Updated: October 2026. Flicker sizes, colors and prices checked on the live product page Oct 15, 2026.

How to jig a Flicker spoon for perch, the short answer: use a Gapen Flicker in 1/16 oz with a minnow head on one point of the treble hook. Drop it to bottom, lift it off, twitch it a couple of times, and let it flutter back down to a foot or two above bottom. Most perch hit as the spoon settles. It works the same from fall open water to first ice. From $4.00.

Below: the size chart by species, the lift-twitch-settle cadence, tipping, colors, and how the same spoon carries you from a fall boat to the first ice.

What is a Gapen Flicker spoon?

The Flicker is a small jigging spoon with a slight bend in its body. It flutters side to side on the fall and flashes on the lift. The product page calls it a Gapen original from a proven family pattern, built for ice fishing and panfish, and effective in open water too. It catches perch, crappie, walleye, and trout, and in the larger sizes, pike, salmon, and lake trout. It is Made in the USA.

The product page says the Flicker is fished much like a lead-head jig. Because of the bent body, though, it moves on its own every time you lift or drop it.

Which Flicker size should you use?

Seven sizes, nine colors, all from the live product page on Oct 15, 2026. The species pairings in the table come from the Flicker's own how-to section.

Size	Price	Species and tipper from the product page
1/64 oz	$4.00	Lightest; very shallow panfish (shop judgment)
1/32 oz	$4.64	Trout and bluegill, tipped with a maggot
1/16 oz	$4.86	Crappie and perch, tipped with a minnow head
1/8 oz	$5.06	Smallmouth, tipped with a small piece of crawler
1/4 oz	$5.32	Walleye, striper, lake trout, largemouth, with a minnow head
1/2 oz	$5.72	Walleye, striper, lake trout, largemouth, with a minnow head
2 oz	$11.92	Salmon, brown trout, lake trout (four colors)

Shop judgment for perch: use 1/16 oz in 8 to 25 feet. Move up to 1/8 oz for jumbo perch in deeper water, in wind, or when small perch keep stealing the bait. Drop to 1/32 oz when perch are shallow and picky.

How do you jig a Flicker for perch, step by step?

This is the cadence from the product page, written as steps:

1. Drop to bottom. Let the Flicker fall on a semi-tight line so you can feel or see a bite on the way down.
2. Lift and twitch. Raise it off bottom and twitch it a couple of times, then reel a turn or two.
3. Let it settle, but not all the way. Let it flutter back down to a foot or two above bottom. This is when perch hit.
4. Flick and lift again. Twitch it once more and lift higher.
5. Work up the water column. Repeat the lift and settle at each level until you reach the fish. If nothing hits, drop back to bottom and start over.

The product page says this erratic flutter looks like an escaping baitfish or a wounded minnow. Shop judgment: with perch, the pause matters more than the lift. Count to three or four on each settle before you move it again.

How do you tip a Flicker?

Hook only the head of a minnow on one point of the treble hook. The product page says the head is enough for scent. A whole minnow ruins the flutter.

Tipper	When to use it (shop judgment)
Minnow head	Perch, crappie, walleye; the default
Wax worm or spike	Bluegill and trout; ice season
Small piece of crawler	Smallmouth on the 1/8 oz
Gapen Red Ball egg tipper	When you want color and scent without live bait

The product page also suggests tipping the Flicker with a Gapen Red Ball. The Small size fits ice spoons and panfish lures.

What Flicker colors work for perch?

Nine colors: Blue / White (Glow), Chartreuse (Glow), Mud Minnow, Perch, Pink / White (Glow), Purple Darter, Red / White (Glow), Shad, and Sucker.

The product page says to use brighter colors in stained or low-light water and more natural finishes in clear water.

Water and light	Start with
Clear water, sun	Perch, Shad, Mud Minnow
Stained water	Chartreuse (Glow), Pink / White (Glow)
Dawn, dusk, under ice	Any glow color; charge it before each drop
Perch on small minnows	Sucker, Purple Darter

How does the Flicker go from fall to first ice?

You use the same spoon and the same cadence. Only the depth and the rod change.

	Fall open water	First ice
Where perch are	Weed edges, sand-mud transitions, first breaks	Same spots on the first safe ice; often shallower at first
Size	1/16 to 1/8 oz	1/32 to 1/16 oz
Rod (shop judgment)	6 to 7 ft light spinning	24 to 30 in ice rod
Tipper	Minnow head	Minnow head, wax worm, or spike
Movement	Lift, twitch, settle, a little forward drift	Lift, twitch, settle, then hold

Shop judgment: in fall, cast the Flicker past a weed edge and work it back in short lifts. Perch hit it on the fall like they do on a vertical drop. For safe-ice thickness, follow your state DNR's guidance, not a tackle shop's.

Customers use it the same way. dave moncrief of Tomahawk, WI wrote on the product page, "Really like the flicker." Another reviewer called it "perfect for ice fishing."

When should you not use a Flicker?

• When perch won't chase. On very slow days, a still bait like a jig with an egg tipper, held for 30 seconds, can beat a spoon. See our Red Ball jig for perch guide.
• In heavy weeds. The open treble hook catches weeds. Fish the edges and open pockets.
• Fast current in a river. The light sizes get swept away. Use a heavier jig, or our Ugly Bug fall walleye method.
• When perch are suspended high. A small jig under a float is easier. See our Bobber Anne float guide.

Flicker vs a plain ice jig

	Flicker spoon	Plain ice jig
Action	Flutters side to side on its own	Moves only when you move it
Flash	Metal spoon body	Paint; glow on some
Hook	Treble	Single
Best for	Calling perch in from a distance; active schools	Fish already under you; slow bites
Price	from $4.00	varies

Keep both rigged. Use the Flicker to pull fish in, and switch to a small jig when they slow down. For crappie under the ice, our TTS Papa Jig guide covers fishing a jig vertically.

Shop the Gapen Flicker

Gapen Flicker, from $4.00. 1/64 oz to 2 oz, nine colors including five glow, slight-bend flutter body, treble hook. Made in the USA.

Gapen Tackle, a family shop in State Center, Iowa. More from the Gapen line: heritage jigs.

FAQ

What size Flicker for perch? 1/16 oz with a minnow head, per the product page. Use 1/8 oz for deep water or wind, and 1/32 oz for shallow, picky fish.

How do you tip a Flicker spoon? Hook just the head of a minnow on one point of the treble hook. Wax worms, spikes, or a Gapen Red Ball also work.

When do perch hit a Flicker? Most bites come as the spoon flutters down and settles a foot or two off bottom.

Can you use a Flicker in open water? Yes. The product page lists it for ice and open water, year-round. In fall, cast it or jig it vertically from the boat.

What is the best Flicker color for ice fishing? Glow colors in low light and stained water, such as Chartreuse, Pink / White, Blue / White, and Red / White. Use Perch, Shad, or Mud Minnow in clear water.

Will a Flicker catch walleye? Yes. The product page pairs walleye with the 1/4 oz size and a minnow head.