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Jigging Spoons for Walleye Through the Ice

Short answer: Start with a 1/8–1/4 oz spoon in 10–25 ft of water, tipped with a minnow head. Rip it 1–2 ft, let it flutter back and pause. Most bites come on the pause. Go heavier for deep water or wind.

From Lake Gogebic to the Menominee flowages, a jigging spoon tipped with a minnow head is the U.P.'s classic walleye bait. These notes cover picking one and fishing it.

Spoon types

• Flutter spoons: thin and wide. They fall slowly and wobble. Great when fish are looking up or are sluggish.
• Jigging/slab spoons: heavier and narrower. They fall fast and get you down in wind and deep water.
• Rattle spoons: have an internal rattle or a bead chamber. They call fish in from a distance and in stained water.

Size and weight

Start with 1/8–1/4 oz in 10–25 ft of water. Go to 3/8 oz or heavier for deep basin fish or wind. Size down when fish come in on the flasher but won't commit.

Tipping

Use a minnow head, or a whole small minnow hooked through the lips, on the treble. Hook the head so the spoon still swims. Too much bait kills the action.

Cadence

1. Drop to the bottom, then reel up 6–12 inches.
2. Rip 1–2 ft, then let it flutter back on a semi-slack line.
3. Pause and hold dead still. Most bites come on the pause.
4. When a fish shows on the flasher, shorten the lifts and quiver in place.

Rod, reel, line

A 28–36" medium-light to medium rod and a small spinning reel spooled with 6–8 lb line, or braid with a fluorocarbon leader. See our rods & reels guide. A flasher makes spoon fishing far easier, because you can see how fish react to each lift. See the flasher guide.

Check the current Michigan DNR fishing regulations for walleye seasons, sizes and bag limits on your lake.

Quick questions

What size jigging spoon for walleye?

Start with 1/8 to 1/4 oz in 10 to 25 feet of water; go to 3/8 oz or heavier for deep fish or wind.

Related guides

• Ice Jigs & Plastics: A Northwoods Starter Box
• Thermal Tip-Ups: HT Polar Therm vs Polar Therm Extreme
• Float Suits for Ice Fishing: Striker Climate vs Clam Rise V3
• Ice Rods & Reels: Building a Panfish and Walleye Setup

Written by Cory Arnold, Iron County, Michigan. Specs checked October 2026.

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