pros and cons of tip ups

[fishinfey8]

The best way to fish tip ups is with a bigger group of people. Don't get me wrong, I like putting up tip ups when i'm by myself at times, but when you can have 4 guys and 8 tip ups out, you can really cover some ground and/or a piece of structure effectively.

My favorite rig is a big shiner with a plain hook and two split shots a foot up. Steve has covered about everything else, but I will say that in my experience, the plain old cheap tip ups paired with the foam hole covers are the way to go.

Sometimes if my girlfriend will go with me I will bring 4 tip ups, 2 nice reclining patio chairs, my heater, and my hub and we will use it as a warming shack. She reads, I tend flags while reading HSO on my smartphone.

[redneckiceman18]

i couldnt agree more fishenfey

[reinhard1]

i fish alone at times [retired and some friends have to work], so i always have a tip up on the ice. inside my 2 man eskimo i can fish one hole for whatever i'm after but there are usualy pike where i go so thats what the tip up is for. usualy use dead smelt for pike. i also use tip ups for walley at times and trout. i have cought some of my biggest browns [grindstone] on my tip up on big shiners. i use live shiners more on this lake because i have a better chance at a lake trout, brown, or pike. i use a 10 lb test mono leader for my tip ups with a single hook unless i am strictly going for pike and then i have 20 lb mono with a short thin wire leader, quick strike rig and smelt. good luck.

[blackdog1101]

I just tie a piece of surveyor's ribbon to the line just below the rod tip, and when that ribbon disappers, I know I've got a fish. You tie it tight enough so it doesn't slide down the line on its own but loose enough so the line can still go through it when you reel it up to the rod tip.

That's genious! I've been trying to figure a way to make a rod & reel activate a tip up flag, but your way is totally simpler.

Now to work on the freezing issue.

[Steve Foss]

Now to work on the freezing issue.

I've actually had decent success pinching the line between my bare thumb/forefinger, or with a light fabric glove on, while reeling it in. Sheds pretty much all the water. But then your fingers are wet and you have to wipe them right off when it's cold/windy out, and suddenly you're right back where you are after playing a fish/rebaiting a tip-up regarding cold hands.

And there's still the surge of adrenaline when you see that flag pop and hear the jingle bells that's missing with the rod/reel rigs.

[MJ1657]

I'll share a tip to stay a little more organized.

I took a 5 gallon pail and layed a 2x2 across the middle of the bottom. Did the same thing at the top. It divides the pail into two "compartments" 3 or 4 tip ups sit on each side. It helps keep them from sliding around in the pail and getting tangled up.

[blackdog1101]

Do you use a bait reel or a spinning reel with the rod/flag rig?

[Steve Foss]

Do you use a bait reel or a spinning reel with the rod/flag rig?

I use baitcasting reels. The only type of spinning reels that would work well for this application would be the baitrunner style, and not too many guys have them.