Like everyone else, I was ( and still am, I suppose) looking for the 'perfect' ice fishing jig - have I found it? - NOPE!!! for sure not!  I don't think there is a perfect fishing lure of any kind, for that matter. 
But here are some mighty fine ice fishing jigs which have proven downright excellent and constant for me over the years - ones that I've adopted and HAND PAINT - and are AMERICAN MADE - with AMERICAN components, except for the actual hook which are in some cases MUSTAD hooks,  all the other hooks used AMERICAN MADE  EAGLE CLAW hooks - but in either case - your assurance of  quality - ALL THE WAY. I've found it's a heck of a lot cheaper overall to have a very few jigs that work - than a tackle box full of one's that work only moderately well!

Indeed, as time goes by, I'll include other 'standard' colors such as chartreuse, fluorescent yellow, red and orange and various combinations; but for now, time and money simply dictate that I give you WHAT WORKS - AND WORKS WELL! 

TICK JIGS - This was the first jig that I worked on and developed - or more correctly - the actual colors and 'methodology' mentioned here - and now what I call 'Glow on Black' in both of my "Ice Fishing Basics" and 'Just Crappie' books ( and in several of my other books and numerous 'outdoors' columns as well). Indeed, OVER FIVE YEARS OF RESEARCH went into this excellent color combination and concept - which uses both science and proven field experience in the development - AND IS WHY THEY WORK SO WELL! I used all of my savvy as a 'pro' fisher, and my education as an Environmental Engineering Technician to come up with this fish-deadly combo - I didn't just try colors until I hit a productive array - as many tackle manufacturers do - and which are often primarily aimed at 'sale ability' rather than time tested 'fish catch ability'. No doubt you've seen tackle shop walls with such a fantastic ( and costly) assortment of 'nice looking' ice fishing jigs - designed and painted up and 'look good'  - and sell - to you as the fisherman! The ticks, teeter totters and sunfish jigs found here on my ( and ONLY ON MY PAGE) may not look like much to us fisher folk - but the bottom line is - THEY CATCH FISH - BIG TIME - CONSISTENTLY! 

order 'em!

Tick jigs! 'Glow on Black, a deadly combo!

Teeter Totter Jigs!  order 'em!

My fishin' buds that really pound on the perch FAVOR the LARGE tick jig, and in deep water use as little extra weight as possible so as not to destroy the tick jig's sensitive but wild darting action, nor the delicate bites when perch are neutral or negative. The large tick jig weighs the same as the previous medium size tick, but the large tick comes on a gold size 6 hook which allows for bending down of the barb easily. The larger hook also accommodates a larger piece of live bait or  small tube jig for those that need it. If bending down the barb be sure to keep constant 'up' pressure/movement on perch when bringin' them in so they don't 'flip' off PREMATURELY in the water. This 'easy' flip-off is desired once out on the ice though, allowing anglers to get their rig back into the water and down into 'the kill zone' more quickly - offering more fish per trip - and other 'reasons' that only the most productive anglers seem to know and understand. 

But there's MORE -ALL OF these jigs now are also being used and proving awesome on OPEN WATER TOO + STREAM FISHING FOR TROUT - what a bonus!

With all of the jigs found here - you can catch 'major fish' relatively inexpensively - when compared to the costly 'other' lures these  simple ice jigs can replace. In fact, with an assortment of the jigs found here you can easily catch as many, and often MANY MORE crappie, perch, 'gills, smallmouth bass, walleye and trout than on your whole expensive tackle box full of tackle that you likely have now - and they'll all fit easily ( even with a few extra weights or split shot) in a small pill bottle! Don't get me wrong here - I'm not suggesting that you get rid of, nor that you don't use the tackle you already have - just that you can have excellent fishing results using these small jigs - rather than spend big bucks filing your tackle box with other much more costly lures! Lets face it, for open water these jigs just wouldn't be a good alternative for trolling or for much drift fishing - albeit they do work well for slow drift fishing.

Not only that - these "Glow on Black" TICK, TEETER TOTTER and SUNFISH jigs ( 'Glow on Black) ARE NOT sold by ANY of the big chain stores! 

Sunfish jigs!  order 'em!

