They have become my secret weapon. I can't give out the technique since it could be a big tourney winner for me but I will suggest the product. Caught everything from bluegill and crappies up to an 8lb bass on it. Give em a try...you won't be disappointed.
Used a couple of these for fun in south Florida shallows a couple weeks ago and was amazed. Pulled in a number of snapper, and the blue-runners were just killling these little lures (testing them against trout and reds next week with any luck). Combined with an ultra-lite rod and light line makes for a great day with small scrappy fish. They are also light enough to throw on a fly rod which I prefer to put some distance on them. Only bad thing was they dont come in saltwater hooks and the point corrodes making them dull. I would recommend having these in a couple different styles for tough days they work.
My good friend and I went fishing on our local chain of lakes during a stretch when we had been having above normal temperatures for this time of year. We went out to" ice fish" the docks and piers as we like to call it. This is simply employing ice fishing techniques during open water conditions. We were panfishing(crappies and bluegills) but we will also catch an occassional predator such as largemouth bass, walleye, and norhern pike. We simply tie up to a dock or pier and pitch or cast under and around the structure. The Creme Silverside Minnows worked great. We caught and released well over 200 panfish in 4 hours of fishing, and I kept 25 each of crappies and bluegills. I also caught one walleye, four bass, and a northern. I was tipping the lure with a waxworm or using it alone. I was also using a slip bobber with a small live shiner minnow and, at times, I was catching as many or more with the Creme minnows as I was with the live bait. Lure has great action and flash in the water.