Tip up fishing

[Fishing_Rookie_123_]

I am brand new to ice fishing and I was wondering how everyone rigs their tip ups.

I have been using a steel leader with a treble hook hooked in the back behind the dorsal fin of a sucker minnow. I put the minnow about 6" off of the bottom about 12 feet deep on the edge of a 20 foot hole. The lake has muskie and northerns.

I have done this about 10 times now and have never gotten a bite.

Am I doing something glaringly wrong, or do I just need more patience? I'm starting to think that I should just use 2 lines inside my shelter since it would be easier and I would probably catch more fish that way, but I really want to become proficient with the tip ups.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[snoozebutton]

If you're fishing for pike, I'd go at least a foot off the bottom, maybe even 2 feet. If there's a lot of weeds then yeah, at least 2 feet.

[Stradic]

Pike definately like the weeds so find them, (on the weed edge) no matter how shallow, and find Pike!

[Fish&Fowl]

I would recommend getting your baits up off the bottom. When spearing, pike come in 2-4 ft. under the ice all the time. Just because you are tip-up fishing doesn't mean they won't keep doing that. If I fish anything shallower than about 12 ft. for pike, I like to have it pretty shallow.

Also you don't NEED to stick to weeds. Pike like big, shallow flats where baitfish stack up and shallower rock points can be killer. My favorite way to tip-up fish early in the year is with a bunch of guys to have baits at all different depths and structure so you can see what is working best. Plus there is usually a lot more action with more flags, which helps pass the time and keeps you entertained even if your flag refuses to go vertical. Experimenting is key. Good fishing, hope you find your groove.

[bgreen82]

while on the topic. me and a few guys are going out next weekend to throw some tipups out for pike, and were gonna jig for some pannies. anyone familiar with big carnelian. is the small island a good place for such a venture?

[shorefisher]

I like to keep the minnow about 2 feet off bottom or 2 feet above weed tops. I use a mono leader around 2 feet long with a small weight above that to alow for the minnow to move any way it feels. A minnow pined to the bottom with alot of weight from sinker, leader and large hook just don't work IMO. With a mono leader you do need to play the fish a little but that if fun I use 15# mono. Also if I am in less then 10 feet of water set one about half way between the bottom and the ice as said before I have seen many just a few feet under the ice is shallow water. Last thing use minnows that are not to large for the water you are fishing. If the lake has alot of 5#+ pike a big minnow is the way to go but for action on a like with many small pike a small minnow will give you more flags. Everyone has there own way but this has worked for me. And if it is slow try changing it up as different things work on different lake at different times of the year. Hope this was of some help and good luck.

[mskyfshntchr]

Be sure to go to the pike/muskie forum. There have been some discussions on this in the last month. Rob Kimm discusses in there a lot and the guy knows his stuff.