The MVP of my ice fishing season has been the Northland Tackle’s Rippin Shad in a 3/8oz Glo Redfish Tiger. I’ve had this lure rigged on a dedicated rod all season as my searching bait and it does not disappoint! It was very rare a walleye or pike would turn this offering down, most would fly in and hit it without hesitation and if they missed would swing around for another attack. The lure has a very nice side to side body roll and I found it most effective when jigged slow enough to just feel the vibration through the rod, not so fast you can hear the rattles scream. For a leader I would typically use 24 inches of 15-20lb fluorocarbon leader material with a barrel swivel on one end and a duolock snap on the other. I actually caught so many fish on it in an afternoon at Chip Lake that I had to replace the trebles because they started bending and breaking, the body is pretty scarred up buts its no less effective. I highly recommend trying out some Rippin Shads or similar lures next season!
