Approaching the new year it’s a good thing there’s lots to do with the holidays. Especially because the stinkin’ ice will not form up! I know it’s technically a little early but it’s such a tease to see the ice form up almost thick enough before getting rain and warmer weather that knock it all out. Anyway, I’m still itching to get out and start ice-fishing if that wasn’t obvious. So as long as I’m waiting I’m stocking up on more ice fishing lures. This week I picked up the Rattl’n Flyer Spoon by Lindy in the eighth ounce TG Firetiger pattern. It’s another simple lure with a lot of features going for it.

As I have been starting to learn while speaking with my friends in the ice-fishing scene, the size of ice fishing lures are typically smaller; smaller, being defined as an eighth ounce or even a quarter ounce but not much bigger. Thinking about why this might be, I tend to assume it’s because ice fishing revolves around jigging and therefore unless you are trying to fish with live bait, anything you drop in is going to remain mostly within your vertical drop point. Granted there are gliders and spoons designed to reach out to the sides of that drop zone, but for those that don’t, they need only maximize their movement and light refraction.

The Rattl’n Flyer for example is just shy of 2 inches in length (in the 1/8 oz size). That’s including the treble hook. In a game where that flash really matters, this little lure packs on the color. The hook is painted red and the Firetiger pattern sports a bright green back and a fluorescent orange belly. The eye is painted pink onto the nose of the body and sports a simple black pupil. The open side of the lure is embellished with a holographic sticker that details the existing paint scheme with scales and gill patterns in a light silver contrast. The tie on is mounted within the nose and is a simple metal loop making it unnecessary for a swivel on the lure itself. I would however place a swivel further up the leader since this spoon, by its very nature, is prone to flip and spin. The swivel is going to save you a fish or even just a bird’s nest in your reel later on.

The word ‘Rattl’n’ isn’t just there for a cool name. Inside this lure are a couple of brass rattles. As you jig the lure up and down in the water it emits the rattling feature it was designed for, calling attention to itself in the cold water, reverberating through that water and off of the ice. The light shining down through your ice hole puts a spotlight on your tiny dancing lure and shows off that nice glinting holographic design. As with many of these jigs, a little piece of worm never hurts to put on the treble hook. As fish come in close, attracted by the rattling and sparkle of the colors in the light, they are triggered by that sense of smell from the live bait.

The eighth ounce lure is almost a touch large for many crappie and smaller panfish. Will they hit it and can they get it in their mouths? Yes. But the more appealing you can make your lure to your designated prey, the better. As my buddies say, smaller is better when fishing those crappie nests. If you want to pick up walleye or other large species, stay with the eighth ounce. But I would suggest keeping some different sizes on hand depending on your pleasure for the moment. They come as large as a Quarter ounce and as small as a sixteenth ounce. Of course there are a full spectrum of colors to choose from as well and depending on your experience or location, those will also play a role in how fast you fill your bucket.

The Rattl’n Flyer is a non-lead alloy and is therefore lighter. What this means is that it descends slower but at a rate that you should still be able to feel and control. It also lends itself to flipping darting and shimmering. It claims that it doesn’t spin, and that may be the case, but for safety sake I would still suggest the swivel. There’s really no way to keep that lure from ever rotating completely. Another little trick with this lure is the eyes. The eyes are able to be charged for short periods of time with a flashlight so that they glow in the dark. If you are fishing and it is overcast or you are in a tent, I would bring a little light just to charge those up every once in a while. Give the fish something else to investigate down there.

*If you have any luck with the lure of the week, feel free to email your pictures to events@riverreporter.com for an opportunity to share them on our website. If you have a favorite kind of lure we haven’t reviewed yet, feel free to send that lure to our office at PO box 150 Narrowsburg, NY 12764. We will add it to our weekly reviews and share the results. Check back each week on Fridays to see the new lure of the week!