If using a bobber, for a bit of action,as you can't as easily thrum or shimmer your jig, instead, simply and very subtly, tap the top of the bobber - but don't over-do! This will put a small amount of action in the jig below - and remember - what looks like a little to you where you are - will be a LOT on the actual jig - so again - don't over-do the tapping, shimmering or thrumming actions for crappie!  Too, after thrumming, shimmering or tapping, I'll often let the rig sit motionless for a minute or so, then slowly raise it up a foot or so, then slowly drop back down - this seems to entice neutral or negative fish. Most often, if the fish aren't neutral or negative and the bite is hot - you won't need to go to these extremes - only when the going is tough and slow!

Bluegill and pumpkinseed fishing techniques using tick, teeter totter and sunfish jigs.While generally, fishing techniques are similar as for crappie - most assuredly they are not at all the same.
But be ready - when using these jigs and techniques - you'll take nearly ALL species of fish - they're that effective! 
Sometimes 'gills will be deep, and you may, especially if using smaller jigs, need extra weight to get your jig and live bait offering down directly and much more quickly. The key to success, though, in this extra weight event, is to NOT USE MORE than you need to efficiently get the jig and bait down quickly to the depth you wish to fish at - TOO MUCH WEIGHT AND IT"LL DEADEN your feel of the lure and potential bite - most PAN FISH - crappie, 'gills 'n' perch can bite particularly light. 
When fishing 'gills I find that I let my bait sit motionless MUCH MORESO than when crappie fishing, but when I do move the bait I use much the same technique as when fishing crappie ( see above). Too, I'll move the jig on the up/down motions a bit more quickly than when fishin' crappie, and on a much greater distance of 'stroke' . Very often 'gills - even mammoth gills - will be 'pecking' at the bait and reluctant to take it. When this happens it may be because there are a lot of smaller fish there, or the 'gills may simply be finicky, neutral or negative. If you wish to take more fish when this happens - switch  immediatelyto a smaller jig or bait, or combination of these. Be sure to use a horizontal presentation jig if they are in this neutral or negative bite mode. Use a SMALL piece of LIVE bait on this small jig and your success should improve. If you are plagued with small fish - do the reverse - go with a larger similar jig and a bit bigger piece of live bait. AND BE SURE YOUR HOOKS ARE PAST NEEDLE SHARP!
'Gills, like crappie, may be biting 'up' and your line may simply go dead, and I've even seen the line simply stop moving and go limp, not moving at all. When this happens I usually quickly, but gently, snub up the line and GENTLY set the hook, all in one motion.
When they are simply nibbling/pecking, so to speak, but never seemingly bite hard enough for you to connect solidly - and I assure you, you'll know what I mean when when this happens, as mentioned above, offer smaller bait sizes and horizontal jigs. But there's sometimes even  more needed to dupe them during such frustrating times. BE SURE to focus intently on the line when this happens - with a steely stare - and gently - like using that movement used above on the crappie, but slightly faster, move that line around the hole, and up and down about six inches to a foot ( only) so that the jig is following but never allowing any slack.BE READY, and in this fashion you'll feel 'em when they barely mouth the bait - and when they do so - set that hook QUICKLY with a GENTLE SNAP.I assure you, you'll have to have your wits about you for this level of intense fishing -enjoy and - fish on!

Walleye, Pike and Trout fishing using ticks, teeter totters and sunfish jigs. for the most part these jigs are a bit small for consistent fishing of most of these larger fish, but you will catch them on 'em, and they work well, and there will be times when you get into these fish unexpectedly - and well - you might as well make the most of it! 
I've put all of these larger fish in the same category because they all like lots of action as a rule (as compared to crappie and 'gills) - and all are usually hard biters. But trout, especially speckled trout - like a smaller piece of bait. For speckled trout I like either a maggot or wax worm or mousy, and for all the rest of the trouts, a nice lively ( but small if possible, no longer than two inchers, except in the case of hard water lakers which'll go for three inchers, with relish) minnow! In most cases I'll hook the minnow just under and behind the dorsal fin. Go to the desired depth - and if using a small jig you will likely need extra weight or split shot. KEEP THAT BAIT MOVING at least fifty percent of the time, allowing it to sit motionless periodically. Use long upward jig sweeps of about four foot strokes for walleye, pike and large trout, and only about a foot and a half stroke duration for speckled trout. Most of the time such a stroke will take me three or four seconds to accomplish before allowing it to settle back down to the desired depth. While this is what I regard as 'fast' for ice fishing - it's quite slow as compared to what one would use for summer and open water fishing.

