What is everyone's tops lures for ice out bass fishing?

[AustinC.MO.Bass.Fishing]

My Favorite ice out lures are Jerkbaits, jigs, and if the suns out ill find some dirty water and throw a Red square bill in the shallows. 

[tholmes]

Blade baits, bucktail jigs, jerkbaits and, as the water warms a bit, shallow cranks and spinnerbaits worked slowly in the shallows.

Tom

[ww2farmer]

Suspending jerkbaits, and lipless cranks.

I am very VERY excited to get out there early with blade baits this coming spring. This past fall was the first time I buckled down and used them, and had excellent results. I am told they are just as good in the early spring cold water period as well.

[Smokinal]

On a lake I didn't know I'd be doing the same as all of the above^^^ But on my home lake, about 5 yrs ago, we found a shallow cove where the inlet stream comes in and you can't put down a jerkbait. You have to hold them down low in the bottom of the boat when you tie one on. We go out, 2 boats, 2 guys each and will catch 40-50 each in 4-5 hrs. Seriously, it's stupid; absolutely stupid. And all you need is 1 rod with a jerkbait on it.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

This may be a potential favorite looking forward to using the ned rig w/baitcaster at ice out.

[bonzai22]

Lipless cranks, jerkbaits, jigs, and a shakyhead with a wacky worm.

[scaleface]

Beetle spin , Marabou jig , Jig and Pork frog  and Arbogast Mudbugs have all caught big bass for me at this time . Fish in the afternoon on sunny banks slowly has been the key  . If the lake has them, steep rocky banks have been best for me .

[lecisnith]

Jerkbait, tube, weightless stick bait. 

[RyanFishing]

Lipless!! I can't put a lipless down when ice comes off and that's pretty much the main bait I use. I also use some jerkbaits and dropshot.

[BaitMonkey1984]

Used to be a lipless. Last year I absolutely killed it with the 3 TRD's I received from MTB.  I think I actually only went through 2 because they are so durable. This year I have hundreds of TRD worms and am ready to slaughter them. 

[iceintheveins]

Jerkbaits, especially deeper diving jerkbaits, slow rolling spinnerbaits, swim jigs, finesse worms, and also cranks when it warms a bit. With trailers on most jigs, go with fairly subtle trailers like a zoom chunk, rather than a wild flapper like a paca or rage chunk.

[A-Jay]

A friend & I were discussing this very topic - this was part of my response:

If it's cold & windy with dirty water - might be more of a boat ride. But if the recent local weather has been on a "warming" trend, I make sure I look shallow - sometimes right on the bank too.  North end - out of the wind - some place that's protected & getting cooked by the sun.  These spots can usually be productive in the middle & especially near the end of the day.  Early spring fishing can often be like fall bassing in that the later part of the day is often best - before that, look for fish on the first drop back from the bank - wood heats up fast and bass always use it especially early season.

Also, rather than rotating through a ton of baits & presentations, I'd stick with a few that I can cover water with and that I have confidence in.  Lipless baits & small square bill work well for me early - the SK RES 1/2 and that 6th sense X75 bait especially.   A little trick I use (but don't advertise) is I use a slightly oversized mono when throwing RES early - allows me to fish it slower & a little shallower than say braid or fluorocarbon.  Think 17 & even 20lb.

And on most moving baits since I don't have the ability to slow my reeling retrieve down (especially after not fishing all winter - too hyped up I guess)  I'll switch out the reels to a slower gear ratio - 5.3:1 or 5.6:1 - this pretty much forces me to "fish" these baits slower - which is almost ALWAYS a game changer very early season. 

After I catch that first one, I always have to do two things - first pay close attention to where, why when & how I caught it and then once I start fishing again - SLOW DOWN, I always end up fishing too fast looking for the next one and then wonder why it doesn't come - it's almost always because I was not doing what got the strike in the first place - so I need to slow my roll.

Another sleeper bait for me early is a 1/4 swimjig with a 4 inch grub trailer - My wife routinely takes me to school with that one early and it's about all she'll fish until I prove that something else is working better -

If the water's clear & you can get them to go on it - a jerkbait can be money too - but you know that.

