The 3 Best Ice Fishing Baits for Panfish

Catching panfish through the ice is a fairly simple affair. You find a piece of likely-looking water, drill a couple of holes, drop in your baits, and wait for the action to begin.

The question is—what bait do you use? With a complete myriad of panfish species out there and all of them living in different environments, finding a bait that will work for every panfish, from bluegill and crappie to perch and white bass, seems like a tall order. However, there are a few baits that, with the proper rigging and fishing techniques, will pretty much catch them all.

Whether you call them spikes, wax worms, or bee bugs, almost every ice angler would put maggots and grubs at the top of the panfish bait mountain. These delectable little insect larvae come in a great variety of shapes and sizes with the variations usually stemming from the insect species they’re derived from. Larger species of grubs are usually the larvae of a moth or beetle, while smaller maggots are the larval form of flies.

Both maggots and grubs put an excessive amount of scent out into the water when they’re pierced with a hook, which draws panfish to them like a moth to the flame. They’re an excellent option for bluegill, pumpkinseed, and other sunfish, and also work well for perch and crappies, especially during the late winter when the fish are suspended in deeper water.

Rigging with maggots and grubs is fairly simple. In shallow water, when targeting bluegill and other sunfish, you can stick a smaller maggot or two on a small, tear-drop tungsten jig and bounce it just above the bottom on an ultra-light-action jigging rod. For larger, more predatory fish like yellow perch and crappie or when you’re fishing in deeper water, you can thread larger grubs onto larger jigs or jigging spoons. The extra size and flash of the lure combined with the scent of the grub will draw larger panfish in from a distance and cause them to inhale the bait quicker than a dog jumping on a piece of dropped bacon.

Earthworms and nightcrawlers are a staple of the open-water panfish world, but few anglers realize just how effective they can be when fished through the ice. Whether you use whole earthworms or small chunks of cut crawler, worms can catch every panfish species under the ice with very little effort.

Readily available in most gas stations and practically every bait shop on the planet, the size and type of worms you buy for ice fishing can be directly matched to the species of panfish you’re after.

Small earthworms work extremely well for bluegill and small perch. Larger chunks of nightcrawler and even whole crawlers make for heartier meals and work extremely well for big perch, crappie, and other slab-sized species. Yet, just like every other bait, worms won’t catch you a thing through the ice if you aren’t rigging and fishing them right.

You can use small chunks of worms to tip jigs and spoons just like you would when using grubs. However, you can often be more effective fishing with whole worms rigged underneath a bobber, especially when it’s extremely cold and panfish are sluggish.

Set up the rig by taking a whole earthworm and threading it headfirst (the fat end) onto a #8 or #10 bait hook, exposing the hook point just below the band. Then, attach a small slip-bobber to your rig and clip on a couple of bobber stops that will allow the worm to float and struggle beneath the ice just above the bottom. To keep the worm rig in the strike zone and to prevent any tangles from happening with a free-floating bait, you’re also going to want to attach a small split shot to the line about three to six inches above the bait.

Drop your worm into the hole and let it sink to the desired depth where it can hang suspended beneath the bobber. Then, all you have to do is set the rod down on the ice or put it in a rod holder and wait for the bobber to dunk. It’s a great way to fish for spread-out panfish as you can set up multiple rods this way, put a chair in the middle, and have a seat while you wait for the fish to come to you.

Worms and maggots are great for jigging rods and less predatory species like bluegill and other small sunfish. But if you prefer to fish with tip-ups or are after more voracious panfish like white perch, rock bass, or crappie, then minnows are the way to go. These tiny baitfish come in a variety of sizes and are usually fished alive, where they can struggle and flutter beneath the ice, triggering strikes from hungry panfish looking for a substantial meal.

You can find several types of minnows in most bait shops during the winter. The most common for panfish is the fathead minnow, which are usually between two and four inches long and will be eaten by every panfish, from sunfish to perch. These usually come in standard silvery colors or the rosy-red version, which works well for panfish in cloudy water.

Another common minnow species is the emerald shiner, which is slightly longer (three to five inches) and a bit thicker. Shiners make excellent crappie baits and also work incredibly well for white perch, white bass, jumbo yellow perch, and bluegill.

You can jig with live minnows on a bare hook or tipped on a jig, but they’re most effective for panfish when fished under a tip-up. Tip-ups allow you to spread your setup and fish at multiple depths and in multiple areas at once. They’re great for prospecting new areas and for dialing in on roving schools of suspended panfish.

Set up your tip-ups with minnows hooked through the back just behind the dorsal fin so they can swim and struggle tantalizingly beneath the water to draw panfish in.

When you’re setting up minnow-baited tip-ups for panfish, it’s best to do it on a long leader of monofilament or fluorocarbon line attached to your tip-up line. Set it up by tying a small barrel swivel to your tip-up line and then a two- to three-foot length of four- to six-pound mono or fluro to the other end. Add a small split shot to the tip-up line above the swivel, and then hook on your bait. The split shot will hold the bait in place while still allowing it to swim in a tight circle on the leader until it ends up clamped in a panfish’s jaws.

Panfish are one of those rare species we chase where numbers usually count more than size. While we all like to catch trophy fish through the ice, catching a slough of chunky, scrappy panfish is every bit as rewarding and satisfying as landing a monster lake trout, pike, or muskie.

Though they’re small, panfish are among the best-eating fish in freshwater, and when you’re using the right baits, you can be happy knowing that you’ll be able to fill your freezer with tasty fillets all winter long.