Ice jig, ice fly, ice bug?? What on earth is an ice bug? Keep on reading for a brief history of the name..
All of you should be familiar with what an ice jig is. Although they may take many shapes and forms, it's agreed that an ice jig is a small, weighted, hook that is primarily used during ice fishing. Once vertically oriented and relatively light because of their tin construction, early ice jigs usually needed extra lead spit-shot to get them down to where the fish were hiding. This is what I remembered my dad setting up on a dead stick while I froze because I lost a boot down a slushed over hole (will save that story for another blog post). Then lead hit the scene, allowing manufacturers to produce a bait that sinks quickly and lets you actively jig it on a taught line for increased sensitivity. Once step further, tungsten came along. It was then possible to have an even heavier jig, all while maintaining the small profile that fish seem to crave during the winter months. But it wasn’t until major manufacturers looked for inspiration in fly fishing that the next innovation in ice jigs happened. Enter the “ice fly.”
Ice flies took the old craft of fly tying and brought it to “conventional” anglers nationwide. With materials like vinyl ribbing and hackle collars presented on horizontal tungsten jigs, anglers quickly latched onto the trend, and it was being proven to catch fish over standard ice jigs.
Enter Aaron’s Custom Tying and the “ice bug.” With a fly, and ice fishing background, this was the perfect arena for me. I called them “ice bugs” to differentiate myself from the same copy-paste patterns major manufacturers were flooding store shelves with. 18 original patterns later, I’m just scratching the surface of what is possible to create with a hook, bead, thread, and little skill and application of the proper materials.
So, head on over to the ‘shop’ tab and browse my selection. I guarantee they will put fish on the ice for you this season!
-Aaron
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