Beaver Dam tip-ups

[Juice88]

Why are they so expensive? Are they better than the round thermal tip-ups?

[JimBuck]

I do prefer them over the thermal frabill's. I'm not sure how much your paying but I'd say the parts are of higher quality and will last for quite a while versus the plastic frabills.

[Northlander]

Why are they so expensive? Are they better than the round thermal tip-ups?

Because they are made from way better materials. With a foam hole cover these are way better than the round ones.

[SlavetodaBox]

Buy one and you'll be hooked. I see people all the time on the ice with 20+ yr old Beaver Dams, you very rarely see old Frabill tip ups. Just my 2Cents.

[Spearing Machine]

I agree with everything stated above. I am running three of them and one is well over twenty years old and spins like a top yet and it has never been greased (and that is not because it hasn't caught fish last year alone I had 5 fish over 30 inches with it). I have never used any other tip up but these Beaver dams spin extremely smooth and the line comes off easy. I think the last one I picked up was about $25 out here at gander in WI. Worth it IMHO.

[gman2002]

i have 2 beaver dam tip-ups that i've had for 30 + years, still work great . a few years ago i had to put some new flags on them thats it. i remember when i bought them there were 2 in a box for 15 bucks !!

[GatorBait]

I own over 20 of these things, a few range in the 20+yr age mark. Amazing, nothing has changed on them, same parts, same effeciveness. Why are they expensive, well, they are hand crafted and made with supreme materials. It's not plastic and weak aluminum. They stand behind their product and have helped me out with relubes and repairing of parts w/o a hassle. I'm able to run my beavers right to their place and wait 30mins to have them worked on. A perk for me I guess, but mailing is other option for others that are to far away.

I have a few therms that I've used on the extreme cold days, I made hole covers for my Beavers out of 1/2in plywood that works fine but isn't as effective as a thermal on the extreme days. The durability is a big factor for me, wood owns any type of plastic in winter conditions, just my experience. They've caught perch to 20lb pike and keep on ticking. You'd have to take my life, before you take my Beaver Dam.

[scott b]

The most important quality of a beaver dam is the ability to spin under the coldest weather. Walleyes are very line sensitive. With this being said, If a walleye were to pick up a bait and feel any kind of tention on the line, They will drop the bait. Beaver Dam tip-ups have virtually no resistance therefore making them the ultimate walleye must have in your arsenal. Not saying other tip-ups won't catch walleyes, but I always try to put the odds in my favor.

[buzbunni]

Why are they so expensive? Are they better than the round thermal tip-ups?

Overrated.

Well made tip-up though, no doubt.

Yes they are better (quality wise) than any round type thermal tip-ups that I have used. Still, I've caught many fish on round tip-ups, and many more on more budget friendly "normal" type tip-ups.

My personal favorite? The Frabill Artic Fire Tip-up.

[panfishpounder00]

a beaver will only cost you 5 bucks more than a low end thermal, but last 10 times longer. sure i might have to clear the ice out of my hole a little more but i know it will still perform at any given temp. plus it wont fall apart like the thermals i've had in the past, and i'm also a huge frabill fan! over rated? nope!

[Koepper08]

+1 for the Frabill Artic Fire!

I have used Beaver Dam Tip-ups, they are awesome.

However, for 10 bucks when on sale you can get a sweet tip up. Never had any issues with the Artic Fire and I've fished in -30 before. If you don't want to break the bank, check 'em out!

[Steve Foss]

I've fished with Beaver Dams a couple times and sure like them. But for $15 each I picked up a couple Polar HT Husky wooden tip-ups, with all wood and metal working parts. They have a lifetime guarantee against freezeup, and while they're too new to know about how long they'll go with no maintenance without freezing up, they are a lot cheaper than Beaver Dams, and so far have been a pleasure to use.

With those I've got a half dozen of the cheapo Polar HT standard tip-ups. Some of those are 8 years old and going strong with no maintenance and no freezeups. I also use the round foam hole covers you can usually find for $2-$3 on clearance somewhere every year.

If I only needed a couple of tip-ups I might have sprung for the Beaver Dams.

[piker007]

They are great tip ups. But spendy!!! I just use wooden frabils and relube them with good lube and they spin everybit as good as a beaver dam. The ones I buy are around $15 I think. If beaver dams are on sale I would buy them instead but that doesnt happen very ofetn.

[Northlander]

buzzbunni I strongly disagree! How many 30 year old plastic tip ups do you see around? Yes your average fisherman can get buy on the cheap with any tip ups but that doesnt make the beaver dams over rated. You pay for quality with anything and these are no different.

Look at Thorne Brothers rods. Are they over rated as well?

[buzbunni]

buzzbunni I strongly disagree! How many 30 year old plastic tip ups do you see around? Yes your average fisherman can get buy on the cheap with any tip ups but that doesnt make the beaver dams over rated. You pay for quality with anything and these are no different.

Look at Thorne Brothers rods. Are they over rated as well?

To early to tell, but I'm bettin' my Frabill Artic Fire tip-ups will be around for a long time, and I don't have to mail them in (xtra hidden cost)to get them maintained.

Perhaps I should have used the term "Over-priced" instead.

