I know the typical ice out lures... jerkbaits, lipless cranks, shad raps and flat side cranks, jigs-regular and hair, Ned rigs and blade baits. Does anybody have anything strange or unique or just different they have good success on right at ice out? Looking to add a few arrows to the old quiver this year

Last year I caught a nice 18" on a spinnerbait about 10 minutes after a guy in another boat told me the water was too cold for it.  Nothing else was working! LOL

 

   There are a couple places in the river where a flat ends in a ledge that transitions into deeper water. I pull a Mepps #5 double-blade Aglia, usually in Firetiger, right along the lip of the transition. SLOWLY. They come up from deeper water and slam it.

   An Eppinger 1/3 oz.  Cop-e-Cat in Wonderbread can get fish at ice-out, too, but usually well into the flats. It's not as reliable as the Mepps.         jj

Two baits that I rely heavily on after ice out; A Mepps Aglia spinner and a blade bait. An occasional wallelye or jumbo perch is always welcome, too.

Two mentions on mepps inline spinners... I've never thrown one targeting bass but looks like I should

bladed jigs and spinnerbaits are always in my "ice out" arsenal.

Manns 1-minus wakebaits, I dunno why but it works here

It doesnt have to be flat side cranks . Round baits with wide wobbles catch them too . Just retrieve very slowly . Parallel cast on steep sunny banks for a chance of catching the biggest girl of the year .

I cast shallow running crankbaits into the shallow water close to drop offs, and then reel them in slow until I get to the drop off and then start to burn it back.

In gonna do more cranking early this year...I've got flatsides and a few round bodied cranks to try.

also I've never thrown spinnerbaits or bladed jigs until it warms up but I'm gonna have to change that.