If that doesn't work, Smith doesn't pack it in. He calls the bullpen one more time and brings in the closer. “My largest walleye through the ice two years ago was a 9-pounder that came on a #10 Arnold's Fairy Jig tipped with 4 maggots, on 2-pound line. I couldn't have done it without an underwater camera. Without a camera, you have no idea if those big girls are around, because they stay pinned tight to bottom. And, what I've learned about walleyes with a camera is that nothing brings inactive pigs off bottom like a tiny jig with a #10 hook.”

This doesn't mean Smith likes to target big walleyes with #10 hooks. “When I see fish on the screen that won't bite, I usually try ultralight jigs tipped with maggots, which are key when walleyes lock their mouths shut. But that's my last resort. Nobody in their right mind wants to try and land a big walleye with a #10 hook on 2-pound line. And, if I had my way, the fish would never be inactive. But, when they are, you have to do what you have to do.”

The next-to-last resort for Smith is the Lindy Little-Joe Genz Worm, an alternative ballhead with 3 lobes of lead on the hook. “I get a consistent quivering action with this jig,” Smith explains. “With the weight spread out both in front and in back of the hook eye, this jig quivers and waves the maggots around when you quiver the rod tip. And, with the Genz Worm, I can try a #6 hook, then a #8 before dropping down to ultralight panfish gear.”

SMALLER LURES

Smith demonstrates that trophy predators, when inactive, consistently trigger on tiny baits. Huge largemouth bass are notorious for taking diminutive offerings even when they're active. A lot of the lures designed for vertical applications are not species specific. Scaling down with swimming baits under the ice can create a real smorgasbord effect.

Vertical lures include bladebaits, soft plastics, spoons, and swimming lures like the Jigging Rapala, Nils Master, and Salmo Chubby Darter. The same downsizing philosophy applies with all active jigging lures. Even more so than a few years ago, with the introduction of new smaller sizes in most of these lures.

Back in the 1970s, Rapala came out with a small version of the Jigging Rapala -- the 2-inch W5. It was an instant success for crappies. Rapala has since introduced two smaller sizes, the W3 and W2. In this issue you'll find an article about finessing bluegills with tiny, tiny jigs. The same philosophy won't work for big crappies in environments where they eat only minnows. Meat-eating crappies swim up to tiny finesse plastics and keep right on going, looking for a real meal. A jig-minnow combo is always the local favorite on those lakes, but my new favorite is the W2 Rapala.

Smith also, at times, downscales to these tiny Jigging Rapalas for big walleyes, after replacing the belly treble with a larger #8 or #6 treble. Unlike the larger versions, these lures can be worked on 4-pound line, and they still circle and swim. Crappies love a tiny Jigging Rapala, but it's just one of few downsized lures that work well in winter for a variety of species.

Continued -- click on page link below.