Thermal Tip-ups

[Woodtick]

There are several round base "thermal" tip-ups out there.

Which one is best for Walleyes and Pike and why?

[buzbunni]

I'll put a plug in for the Frabill Pro-Thermal tip-up. I like the fact that it has a small tackle storage area(depth finder, quick strike rig, Artic Fire tip-up light, small split shots in mine), covers and insulates the hole well, fits in a 5-gallon bucket(unlike some other models), has a icebreaker to remove ice from the spool shaft, has a small handle on the spinner which is convenient when reeling in the line, and has cork on the bottom of the spool to jam the hook into when you want to store it.

My only complaint about this product is that the flag is rather short. It would be nice if they made a telescoping flag like some of the other manufacturers.

[hanson]

I like the Frabill Thermals also. So much so that my 6 gallon Frabill Sit-N-Fish bucket is full to the top with them.

I'll admit that the flags ride rather low but I've never not seen one when it has gone up. I like them for many of the reasons buzbunni mentioned.

Frabill had changed how the flag wire hooks into the base for storage last year and I tend to like the older version better.

I don't know if one brand of thermal tip-ups is better for northerns or walleyes. What I would pay attention to is what kind of line you spool on or what kind of leader you use.

20-30lb braided for Pike with a wire leader quick-strike rig

For walleye, I'd spool up with the same braided and then attach a mono or fluoro leader.

Next year, I plan on adding some Beaver Dam tip-ups to the fleet. I like the hole cover idea behind the Frabills so I'll probably add Freezebee's from Stone Legacy to the Beaver Dams.

[frabillfisher]

yea i'll second the frabill thermal tip up..another good thign they didnt mention it its very unlikely to have a false flag from the wind..also the thermal tip ups from ht are pretty nice..jsut got one for x-mas and likeing it already, also has a teloscoping flag and a little tackle box

[chunkytrout]

All above are good tip-ups. Key is they somewhat "insulate " the surface water from the outside air and keep the snow out. Never owned Frabills before and noticed my boss's xmas gifts had poly-sty foam glued into the base. How long have they been doing that? Didn't notice that before. My Fish Bros have a black hole cover big enough for a ten inch hole and usually that's my bit size. Light and quicker on the set-up and take down as well.

[Farley]

Frabil, no question

[Chris-Neises]

The Frabill units also work nicely when using strike sensors.

[hurricanemark]

I'm old fashion, does anyone use a hot box anymore? I still have one.