We have yet to meet a bladebait that won't take fish under the ice. Quite some time back, Reef Runner came out with a tiny 1/16-ounce version of their popular Cicada bladebait. It's a dynamite, if vastly overlooked, crappie, bluegill, trout, and walleye tool under the ice. With a length of only 3/4 of an inch, it puts out far more vibration than a much larger spoon on the lift. Yet, in a package that small, it appeals to big bluegills. Connect it with a Mustad Fly-Line Pin and drop it down. Use a swivel two feet up the line. Shake it, then lift it 8 to 10 inches. You can rip it, but a moderate lift seems to work better for bluegills, bass, and walleyes most of the time. Just pull it fast enough to feel the rod tip vibrate slightly, pause it, shake it, and let it drop on a controlled line. But drop the bottom out from beneath it sometimes, too. Even the smallest Cicada will glide off the vertical path in free fall, becoming a swimming bait. The lighter the line, the more it glides.

One of the most dynamic swim baits is the Salmo Chubby Darter. It displays a realistic, photo-image profile and swims with lifelike action. On the upstroke, the tail moves left to right, creating vibration. In free fall, the Mini Darter swims through an area 3 feet in diameter on 4- to 6-pound line.

That circle gets smaller in deeper water, as the lure has to fight the weight and length of the line to glide. The thinner the line, the better it glides in deep water. It sails off in the direction the nose is pointing when you let go. On the fall, the bait settles with a realistic baitfish body motion back into place directly below the hole. Walleyes, pike, crappies, and bass love Chubby Darters, but all tend to hit them at different points in the retrieve or after varying lengths of pause.

A small lure designed for vertical presentation is a versatile tool. In winter, when the metabolism of fish slows down, even giant specimens will key on small forage items -- especially during times of stress or cycles of inactivity. A small lure could produce a perch, a pike, a smallmouth, a trout -- who knows what's coming out of the hole. Scale back with active presentations this winter for better mixed-bag fishing.