By Chuck Mason
Northland Tackle Pro Staff
Sting’r Hooks from Northland Tackle are a mainstay on the Detroit and Saginaw Rivers in the spring and fall. We even use them while popping hair jigs off the bottom of Lake Erie for that specialized walleye bite. Often though they get put away when Thanksgiving passes on the calendar and December rolls around.
The question is, why don’t walleyes short strike your baits on a frozen lake too? Of course, they do, and in this modern age of the underwater camera, it has been proven again and again for all to take notice. Whether you are using a jig or a spoon, half minnow or a whole, Northland has a type and size of Sting’r Hook to fit your needs.
If employing a horizontal jig you can use a three-inch Slip-On Sting’r Hook. If you are using Northland’s Fire-Ball® Jig, then employ the 3” Clip-On Sting’r Hook.
One of my favorite presentations through the ice for walleye are spoons. Their various shapes create so many different actions below the surface and will match just about any mood the walleye below may be in. Actively feeding, taking that slow approach, or that tough bite where you have to anger them enough to strike out of pure aggression.
Your options with spoons are even more varied than if you were using the horizontal jig. While tipping you can use either a Slip-On or Clip-On two-inch Sting’r Hook. With a whole minnow, you can use either option in the 3” variety.
Next time while you are hitting the hard water, go back into your softwater gear and bring the Sting’r Hooks with you to increase your hook-up rate. They work with nearly any presentation and you will land more fish. Don’t let that short strike be a whiff and miss.
Note: Please check state regulations as not all states allow attachments of quick-strike rigs on spoons with existing treble hooks.