Ask any ice fisherman and he will tell you emphatically that yes, it is possible to ice fish with artificial lures. If you know what you are doing a winter crappie will take a lure as quick as a fathead minnow and walleyes will grab a lure loaded with treble hooks as easily as a shiner.

So, you ask how do you get the right action on an artificial lure under the ice? Using lures made for vertical fishing. Vertical fishing is straight up and down such as a hole in the ice.

The Finnish jigging lure and the Pilkki are two top lures for ice fishermen. Both will show that you do not need live bait to catch fish through the ice.

The jigging lure looks very much like the minnow. It will sit horizontally in the water exactly balanced. When you give the line a bit of up and down, the lure will swim in a circular motion like an injured minnow. It comes in about 3 lengths and a few colors.

The Pilkki works a bit differently.  It sits vertically in the water and to get some action you just raise and drop it. It then flutters as it is sinking and when it is raised it acts like a wounded minnow by wobbling. It also comes in several lengths and the metal lure comes in nickel, copper and brass and usually in black and red.