1. Jig

2. Dark Sleeper

3. Ned Rig

 

I'd say a couple of weeks into it or when the fish are getting more aggressive, I'll transition to:

 

1. Chatterbait

2. Lipless Crankbait

3. Jig

I'm going for smallmouth in clear rocky lakes.

 

Jerkbait

Football jig with creature 

Swing jig with hula grub

 

In shallower lakes for largemouth:

Rattle trap

Big squarebill

Swim jig

Not open ice - since the ice will be gone weeks before season opens - so I'll open the season with...

 

1: Jerkbait

2: Lipless crank

3: Swim Jig

I did pretty good early in the bass MN season here with a craw-colored shallow crank bait.  Followed second by a perch colored jerk bait for smallmouth.  Weeks later, a bluegill colored chatterbait started to pay off.

 

Finesse tactics with a soft plastic were not effective for me until around mid June.

Finesse flip jig

Lipless

Line thru swim bait and glide bait

 

If these fail I will switch to Ned and jerk bait.

Jig,

jerkbait 

large swimbait. 
 

for large swimbaits, 

tiny klash with suspend dots,

real prey/ hudd rod 0

Swaver 

   I fish from shore, so I'm forced to fish only a few certain places at ice-out. In those places, I use:

 

   1) Jerkbait

   2) Flutterspoon

   3) #3 double-bladed Aglia

 

    I always like to try something new, so I'm trying a fluke for the first time this early.  We'll see how that goes.                    jj

1: spinnerbait

2: jig

3: a; bladed jig shallow cover

    b; jerkbait in open deeper areas

 

Jerkbait

Jig

Spinnerbait or chatterbait depending on water and weather

Jerkbait

Vibrating Jig

Hair Jig

A-Jay

Arig 

 

Jig

 

Zero

for smallies:

jerkbait (shallow & deep models)

blade bait

hair jig

What is this "ice out" you speak of? ?

Bass are easy to catch. I am allowed to say that here? Ice out/early season I do the same things I do any other time of the year:

 

Senkos + paddletails.

 

I don't use spinnerbaits early, even though there was a thread last year telling all of us to try them (didn't work for me). I am mainly targeting pike early in the year, which is mostly trolling husky jerks. Bass hit those regularly. It surprises me that smallies like shiny things, so they hit Mepps and spoons too.

12 minutes ago, michaelb said:

Bass are easy to catch. I am allowed to say that here? Ice out/early season I do the same things I do any other time of the year:

 

Senkos + paddletails.

 

I don't use spinnerbaits early, even though there was a thread last year telling all of us to try them (didn't work for me). I am mainly targeting pike early in the year, which is mostly trolling husky jerks. Bass hit those regularly. It surprises me that smallies like shiny things, so they hit Mepps and spoons too.

Bass are easy to catch.

 

Quality bass aren't so easy to catch, but the why it's what's debatable. Is it that they're smarter and more crafty? Is it that they're harder to find? Is it that they're less plentiful? Depends on who you talk to.

Lipless Crankbait

Jerkbait

Plastic Worm.

 

A-Rig, Jerkbait, TRD, all worked slowwwwwwwly.

Jig/Chunk

Blade Bait

Jerkbait

Jerkbait

Ned

Spinnerbait

12 hours ago, optimator said:

What is this "ice out" you speak of? ?

 

I was thinking the same thing.  Water temps have just topped 60 degrees, we have a full moon in 2 days and I have seen a few skittish males real shallow when walking down to the dock.  The females I have been catching the past few weeks have been fat, so my hunch is that the first wave of spawners will be coming up when I hit the water Saturday morning.

 

The morning air temps will be in the low 50's, so I will be forced to wear a jacket and long pants, at least for a few hours...  

1. Hair Jig

2. Ned Rig

3. Suspending Jerkbait

 

I plan on adding the Lindy-Rig to my back of tricks this ice-out as well, either with a live minnow or a Gulp! Product.