Small crawfish and shiners work well up north for us. Was a small inline spinner name a Mic Lurch, single blade and single hook with different color beads in the shaft. Baited with small pieces of crawfish claw meat was a go to thing fished over weed beds or rock piles. Sure wish they would stock some near me, best eating fish that swims IMO. Commercial fishing about wipe them out of Lake Michigan to the point the limit went from none to 15 a day right as I moved back south.
always wanted to make a trip to Devil's Lake ND to fish thru the ice for them but never made it. 12 to 14 inch were common size there.