Tips on jigs, bait and locations?

[obifishkenobi]

We're getting skunked wherever we go so far. Using short poles with green/chartruese jig heads, tipped with a piece of nightcrawler, meal worm, wax worm and even perch eye. Most of the problem is finding the fish, barely a blip on the fish finder anywhere we go. Been to Mantua 3-4 times (1 rainbow), Hyrum 3-4 times (1 perch), Pineview and Willard once each (not a nibble) and Newton a few times (5 perch in one trip).

Considering we have 5-6 lines in the water all the time, it's a bit frustrating. Anyone care to share some tips with a newbie ice fishers? Are there better set ups I can use to attract fish over? Do those waters just suck this year? Constructive thoughts and suggestions appreciated.

One thing to consider, as the ice season wears on the fishing gets tougher as the fish have been pressured by anglers and the oxygen levels are dropping under the ice making the fish less active. Start your day by getting away from where lots of people have been fishing, when you first get to the lake, walk or ride as far from your access point as your willing or able to go and work back. If you do come across a spot where some one else has been and you see blood its often times worth stopping and giving that location a go. If you are not marking or catching fish move don't stay on unproductive holes for more than 20-30minutes, often times you don't have to move that far to find active fish, 50 yards can make a big difference. If you punch a hole and find willing fish but then the bite slows down move, if you have moved several times and you are not on fish circle back to the productive holes and try them again.

I primarily use the 2 following set ups, My pan fish set up is a 1/4oz. kastmaster with the split rings and hook removed tied to my main line then a 8" section of line to a small 1/32oz. jig tipped with meal worm, pinch the head of the worm and thread it onto the hook, if I'm fishing for perch, after I catch the first one I will switch to tipping my jig with perch eyeball. For trout I use a 1/16th oz. jig head with a small plastic body popular ones are tubes, cutter bugs and my all time favorite Maniac Gitzillas, I also tip them with meal worms and put mikes trout glow scent on them.

As far as technique, I'll drop down to the bottom bounce my jig off of it several times, then real up one turn, jig aggressively several times and then dead stick and watch for fish to come onto my screen, then try small jigging movements, then dead stick some more. When they appear I will continue to dead stick and watch for light bites, resist the urge to set the hook on the first tap, but instead try to anticipate the next tap then lift up, don't jerk. IF you miss drop it right back down the fish will often times strike it again, hook sets are free. If you are not getting fish on the bottom move up through the water column 2 turns at a time and repeat the process. When you see a fish appear on your screen move up or down to its level and dead stick. When aggressively jigging which is moving you bait more than a few inches make sure that on the drop, your not letting the line go slack if it does, lift up you may have a fish on, most of my jigging are small movements from shaking the rod to just moving my wrist. Hope this helps, if you have any specific questions just ask I'm more than happy to share what works for me.