ice fishing noobie help

[HandGunner]

im new to ice fishing. i know how it works and all but i just have a few ?'s

first off were can i find the Yo-Yo fishing reels around blaine? i plan to make a tip up kinda thing were it would set the hook for me hence the use of the yo-yo reel.

that brings me to my second question witch is, is it legal to use homemade devices like tip ups and my yo-yo idea to ice fish with.

another thing is fishing line, can i use regular mono filament line that i use when i fish in the spring and summer? what is a good lb test?

[Deitz Dittrich]

I would check the regs.. I do not think its legal to have a device that sets the hook for you. But I could be wrong. Yes you can use the same line as you do in the summer. Some special ice lines do have a coating so they ice up less.. But many use regular line for ice fishing.

[archeral566]

as already said there are lines that are ment for cold weather and will not ice up so bad, but regular line works fine to. as for the pound test i have use either 2 or 4 pound for crappies and sunnies, and i use 6 pound for when fishing for walleye

[CJH]

Pretty sure you can't use anything that sets the hook for you in MN. You can have a homemade tipup, you just have to set the hook yourself.

The weight/test of the line should be directly related to the fish you are targeting. I use 30lb braid for Pike tip ups, that's just my preference.

Good Luck!

[Brad B]

the spring yo yo reels are illegal in minnesota even if you are right by it. I believe it falls under the same catagory as a set line or trot line even thou it is a single line and hook. homemade tip ups are okay as long as you have to manually retrieve the line hand over hand. remember thou even with tip ups you have to be within 200 feet of them and they can't not be left unattended(example : say you leave to run to town and then come back). as far as line you can use summer line but it won't perform as good as line made for ice fishing. bluegills and crappie use 2lb walleyes use 4lb and northerns on tip ups use a 20 or 30lbs line specially made for tip ups or do like I do and used 50Lbs power pro braid(left over from catfish fishing so I put it one two tip ups)

[SaintPaulPaul]

I also use my left-over musky line (PowerPro 80 lb. test-I use the unused stuff closest to the spool core when I strip it to replace it) on my tip-ups and it works like a champ ice fishing... losing a fish through the ice due to a broken line has become non-existent. Because it's a superbraid, it is very thin and easy to handle in the cold. Be sure you use superbraid knots, though...regular fishing knots are ineffective. Good luck this Winter!

[Finlander]

Don't use Fireline or any super braided line unless it is thick like 80Lb. test or more as the thinner super braids are real thin and will slice your hand real quick when a big pike makes a sudden run and you try to slow it down.

I use tip-up line made for tip-ups! It is plastic coated so it is esily seen on the ice and won't freeze to the ice as quickly as other lines do.

I attach a small swivel snap to the tip-up line so you can use fluorcarbon line for catching walleyes, and or use a wire leader when fishing for toothy pike.