Tip-ups baits vertical or horizontal?

[Steve Foss]

OK, here's one for all you tip-up pike nuts like me.

I've always rigged the baits, live or dead, so they are horizontal. That means hooking the terminal hook on a quick-strike rig near the tail and the adjustble hook, or the one further up the rig, to the back somewhere around the dorsal fin, wherever it balances right.

But I've talked to some guys who (and in the In-Fisherman book on ice fishing) hook 'em so the heads point down at the bottom. So the terminal hook goes ahead of the dorsal fin and the adjustable hook goes in the tail. They say the fish will pick them up that way just as well.

What you all think?

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Steve ([email protected])

[Rick]

I usually hook the terminal end close to the head and the adjustable by the dorsal.

It gives the head down effect (although still allowing for horizontal movement) and allows the hook to be pointed in a high percentage hooking direction.

That's assuming the fish takes the bait head first as can be the case. Although pike will very often take them from the side and adjust for swallowing head first after capture.

[Steve Foss]

Thanks Rick. And I misspoke in my original post. I also put the terminal hook somewhere in the head, not the tail, though the adjustable hook does go near the dorsal.

[Guest]

I would have to agree with Ricks method with the bait pointing down a little, but it can still be horizontal so if the pike slams it from the side the minnow will fit in its mouth to allow for a good hook set, also if the pike would try to swallow it right away it would still allow the hooks to go into the pike for a good hook set. But also make sure your bait is a fair distance off the bottom.
I have never really tried this but it sounds like it would work just fine.

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FISHSTUNNER

[Steve Foss]

Stunner: Where I came from, four lines per man ice fishing is the rule. Where I am now, it's three. In Minnesota, dam* their hide, it's only two. I tend to set tips off the deep weedline one closer to the bottom, one suspended. In shallower water in weed pockets, I'll put one half way between the ice and the bottom. Best and fastest tip-up action I ever had was on a former slough turned lake by North Dakota's huge wet 90s cycle, called Lake Laretta. It was March, and, live suckers being forbidden in North Dakota, I was using dead smelt. Had 10 pike in 2 hours, two at 13 pounds, all came in less than 4 feet of water under the ice. Bait was a foot under the ice. Killed one of the big girls for pickling (yuck, but my relllies love it) and she was FULL of eggs.

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Steve ([email protected])

[Guest]

I've also experimented with pointing my baits downward. One certain method hasn't outproduced the other but it seems to do trick on some of those negative days. If I'm using a wind tip-up I'll often point the bait slightly down to get that feeding effect. When the minnow falls it points down making it seem as if is injured too.

Good Fishin, Matt.

[Guest]

I put my termial hook just ahead of the dorsal and the upper hook in the tail. If you are useing a healthy sucker or shiner they will try to keep themselves horizonal. As they tire they will hang more virtical. Pike instincively will go for the injured,weak, most messed up prey. So I think the more the bait looks like it's in trouble, the more the Pike want it.

[Steve Foss]

Great stuff everybody. Also, got a couple tips fishing with Northlander today. If the live bait under tip-up is too wild, take you line clipper and clip off the tail. Same thump of vibration, less likely to spring the tip-up.

Tip 2: cut off the lower fin on one side of the bait (especially sucker) just behind the gills. That'll incline the bait to lurch around in circles, or to wiggle more trying to straighten itself out.

Guess all those live-bait tip-up tricks are new to me, since I learned my tip-upin in North Dakota, where live suckers are verboten and dead smelt and herring are the rule.

Good tips. Keep em coming. The more we know, the better we fish.

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Steve Foss
Superior, Wis.
[email protected]

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 11-23-2002).]

[Guest]

Head up or Head Down? Vertical or Horizontal? You don't have to worry about any of these if you are fishing dead bait on the bottom. Try laying it right on the bottom. Hard bottom or mud. Many times you will find the biggest Pike prefer the dead bait laying right on the bottom.

Oh, and don't forget to try right under the ice. I like to try 2-3 ft under the ice when nothing else is going. That depth seems to work good with the tip-up setup I use.

When using live bait I like to hook the minnow a little bit more towards the back so when they swim they swim down. That is just a personal preference. I have no idea if it works any better then anything else. Scott Steil

[BLACKJACK]

Can one of you guys explain how you rig your terminal hooks/adjustable hooks/quick strike rigs? Do you make your own or buy them? And I have to ask, are they definately legal in Minnesota?

Thanks for the info.

[Guest]

There is a topic on this already. It can't be to far back. It includes pictures of quick strike rigs and hooking instructions. Scott Steil

[Lip RIPPER!]

I have always hooked the bait in the front and through the middle with good success. Even laying the bait on the bottem works from time to time. Stfcatfish, to help avoid your bait tripping your flag, take a piece of electrical tape and wrap around (just outside) the groove where you put the flag in the down position. It helps the flag from coming out to easy becasue you now have a deeper groove. Just a suggestion that works for me.

[Steve Foss]

Ripper: Good one. I'll remember that.