Glide baits like the Clam Tikka Mino have become one of Jason Mitchell’s favorite walleye lures over the years to the point that they’ve become a confidence bait for getting big bites. Often more popular among walleye anglers in the summertime, there are a lot of different ways to work a glide bait. On the open water, the typical glide bait cadence involves snapping it 2 to 3 feet and even 4 feet at times. When it comes to ice fishing, Mitchell finds that it becomes more of a hard 6 to 12 inch jig stroke to land walleye on glide baits. Mitchell shows a couple of key tips for working glide baits like the Tikka Mino when ice fishing for walleye in the clip above.
Generally, Mitchell will work glide baits through the ice with a hard 6-12 inch jig stroke to cause the bait to swim and attract fish in. If a fish comes in and doesn’t attack the bait while you’re jigging it, stop the hard cadence and switch to a heavy quiver – raising it, shaking it, and quivering it upward. Much of the time, he’ll tip the bottom treble with either a perch eye or a minnow head (depending on state regulations).
A key tip to keep in mind when working a glide bait through the ice for walleye is that if you let the bait settle at all between snaps, it will turn slightly and shoot in a different direction. The worst thing you can do with a glide bait is pop the lure such that it disappears or even goes behind the fish. Once the fish loses sight of the bait, it’s pretty much over. It’s important to make sure you’re in full control of the bait by popping it before it settles so it continues going the same direction.
Keep the lure going in the same general direction to keep it in front of the fish and you’ll have a much greater chance of triggering a bite. Walleye are not good at backing up and don’t like to turn sharp to snap up their prey. When they get close and right on top of your lure, keep the bait going the same direction or switch to just a hard quiver while raising it upward. Especially when ice fishing shallow, work your glide bait with just a 6 to 8 inch snap and keep that lure in a general area where walleye can find it and hone in on it easily.