If your minnows are lively you should see your line being moved around the hole as the minnow is swimming around with it easily, especially in the case of the larger three to four inch minnows you should be using for pike and walleye. Too, to add extra color and flutter to your offering, especially for all of these larger fish, tag on the thin tail piece of a twister tail or tube tail - just half inch to an inch piece only - not too much, and just the thin wiggly part! 
If you have trouble with these jigs ripping out of the fish's mouth, try tying on a second stinger hook, and leave it baitless. Too, be sure to set the drag on your reel a bit lighter.

AH!!! PERCH! - one of the mildest flavored - and sought after fish by ice anglers! Perch are indeed a schooling fish, and once the school is in your vicinity - the bite is on! Long time perch fishers know that you must get that bait back into the water as quickly as possible when the perch are hitting, and the larger size six tick jig allows you to do this by slightly pinching the barb. Once pinched, when the flopping fish is up and out of your hole, you simply move it away from the hole so it can't flop back into the water and be gone, then you let the line go slack and the perch'll flip and most of the time dislodge the hook itself! If this doesn't happen then you simply and quickly unhook the fish - no messing or fiddling or twisting around with the hook. BUT THERE IS A MAJOR TRADE-OFF! Because the barb is pinched down you'll lose more fish during the fight - most fishers that use this method of fishing horse the fish up and out of the hole as quickly as possible so that the line won't go slack - if the line goes slack during the plating of the fish - it'll flip off - and be gone! It takes a while to master this technique. 
With the larger teeter totter and sunfish jigs you may not need extra weight to get them down into deep water fast, but if on ANY of these jigs, including tick jigs, you can either use split shot or I sell very small slider weights  that are perfect to give just a bit more weight without impairing the action of the 'given' jig you are using, not dull the often light sensation of 'the bite'! 
In most water, except perhaps incredibly deep water, or water that is badly, and sadly losing it's oxygen content, often late winter, perch are primarily a very near bottom feeder.The old ice fishing concept of 'go to bottom, and up a foot' works well as a rule of thumb for perch fishers!If you don't have a fish finder or depth finder, be sure to use a bobber stop ( this technique is mentioned at length above in this article) to help you quickly and accurately reach the 'kill zone' - it'll vastly improve your catch overall! 
Perch are 'generally' fairly aggressive biters as compared to crappie or 'gills- and are perfect for beginner ice fishers to start on - and the bonus - some of the finest most pristine flavored fish that God has created! Whichever type of jig you use, tick, teeter totter, or sunfish jigs - they all work well - use a piece of live bait on it as well - and ONLY A SMALL PIECE. I prefer to use a wax worm or maggot or mousy best, and use a minnow or perch eye only for specific reasons. If using a minnow for perch, don't use a minnow longer than about 2 inches if you can, three being what I regard as 'past' max for most water and perch. AND MAKE IT A LIVE MINNOW! If using maggots, wax worms or mousy - a live bait that doesn't provide its own action - as a live minnow does - if the bite isn't happening, jig the presentation lightly. By lightly I mean thrumming gently as to make the bait quiver/shimmer, and if you wish to use an up/down stroke, make it a short foot or two up/down distance as a max - unless in very deep water at which time a four foot stroke is fine. This stroke shouldn't be to aggressive though, and the time interval to complete the whole up and back down motion should take about two to three seconds - then let it sit motionless again, then thrum lightly again, repeating this until interested fish again start working the bait. Most of the time when the bite is fierce, as it sure can be perch fishin - just get that bait back into and down to the kill zone asap! 
If you aren't catching anything - drill more holes and hunt them out! Perch are quite nomadic and move around a lot - I may drill upwards of fifty holes before finding them - and once I do - I stick with them. On days when fishin is tough - definitely go to a smaller lure and piece of bait, and a jig with a horizontal presentation will in most cases prove best of all jigs in such circumstances. Too, if the going is tough - change jigging technique - use  aggressivejigging - BUT ALWAYS ALLOW THE JIG/BAIT TO SIT MOTIONLESS for a while after such jigging - perch won't usually chase an aggressively jigged lure much, as a rule of thumb! 

FISH - ON!! - John A. Vance, Environmental Eng. Tech., & Outdoor Writer (member Outdoor Writers of Canada) and 'Pro' guide emeritus!

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE MY BOOKS, TICKS, TEETER TOTTERS AND SUNFISH JIGS! - with my thanks for putting bread on my table.  AMEN.