shed every time a pike bites one off.

They are pretty jigs, I must admit. You need to use what they will bite.
Its one thing to not catch any fish on a summer day, when you can just claim blind bad luck.
Its quite another to sit in a shanty on the ice in shallow water and watch slabs swim up to your cheap walmart offerings and turn up their noses.

Those crappy jigs do look good....might have to get some...if Iam going to try and chase crappies.. I’ll have a beer for you 52Carl ...on the frozen lake on Saturday....supposed to be high 30’s...maybe 40.....perfect day to chum the hole, grab a chair, drink beer and jig up some Lake Trout !

They are pretty jigs, I must admit. You need to use what they will bite.
Its one thing to not catch any fish on a summer day, when you can just claim blind bad luck.
Its quite another to sit in a shanty on the ice in shallow water and watch slabs swim up to your cheap walmart offerings and turn up their noses.

Sorry Carl,fish of any def. will smug your best presentation,....winter fishing is slow...that's just the way it is.

I hope that by indicting that, " I’ll have a beer for you 52Carl", you mean that you will drink a beer in my absence. You are still talking 20-30 degrees too cold, given recent declaration of me going soft.
Where them out for me, all the same.