Walleye's under tip-ups

[TheGuy]

I know there has been a lot of talk about tip-ups and I looked back for info on this and could not find anything.

I would like to target walleye's under some tip-ups this winter. One of the lakes that I'm going to fish is a weedy lake that has lots of pike in it. This lake is not very clear. What type of leader system would I use so I don't get bitten off to many times and will not spook the walleyes?

[Bob_D]

I use 15# Maxima Ultra Green for a leader when I walleye fish. The lakes I fish all have pike and I don't get too many bit offs as long as I don't horse the fish. If you are night fishing the pike should not be an issue.

[kjgmh]

I have had really good luck using Berkley Vanish, usaully in 10lb, but if water is dark can go heavier.

[RK]

Hiya,

Might want to try Fireline as a leader material. Either 14 or 10 lb. Both have very thin diameter so visibility isn't a big deal, especially in dingy water, but it's tough enough to prevent most bite-offs. They'll get through it once in a while, but not nearly as often as mono, or even fluorocarbon. Another option, and one I use quite a bit jigging in pike infested waters is very light multi-strand wire leaders, like 18# Sevenstrand. It's extremely thin and supple, and I really don't feel like I get any fewer hits than I do with just mono. Now, that's jigging, which I think is more a triggering deal than a stationary tip-up line so maybe the line visibility is less of an issue, but, woth thinking about.

Cheers,

RK

[Maximum12]

TheGuy, great question, I was going to ask the exact same question about one of my home lakes in St. Paul. You just about described it in your post - shallow, weedy, dingy, full of pike. I lost several spoons & jigs last winter, & didn't find anything good for under the tip up that both defied pike teeth & didn't scare off the walleye. I'm going to try a few of these suggestions.

Thanks!

[Mike Walerak]

There is a thread in the Walleye Forum that has some tipup info.

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=428629&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

mw

[TheGuy]

Max12,

That is my lake!! I did a lot of fishing this summer on this lake and think its going to be good this winter. Like you say there is a lot of pike but the walleyes should still be around.

Thanks for the tips, I'm going to use some of these and see how it works.

[Dano_the_jigasaurus]

I would go with a 12-20lb florocarbon leader, it is heavy and the fish aren't going to see it.

Dano

[scalescratcher]

I usually use a 8-10' leader of 6# Vanish. I haven't tried it yet but got my hands on a product called Tyger Leader that is a thin wire leader that can be tied like mono. Looks like it will prevent those toothy bite-offs without losing the stealth aspect.

[Maximum12]

TheGuy, drop me a line if you care to & see if we're talking about the same lake. If so, I have some stories to tell you. Corey.Kellgren AT bestbuy.com

Scalescrather, where'd you get that Tyger Leader? Never heard of it & I'd like to check it out. Sounds promising.

[TheGuy]

Max12, you have some mail.

[Blaine]

scalescratcher... With leaders that long, how do you store them when not in use? Is memory a problem? For knottable wire, take a look at American Fishing Wire Surflon Micro Supreme. I used this on the toothy fish in the salt and LOVED it. The lower the test, the more it costs because of the process to make it. All sizes are 49 strands of coated stainless

[Walleye Guy]

Describes my home Wisconsin lake to a "T". I usually fish in 9-10 ft of water and I use tip-ups frequently. I use 6 ft. of 20lb. Vanish flouocarbon as a leader. Generally I use a small treble hook with a shiner. The treble hook allows me to set the hook right as soon as the flag goes up whether they are running or stopped. For some reason I have a ton of flags where the walleye only takes out 6-12 inches of line.

I may get bit off by pike 1-2 or twice a year. There is a decent pike population in the lake. Most are rather small (<3 lbs) however.

Good luck.

WG

[Bearfish]

I use TyGer Leader under my tip-ups. Check out their HSOforum. I picked it up at Joe's but is also available at Sportsman's Warehouse.

[scalescratcher]

The leader length I referred to is for the Vanish. I only use a 8-12" wire section. I ended up ordering the Tyger Leader through their HSOforum because I wanted to try some heavier tests for Muskies and couldn't find anything heavy in local stock. Bentley Outfitters in Eden Prairie also carries it. The stuff I tried so far works great.

[Blaine]

I realize you weren't talking about an 8 foot section of wire for a leader... But how do you store the long vanish leaders? I would think that the memory in the line would be a pain, no?

[scalescratcher]

Oops! Sorry Blaine. I usually spool my tip-ups with dacron (this year I'm trying some Powerpro from a musky reel). I just tie the Vanish with a swivel to the dacron in a 10' length and replace it as I need to as I retie. Everything gets wound onto the spool.