> If you’re learning to jig them into submission during mid-winter, your best bet is to focus on the 3rd or 4th day of consistent weather, and a stable or falling barometer…[during] low-light periods.

> Focus on slowly dropping your bait into a school of fish on a slack line. Are they rising to meet it, or spooking in a refusal to eat? Some baits simply drop better than others, so watch your bait for the first few feet to see what it looks like. Hopefully there’s no spin and the fall looks natural.

> Spinning reels and finicky gills have single-handedly brought upon the heavy selection of in-line or straight-line reels these days, which allow line to be evenly placed on a spool without line twist.

> The next drop: Try an artificial…on a tight line as you steadily control the bait’s fall until just above them — sneak it in — then start jigging. Focus on initial reactions from your flasher. Does an aggressive lift draw them closer, or does a more subtle jigging stroke tickle their fancy?

> Technical gill bites are cause for a 2-step process that I like to call “lock-down” and “lift.” I palm the reel, placing the rig on my thigh or hip while kneeling on the ice. This settles and steadies my hand, allowing for [fine-tuned] movements.

> …tap the rod blank with a forefinger to attract, then squeeze the rod handle in quick but subtle bursts to get the fish to commit. As reluctant fish close (or retreat) I start a slow but steady lift to hit the reset button.

> Each jig fishes differently based on design. These are general starting points from which to form your own opinions and best-practices, but keep them in mind next time you tackle a tough gill bite for which there seems no remedy.

> Crappies are easy pickings (by comparison) for much of the ice season…they suspend over deeper water, giving our sonar cones a chance to grow in diameter and scan a larger underwater area.

> Bigger crappies, however, are often found in weeds or roaming edges instead of basins…often jig up like a less-eager walleye.

> …control of the jig is made difficult by deep water and small jig sizes. On light bites (I’ll use) a stiffer-than-normal noodle style rod — when fish are a bit more willing to chew, I’ll use a stronger power and faster-action rod for better control.

> …bigger fish in the school [are usually] either feeding high…or sitting [below the little ones] in the water column. Fish fast with heavier tungsten or spoons to blow past the little guys, but still stay above the better fish. Crappies seem more unwilling to follow a bait down…unlike bluegills and perch.

> The up-down keep-away game works with the most aggressive crappies…you’ll need to keep the bait quiet for really tough customers. The “lock-down” method works great as a fish really studies your bait…with crappies being notoriously light biters.

> What you may misinterpret as a simple shake from your hand may actually be a crappie sucking in the bait and quickly pushing it back out.

> I like to focus on being still or at least very subtly controlled when jigging as a crappie approaches, knowing that my ability to detect its strike is as difficult often as simply getting the fish to commit.