Serious Ice anglers have a new battery of weapons this winter – five jigs and four spoons from VMC. Forged from top-quality materials with input from ICE FORCE pros, these new baits bring to life a wish list of ice fishing’s top sticks.
Each spoon features holographic eyes and comes in three UV Ultra Glow colors, four Ultra Glow patterns and four natural patterns.
“I love the eye-catching, fish-catching color combinations,” ICE FORCE Pro-Staffer Brad Hawthorne says. “They’re going to be phenomenal for the different approaches – from clear water to stained water, from panfish to lake trout.”
The spoons come in a great assortment of sizes, Hawthorne says. “It gives us a wide flexibility for fishing six feet of water or 60 feet of water.”
Each new VMC ice jig features a 90-degree hook-eye to ensure optimal horizontal position and a perfect strike angle, and VMC’s unique Power Gap, which increases hooking percentage.
“It’s gives me a better hookset, because the fish really gets the hook in its mouth,” Hawthorne explains. “And it keeps the fish on the hook longer without it shaking it, because it penetrates the lip more.”
VMC’s Power Gap also allows better bait presentation, Hawthorne says. “It allows your bait to be more free-flowing. It’s not limited to being stuck on a pinch between the shaft and the hook. It lets me to add more waxies or go to a bigger minnow head.”
The jigs are available in 6 Ultra Glow colors and two natural colors. Ultra Glow colors hold a charge up to 15 minutes.
Flash Champ Spoon [Product 'Flash%20Champ%20Spoon' not found!]
Constructed of heavy-duty brass, the Flash Champ Spoon is designed to get down to the action quickly.
“The secret to its erratic action is its beveled edges and tapered design, which give the Flash Champ Spoon an erratic, fluttering movement that no fish can resist,” Hawthorne says.
Offered in four sizes (1/32, 1/16, 1/8, 1/4 oz), the Flash Champ Spoon is a must-have addition this winter for the serious ice angler.
Tingler Spoon [Product 'Tingler%20Spoon' not found!]
The Tingler Spoon’s large, thin body flutters slowly and seductively on the fall, attracting fish from a distance and triggering them to strike with its mesmerizing, wounded baitfish action.
“Most spoons cover only the small-diameter water column directly under the hole, but the Tingler Spoon flutters out to the side, into previously un-fished territory,” explains ICE FORCE Pro James Holst, host of In-Depth Outdoors TV on the Fox Sports North channel. “You can then work it back towards your hole using short hops, giving fish a new look.
Available in three sizes (1/16, 1/8, and 3/16 oz.), the Tingler Spoon is ice fishing’s ultimate flutter spoon.
Tumbler Spoon [Product 'Tumbler%20Spoon' not found!]
The Tumbler Spoon’s unique “knuckle bend” creates a slow-tumbling action that entices “even the most finicky of neutral to negative fish,” Hawthorne says.
A small, metallic attractor blade imparts additional flash and sound when it collides with the spoon and hooks.
Available in three sizes (1/12, 1/8 oz.), VMC’s Tumbler Spoon is the “go-to spoon to change the mood of fish mired in a tough bite,” Holst says.
Rattle Spoon [Product 'Rattle%20Spoon' not found!]
Reach for a VMC Rattle Spoon when you need to call fish in from a distance, Hawthorne says.
A specially designed resonance chamber made of heavy-duty brass and multiple beads allows anglers to make a racket with just a subtle jig stroke, while still delivering action to the lure.
“The Rattle Spoon is going to be phenomenal,” Hawthorne says. “With that noise factor, you can be bouncing it off the bottom on sand, rocks, mud and you can agitate the fish into hitting, which is going to be great.”
Available in three sizes (1/16, 1/8, and 1/4 oz.), VMC’s Rattle Spoon calls in big fish from afar and triggers bites!
Tear Drop Jig [Product 'Tear%20Drop%20Jig' not found!]
Tie on a Tear Drop Jig when fishing live bait under a float, dead stick, or tip up.
“The jig’s wide profile and tear-drop shape, mimics baitfish and other aquatic food,” Holst says. “When predators are looking for a meal – but unwilling to chase a lively, untethered shiner, fathead or chub – the VMC Tear Drop pins the bait in the strike zone.”
The Tear Drop Jig comes in three sizes: 1/16, 1/8, 1/4 oz.
Minnow Jig [Product 'Minnow%20Jig' not found!]
The Minnow Jig “can do your dirty work, digging its heavy head into the bottom to stir up big biters,” Hawthorne says. In open water, he’ll twitch the Minnow Jig to create a subtle rocking and dancing action.
Available in three sizes (1/16, 1/8, 1/4 oz.), the Minnow Jig features a feathered tail with flash fibers to further enhance its life-like action. “No matter the situation, no matter the fish, you can tie on a VMC Minnow Jig,” Hawthorne says.
Pug Bug Jig [Product 'Pug%20Bug%20Jig' not found!]
Panfisherman rejoice, Holst says, “the Pug Bug Jig features the wide-gap hook you’ve been searching for.” The VMC-exclusive hook is specifically designed to fish the bigger soft-body baits favored by successful panfish anglers and the big fish they pursue.
With its wide profile, the Pug Bug creates an enhanced sonar return, making it easier to monitor in deep water with lower sensitivity gain settings. Available in three sizes (1/64, 1/32, and 1/16 oz.), the Pug Bug will maximize your hook-up percentage.
Larvae Jig [Product 'Larvae%20Jig' not found!]
VMC’s new Larvae Jig, soon to become the ice fisherman’s fix for ultra-finicky panfish, comes rigged and ready to go right out of the package.
“You can fish it as-is when fish are eating tiny insects and invertebrates, or add eurolarva when they want a slightly larger profile and more motion,” Hawthorne says.
Holst will tie on a Larvae Jig when clear water, intense fishing pressure or cold-front conditions have the fish in a funk, he says. The Larvae Jig comes in three sizes: 1/200, 1/100, 1/50 oz.
Wax Tail Jig [Product 'Wax%20Tail%20Jig' not found!]
Pre-rigged with a Trigger X Wax Tail soft bait, the Wax Tail Jig is a deadly combination for weedline-hugging bluegill and open-basin crappie.
“Fish the 1/32nd-ounce jig when fish are keying on larger prey,” Hawthorne says. “Drop down to the 1/100th oz. size when the bite gets tough, or the fish are feeding on micro-invertebrates.”
Holst slowly twitches the Waxtail Jig in place when the fish are in a finicky mood. “The subtle action turns lookers into biters,” he says. The Waxtail Jig comes in four sizes: 1/100, 1/50, 1/32 oz.