I agree that the Beaver Dam is a great tip-up, but I just don't think it's any better than my preferred tip-up.

Why I prefer the Frabill Artic Fire tip-up:

High visibility fluorescent yellow.

Light Weight.

Durable (I've chipped mine out of the ice many times)

Owner servicable (saves time and money)

Smooth (I maintain the Artic Fire is as smooth as the Beaver Dam)

Easy to pop line in and out of line guide (some may not prefer this feature,

but I like it)

Affordable

I've got 3 Thorne Brothers rods, and you're right, they are not overrated.

Overpriced?

Yes.

[Steve Foss]

I've never really understood how blaze orange or hot green/yellow tip-up frames are anything more than a marketing gimmick. Until the flag pops, you don't need to see your tip-up. Once the flag pops, all you need to see is the flag. And when I'm zipping along on a snowmobile, I don't see those colors against the snow any better.

Those marketing folks. What whacky things will they think of next to try to convince us that their product has the edge?

[buzbunni]

I've never really understood how blaze orange or hot green/yellow tip-up frames are anything more than a marketing gimmick. Until the flag pops, you don't need to see your tip-up. Once the flag pops, all you need to see is the flag. And when I'm zipping along on a snowmobile, I don't see those colors against the snow any better.

Those marketing folks. What whacky things will they think of next to try to convince us that their product has the edge?

I actually watched (and later chatted with) a guy in his truck just miss my tip-up once. He was driving along, saw it at the last minute and adjusted accordingly. The whacky color helped out in that particular case.

Yeah, he may have seen a less brightly colored tip-up as well. Still, it can't hurt.

Side note: In deeper snow conditions, or on lakes with heavy traffic (Minnetonka), I always stick a driveway reflector/marker in the snow right next to my tip-up for added visibilty.

[deets22]

i finally retired 2 polar tip ups that were over 20 years old. i could have probably relubed them but figured it was time for new ones. never had a problem with them. i believe you get what you pay for and these tip ups were the exception. the new ones are made even cheaper than these. i personally don't buy beaver dams because i just don't want to see that kind of money crushed by some [PoorWordUsage] on a snowmobile. its not like im fishing on a trail but it happens.

[bobber_down_1979]

I just bought one of these today based on this posting. Initial examination shows good build quality. I wonder about the weighted line guide. It appears teh weight of it is supposed to stop a larger minnow from spinning line off, but I wonder it it works as well as the clip that is on my polar tips.

[GatorBait]

I simply mark all my tip ups with two 4 ft pieces of 1in square wood pieces that have ribbons on them. I do this when traffic is heavy or the crazy snowmobilers are zipping by at mach 2. I started doing this after I had 3 taken out in one day, guy did pay me for them which was nice, but haven't had any other issues since.

To be honest, everyone has their preimere choice in tip ups. I've been raised with beaver dams, had them handed down, bought many cheap at rummage sales, and live close to the company, so it's convienent for me if I need anything done to them. We can go back forth about being spendy, but lets compare that to a $2 1/8 oz jig.....$50 jigging rod.....If a guy can afford it, who cares how much it costs. It's not highly unreasonable, there's tradition behind them, a trademark to ice fishing and people will simply buy what fits their need. Like I've said, they have their cons, there is no "Best" tip up for every situation, hence why I own more than just Beaver dams.

[Hawg]

How can they be better? I've had both but no Beaver Dams for a long time. On mine you couldn't take them apart and relube them like a polar. I'm not afraid of spending a few dollars extra for better product but in my book I'll take the cheap Polars any day. I think they work better. Beaver Dams seem too big, too heavy, and too clunky to me. To each their own though.

[Steve Foss]

I will say that the cheap Polars do store very nicely in side pockets of my rod bag, which can't be said of the wooden ones or the thermals. Depending on how I'm packed (mostly a matter of what style of fishing and transportation is involved), that can either be a big deal or make no difference at all.

Which is why it's great to have so many styles to choose from.

Awhile back, when I dumped all my used tip-ups and started over, I opted for the simple Polars partly because of price, but mostly because of space/portability.

Now, a few years later, I'm back up to a dozen or more tip-ups of four different types. Go figure. Call it TAD (Tackle Acquisition Disorder).

[GatorBait]

TAD...I like that Steve. Storage...I for one specifically bought the thermals because of this reason. I could stack my shorty minnow bucket and 3 therms in one bucket. That to me was priceless and made things easier.

[Hawg]

Just for info- there's a video on U-Tube showing how to relube a Beaver Dam. You can melt the soder off the spool end, then they are just like Polars. I was curious after reading this thread so I went on-line to see what they cost. HOLY COW!!!!!!!Thats just crazy. Now I know I'm a Polar person.

[bobber_down_1979]

I also love the polars, but looking forward to trying the beaver dam. The pollars are pleasure to use, small, and fully futured. At wal-mart they are 10.96. Can't beat that. I have only ice fished a couple years no so no idea on durability, but given I have about 10 of them now, I think I am set for years to come. As a side note Polor make two styles of the Standard tip. The basic 10.96 job and one for about 15.00 that has a larger metal spool. I like the metal spool, but it is to big. I feel like I am wasting line just trying to get it partially full. The smaller spool hold plenty of line at least for my fishing style.