Horizontal Moves

As one would expect, the straight-down nature of ice fishing presentations results in many jigging lures having a vertical-dominant action. The Rattle Spoon and Tungsten Tubby Jig are just two examples of many. Yet, certain lures, like Jigging Raps and Tingler Spoons, stray from the norm in that they swim horizontally or diagonally while moving up and down. This added lateral action can prove effective, at times, for catching more and bigger fish.

Owning a mix of lures designed to swim out to the side is a good idea. Many anglers start their collection with the Jigging Rap family. The ability of these lures to dart sideways as well as swim in tantalizing circles make them potent picks for attracting predators and triggering strikes.

Attracting more fish is one reason to use an ice fishing lure producing lateral movement. The bait’s ability to get out to the side covers more water and, in turn, makes the presentation more visible to greater numbers of fish. The distinct action of a sideways swimmer also stands out, which can intrigue fish and stimulate strikes.

A lure that glides to the side does a good job of getting in the strike zone of bottom-oriented fish. For instance, letting a Tingler Spoon fall on slack line causes it to follow a slanted path to the floor. Repeat this several times and the lure travels in different directions. This strategy covers a larger area of water and infiltrates the feeding zone of more fish.

After the Tingler makes contact, an angler can also raise the rod 6 to 12 inches before holding it still, which makes the spoon to slowly pendulum back to centre (i.e., directly under the ice hole). This lateral glide makes walleye, crappie, yellow perch and other fish come unglued and lash out at the lure.

Another reliable tactic is snapping a Jigging Rap or Slab Rap upwards before letting it fall on slack line. This sends the lure darting sideways, then dropping and crashing into the floor. Aggressive walleye, pike and perch may strike the lure when it’s lying on bottom. In other instances, the angler may need to raise the bait and jig it off bottom to coax bites.

All baitfish spend the bulk of their life swimming horizontally, and the ability of a Jigging Rap, Slab Rap and other lures with lateral moves replicate this behaviour very well. No less intriguing to predators are lures portraying baitfish distress, such as the diagonal, shimmying drop of a Tingler Spoon or a Rattling Roach Spoon, or the wide, spiralling fall of a soft plastic on jig.

If you’ve ever watched a fish on sonar quickly approach an aggressively jigged lure, but then lose interest as the cadence slows, you’ve witnessed a predator’s instincts influence its hunting behaviour. It may sound counterintuitive, but fish — particularly big ones — can become less interested in feeding when a fast-moving lure suddenly turns into a very easy target.

The lures discussed here displaying diagonal and horizontal swimming actions are some of the best ice fishing baits. One reason why is because their evasive, sideways movements make predators see red and elicit an aggressive feeding response.

Tip: Learn why lures with a sideways swim are some of the best ice fishing baits for live sonar in this blog.

The Jigging Rap family of lures, Slab Rap, Tingler Spoon, Rattling Roach Spoon, and certain CrushCity soft plastics, like The Jerk, have the ability to travel off to the side when jigged beneath the ice. Carrying these baits, along with lures having a tight, vertical-dominant action, like Rattle Spoons and Tungsten Larv Eye Jigs, ensures you are well prepared for many different ice-fishing scenarios throughout the entire season.