destroyed tipups

[jegerjack]

Last winter up on the Whitefish chain I had a group of snowmobiles destroy a couple tipups that where about 15 ft away from my house. Does any one do anything to protect their tipups? I was thinking of getting a couple of those driveway reflectors, or should I just calk it up to bad luck...

[wall eyell be]

(DISCLAIMER) this is just random babbling, completely unrelated to your question ... but ...

I've often heard snowmobilers complain about how ice blocks, left next to where a spear hole was cut, force them to change course or find their speed swiftly reduced.

[hanson]

I usually set stuff out by my tip-ups. Might be a chair, auger, shovel, bucket, or whatever. Yeah, its a pain in the butt, but it lets people know where they are. During late ice on Lake of the Woods, there are so many 4 wheelers (yes, they are fisherman) moving to and from spots, that it would be very easy to run someones over. Especially if you have a group of 10 guys all sitting together with 20 tip-ups scattered all over the place.

My opinion is if a snowmobiler still wants to run over your tip-up and your shovel, have at it.

[Bob_D]

How about a steel pipe in the ice about a foot from yout tip-up? They only get one tip-up MAX in that case.

::NOTE:: That was a joke...It's not recommended, but if you do it, make sure your insurance is up to date.

[GregT]

You could always just put traffic cones or the little orange soccer goal cones that the kids have lying around the garage next to your tip ups.

[Gus]

My guess is they (snowmobilers) did that to you on purpose. There is no stopping the idiots out there.

I am NOT making a statement about snowmobiliers, I happen to be one. It very well could have been any disrespectfull person on any machine or on foot.

[Harmonica Bear]

I've learned from experience, you have to set something out by your tip-up to avoid that from happening. Usually I set a bucket out there or some piece of equipment. Heck even a stick in the snow let people know something is there.

[Trouthunter]

I'd agree with Gus on that one...What's the sense in putting objects near your holes to mark them for the snowmobilers when your fishhouse is less than 30 feet away? It seems clear that snowmobiles are the jet skis of winter...

[iffwalleyes]

I agree with Hanson on this one. Last year I ran over one by accident at lake of the woods. I saw the group of fishermen as I was moving and I went way around them at least I thought it was far enough. All of a sudden I saw the little orange flag. I had just enough time to straddled it with my wheeler the problem was that I was pulling my otter and I hit it. Total accident I was going to fast and I came up on it in a hurry. If a chair or a cone or something was there I'd have seen it. When I hit it I turned around and saw it go down in the hole I stopped and was going pay the guy for it but he waved at me and hollar it's ok. So I left. I felt really bad but what can you do accidents happen.

[hanson]

iffwalleyes- I think I remember you saying that this spring.

I've also come close to running people's tip-ups over a couple times. It was not because I was going too fast or not paying attention, they were just very hard to see until you were right there.

When I put my own tip-ups out, I usually shovel the snow off around the hole and then set the tip up on the ice if possible. Well, the darn tip-up disappears then. Thats when I started setting stuff by them. When you pay good money for tip-ups, I like to make people aware of where they are at if possible.

[mtreno]

sitting right next to the tipup bucket is the stack of construction cones. they go with everytime and have not lost a tipup sence.

[chunkytrout]

I've lost a couple and hit one. Way tough to see at any speed. Mark 'em somehow. One guy that hit mine just split. The other came over to the shack and whipped out the checkbook. I didn't have it marked and told him I had a hard time finding it just stepping out of the shack. "Save your money, and have a cup of coffee". Really nice guy. Just occured to me. Ran over my own Beaver two winters ago. Didn't hurt it though. Beaver, the Chevy Impala of tip-ups.

[pikehunter]

I've lost a couple too when the snow has been deep. This year I might go looking for a cutout of an attractive, scantily-clad woman to stand next to mine. That oughta slow down the snowmobilers.

[D. Stadler]

So it sounds to me like you guys actually put the tip-ups OUTSIDE the shack, huh? Neat idea. Just kidding. I have some painted sticks I use behind the tipup. Works good for know ing exactly where to look for the flag when you can't see the tip-up at all.

[abens1078]

My folks farm and we would use the left over ground marking flags that you can usually get at Fleet Farm or any other Hardware store. You just have to get trained to watch for 2 flags. We would also try to get colors different than the tip up flag. If there was no snow on the ice, we used the slush from drilling the hole prop up the flag . At night a small piece of reflecive tape on the flag will easily catch your flash light and the headlights of a snowmobile. Also, if the wind blows, you don't have to chase your buckets or chairs around

[hanson]

Quote:

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So it sounds to me like you guys actually put the tip-ups OUTSIDE the shack, huh? Neat idea.

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That one cracked me up a little bit

I do like the construction cone idea. I think that might be a little easier than leaving my cooler at one tip-up and my ice scoop at another and my auger at another. Well, you get the idea.