Your Tip-Up Rigs

[dmichaelm]

How do you rig your tip ups for fishing pike? What equipment are you using top to bottom?

[The Hex]

Beaver Dam tip ups, 80lb braid, barrell swivel, 50lb vanish flouro, hook.

[deadeye]

I am using the frabil thermal ones that cover the holes. They seem to keep it from freezing in so bad. They aren't the most durable but I have only had one come apart.

The line is that coated dacron 50lb test and I run a fine wire leader. I like a quick strike rig with little baby trebles and a gold blade with a couple red beads just above the hooks.

[jjjohnson]

If your not using a BigTooth Rig, you are wasting your time. Its the best rig on the market, nothing even comes close.

[hoggs222]

Frabill Classic Tipups (wooden ones) Tip up line and a strong mono leader with a circle hook. I've never had a bite-off, since the circle hook sets in great!

[bikeoutback]

I have a mix of HT Glacier wooden tip ups and those orange or yellow plastic tip ups (I'm cheap ) All running 50lb tip up line to a black 30lb leader and a treble hook. My leaders are modified with small spoons to make them be considered lures so I can use the treble hook although I've read I need a bead also so I have to look into that and will be using single hooks till I confirm or deny one way or the other, I can't afford to throw away money in fishing fines for stupid things I can avoid. I also am going to look into circle hooks I think but have never had trouble with treble or single hooks as far as gut hooking them. Tip up for Pike so these rigs seem to work just fine.

[fish with teeth]

do you use a leader with the big tooth tackle rigs? just got some from the show and forgot to ask the guy

[herefish101]

beaver dam tip up with 30lb line to a swivel, 25lb leader to a circle hook. Trying some of that new suffix metered tip up line this year, I broke it by hand tieing a knot so i'm a little iffy...

[rugbymn]

I use the cheapest tipups I can find that get the job done. As long as the flag pops up, I'm good. It's the line and my hands that do the actual work. Right now, I've got a bunch of the green HT's and they've held strong for 3 or 4 years.

As for my line, I run a 40 or 50 lb dacron. I think that's pretty common. I either run 30 lb mono or 17 lb flouro for the leader. It depends on if I'm targeting gators or walleyes. It's usually no longer than 2'.

As for the end of the line, I use a single snelled J hook parallel to the dorsal fin. Since experimenting with this last year, I haven't lost a single fish. I also put a small gold spinner and bead on top of the hook. I don't know why, but when I experiment with it, the spinner/bead rig always gets the most fish.

[jjjohnson]

do you use a leader with the big tooth tackle rigs? just got some from the show and forgot to ask the guy

Nope, just use a good braided line and tie it right to the rig.

These guys that are using circle hooks and whatnot are missing out on alot of fish.

[pulleye16]

check out some threads / post by STEVE FOSS. He seems to really know what he's talking about with tip-ups and uses them alot. He has some picks on here of a modified quick strike (only one set of treble hooks). As far as the laws with treble hooks I beleive you need a bead and a blade attached not more then 3 inches from the hook to be legal but others and FOSS can verify that. I also have an email from the DNR that has that as well and I can post if I find.

I'll use all different styles of tip ups as long as it spins and the flag goes up. I use 50lb braid straight to a 15-30lb leader which connects straight to either a treble or regular (pike) hook. On leaders that have the treble I've attached a red bead and either a gold or silver blade.

I have friends that use spider wire or some sort of stronger line instead of a leader cause they think norther won't bite a hook straight from a leader and lose tons of fish and have no better flag rate then my set up. IMO northerns aren't as picky as walleye or other game fish and the leader won't keep them from bitting.

[Steve Foss]

Here's a post from a different thread (it actually was a bit off topic in that thread and more appropriate here).

I rig my tip-ups this way. I make these rigs up myself with 50lb stranded wire. I've only gut-hooked one pike in the 3 or so years I've been tying these rigs. The key is placing your tip-ups close enough together so the fish doesn't have a chance to swallow the whole thing by the time you get there.

This is for pike, of course, and I run heavy superbraid or standard old black braided line above the leaders. For 'eyes, I've got a couple tip-ups rigged with 10 lb limp mono like Trilene XL, and it's just a small hook with a couple split shot a foot above the single hook.

[SDS]

The OG polar tip up! 20 lbs braided ice line, barrel swivel, 10 lbs fireline, #2 eagle claw straight shank hook with 3-4 split shots depending on the bait. This work with even large eye and pike. Rarely get bite off.

[Iceboy]

I use florescent yellow braid instead of plain black on my walleye tipups - it's great for seeing if something actually has your bait since you can see if the line is heading off in a direction or is just straight down.

[fish with teeth]

thanks jjjohnson. im really looking forward to trying these this weekend.

i use a rattle wheel mounted on a box and put a candle inside. dont have to worry about chipping the ice away. been using them for about 7 years now and love them. i also have the pagers and really love those.