frabil insulated tip-up

[braves57]

So do the frabill insulated tip-ups work well enough to fight off this weekends weather? Or are tip-ups on Mille Lacs a lost cause...? I just picked one up last night!

[Farley]

I'll let you know Monday. Bringing mine to Mille Lacs on Saturday to do the cold weather test.

[Guest]

havent had a ice problem with mine this year to date,but havent used it when 30 below.I would put a little snow ridge around the base and probably good to go.

[fishermn]

I've used them to -20 and they still kept the hole mostly clear!

[metrojoe]

Jigging for walleyes is definitely more productive, but I have caught them on tip-ups. I've got a few of the Frabill tip-ups and they work great. The hole will still freeze over in really cold weather but not as fast. For a little added insulation, after you drill your hole center the tip-up over the hole and push it down into the pile of slush around your hole. Make sure you can easily lift the tip-up out of the hole and let the slush freeze around the tip-up. There also good for keeping your hole from filling with snow when the wind is blowing. The one draw back is they don't work over a 10 inch hole. I guess it's only a draw back for those with a 10 inch auger.

Good luck and dress warm

[P.DONA]

I got a chance to use Polar Thermals Extremes last year on Lake Champlain. They are pretty much the same. We had some -20 temps, and the hole froze a little but nowhere near the others.. The only problem is you may not check your bait as often knowing that the holes aren't freezing..

I do like the slush around the hole idea, too. I sometimes have up to 6" burms around it to stop the snow and wind...

[Wables]

I own three of them, but I don't use them. I don't like the trip mechanism for the flag. I have watched fish hit the minnow hard and spin the handle fast enough to hit the flag before the little bend on the end clears the plastic hole. This stops the spool dead. I have more false flags with no minnows left on the hook with these than my other tipups. Instead, I cut some 12" circles out of 1" styrofoam insulation and cut a slot to the center. I slide the post of my regular Polars through the slot and set the whole thing on the hole. The other thing I don't like about the Frabills is when you do get ice under them, you have a problem because you can't get under them to chip out the ice. As always, YMMV.

[Farley]

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I don't like the trip mechanism for the flag. I have watched fish hit the minnow hard and spin the handle fast enough to hit the flag before the little bend on the end clears the plastic hole. This stops the spool dead.

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I wonder if you set it up differently? I just put the bended part of the flagpost in that hole when I'm not using it. Otherwise I slide the flag off to the side of that little hole and just rotate the black spool handle over the flagpole.

[frabillfisher]

I got one for christmas and over all i'm not to happy with it so far been out so far about 10 times since x-mas and havent caught any fish on it but every other kind was im sure that was jsut unlucky but anyways i already broke the little black spinner on top of the shaft and last weekend when i went to pull it up the shaft was so frooze it wouldnt move ..no wonder i wasant catchign anything...anyone have a reason for this?

[Wables]

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Quote:

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I don't like the trip mechanism for the flag. I have watched fish hit the minnow hard and spin the handle fast enough to hit the flag before the little bend on the end clears the plastic hole. This stops the spool dead.

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I wonder if you set it up differently? I just put the bended part of the flagpost in that hole when I'm not using it. Otherwise I slide the flag off to the side of that little hole and just rotate the black spool handle over the flagpole.

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One mine there are two holes. One is for storing the flag in the down position. The bent end of the flag pole goes into the other hole when it is set up. I am assuming that this is to reduce wind-flags. Maybe I am doing something wrong???

On another note, I do like the on-board storage compartment. I keep a wine cork with two leaders pre-tied on it, a depth finder, and an HT tipup light in there. BUT, when it pops open accidentally over the hole, the depth finder and tipup light don't float.

[Ray Esboldt]

I've actually had as much anti-ice success with Stone Legacy's Freezebees as I have had with my Frabill hole cover tipups. Just another option.

[HoleHopper]

I own 6 of them and love them! I modifyed them .

Right where they fold up and down i pulled the shaft up higher so now it does not matter where or what side you put the flag becouse now it sits just a little higher.

I also cut a notch in the flag trip to stop false flags. I also hooked up some bells to the flag so I can hear it go off. I never have any of the so called problems being discussed here! I also like how they stack in a 5 gal bucket and do not get tangled.

[Farley]

Wables-

I guess I would just bypass that hole alltogether. Maybee I have a different model, but the bent end doesnt sit in any hole and there is enough pressure from the pole bending to keep the spool from spinning or for the wind to trip it.

[roadkingclasic56]

Frabilfisher,

I had the same experience last saturday. My friends tip- up worked just fine all day. I didn't catch any fish. At the end of the day I picked up the Frabil to find a fish on the end of the line. The spool was frozen solid and wouldn't turn so it would not release the flag. I am not sure how to remedy the problem. I think water must be able to get inside the shaft to freeze it hard enough so it won't turn. One thought I had was to thaw it out in the house and let it dry good and then let some WD-40 work it's way down the shaft to the spool. WD-40 displaces water so it may not be able to freeze inside the housing anymore. I don't know if it will work, but I am going to try it. I think I remember seeing a lubricant of some sort specifically for tip-ups. But I haven't seen lately.

[Ed Carlson]

They work very well in holes up to 9", they get loose in a 10" hole. If the ice is high off the surface of the water or if there is excess snow keeping the spool out of the water this will cause the spool to freeze up. So if that is the case either lower the stem on tip-ups or shovel the surface clean to get the spool completely immersed in the water. The thermal energy of the water will keep the lower assembly operating as designed.

Your stem should not be freezing up as long as you do not have ice on the upper trip arm assembly. If the shaft tube for some reason has lost it's internal lube get a tube of Frabill Sub-Zero Lube and replenish the contents of the tube. The lube is rated to -60 and keeps reels and tip-ups working like a fine clock in the cold.

To replenish the lube remove the end cap and completely drain and allow to dry the chamber. Then fill the lube chamber with lube and reinstall. It also pays to do ice reels, great for that application. It is also great for ice auger linkages and poles on ice shacks. The lube stays put and resists water entry into crucial moving parts.

The Frabill Sub-Zero lube is very good stuff to have around with weather like we are seeing now!

[augernaut]

good post Ed. I just repacked some Polar tipups this late fall with the HT Blu-Lube. I must have gotten a bad bottle of it, because I was having major freezeup problems AFTER repacking! I just bought a tube of the Frabill SubZero lube and redid 3 tipups. I like this lube much better than the blu lube - easier to work with, less mess, and it seems to just be a better cold weather lube. I can see using it in all kinds of cold weather applications - lubing reels for sure, hinges, etc.

[Ice9]

They got that stuff at Gander Mountain? I don't find it on my usual web stores. I figure I need it because my tipup flags keep staying down.

ice

[Ed Carlson]

Yup..GM,and most retailers whom handle Frabill will have it.

Get this...my cargo latch release on my Van was freezing and was a BIG pain to get open. I cleaned it off and lubed it with the Sub-Zero and it works like it is 80 outside.....smooth. Handy stuff Eh!

[frabillfisher]

Roadkingclassic-

Tell me how the wd-40 works if you get the chance to get out again..also they say they come pre-lubed with the special sub-zero lube..thinking of taking mine back to get a new one?