Fish that won't come out of wood for a bait will sometimes eat a jig pitched into it - but I know you hate those  . . .

Oh and I almost forgot - last spring was the first time I tried it but,  a 3/8 oz Rage Blade with a 4 inch swim Senko trailer (or a 5inch cut back about 3/4 inch) fished low & slow was a solid producer.     I liked using it early in the day while I was trying to put something together - Best presentation early spring with cool but warming water was to sit on the very shallow side of a spot I expected the bass to come to - sometimes I was almost on the bank - then cast to the deep, let it go to the bottom and crawl the rage blade along the bottom back to me.  Where I got bit it was an indication as to where the fish were.  But the vast majority of the time - the bite came closer to the boat shallow (on the final third of the cast) after about 9 or 10 am - in a semi-protected area with the sun in my face.  Last spring this took a few good ones. 

Good Luck & be safe out there - that cold water is pretty unforgiving. 

A-Jay

[Ginosocalbass]

lipless crank, and a suspending jerkbait cant really be beat. great search tools and you ca fish them so many ways that can get you bit after ice out.    If the water is oddly warmer than normal and ice is melting fast, ill mix in a glide bait for a chance at a big bite.

[smalljaw67]

Ice out for me means 3 different baits, the jerkbait, shad rap or balsa shad, and the hair jig. The order in which I use them depends on conditions. If the ice melts due to a quick warming trend, it could easily hit 40 to 45 degrees within short order and that is when I'll begin with a shad rap or as it was last yearm, the balsa shad. The fish will get surprisingly aggressive when that happens and that lure will find them fast and active fish will get on it. If it is a cold spring and the ice slowly leaves, temps can be in the mid to upper 30s for a long time, I'll almost always go right to the jerkbait and give it a go first and see how the fish respond. Of course, those are the two baits I'm hoping get bit, but if they fail then I have the perfect back up, the hair jig, and it will be either buck tail, rabbit, or marabou depending on the fish.

[RyneB]

Mop jig, redeye shad, and shakey head

[Fishin' Fool]

22 hours ago, BaitMonkey1984 said:

Used to be a lipless. Last year I absolutely killed it with the 3 TRD's I received from MTB.  I think I actually only went through 2 because they are so durable. This year I have hundreds of TRD worms and am ready to slaughter them. 

Really?? The TRD is that good that time of the year?

[primetime]

I would rather be ordering lures when it is that cold, but one lure that I have used since a kid and still do here in Florida, is the Crappie Sized Blakemore Roadrunner in 1/16,1/8,1/4, or 1/32...BPS has a cheap model called the stump jumper which comes with some cool looking soft baits on the back that only BPS sells, and I often buy just the pack of 10 heads and blades, and then add a small 1-2" soft bait.

I would imagine the Ned Rig would be my first choice now or a Slider Worm or a Gitzit Tube on a Slider Head as it glides to the bottom like a dead shad....Small Jigs like the BItsy Bug, little craws like the small Zoom Critter craw.....I have been with guys who also kill them on a suspending Jerkbait on light line 6-8lb test clear line, and will let the lure soak for long pauses...I am still learning that technique, but it seems to produce bigger fish, the Rogue & Suspending Bomber Long A are popular, as are the Megabass 110's, but I think they are only worth the money if you have a passion for Jerkbait fishing.I am not good enough to know the difference from the Knock offs, but I have been outfished by them before....

This may sound crazy, as this brand is not very popular, but a Creme Mad Dad Minnow is like the Shad Rap of lipless baits, and it comes in a small version that casts easily, falls slowly, and it is soft so it can go through cover or any weed growth left, and only cost $2 each. Its a good bait, but I would also try waking them up if you have a hard bottom and they are hugging it in a neutral move with a Spro Aruku shad hopped on the bottom like a jig...I have had it work after cold fronts in places I am familar with where I know hold fish, you just need to be ready to lose a few....