which tip-up?

[Big Cleo]

It seems as though I am buying a different type each year. I am sticking with two types this year-the Frabill Round tip ups for cold days (99% of the time) and the wind wip ups (Windlas??) for warm days. Wind tip ups can be a pain, but once you get used to them, they can catch a lot of fish. The only problem is if it is cold, the hole freezes and they are worthless. The hole covers and all of the other "tricks" for cold days have not worked for me.

[TRZ]

The Frabill round are awful nice, never freeze good loose spool, but really if you are moving and checking enough you rig should never freese that bad. for the mooney you still can't beat the plastic polar, old stand by. and the arctic fisherman wood ones are the best if you want to spend the money.

[unclejake]

I love the arctic wood tip ups. My buddies are starting to use those igloos that cover the whole hole... those are nice because your hole doesn't freeze up as bad. But I still like the arctics... they never freeze up so bad that you lose a fish because of them. So I'd say either artic wood tipups or the igloos!

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Someone was smoking newport cigerettes on my spot.

[Guest]

I own a few wind tip-ups by HT Enterprises and a few Polar Tip-ups by HT. I haven't had any complaints but I don't use them that much unless I'm going after walleye and I jig one hole and put out a tip-up in another.

Good Fishin, Matt.

[minneman]

On the windlas line, have any of you been to canada and seen the rigs they use for this, there must be some of these on the market up there but its more common to see the way it came to be.(?) they are nothing more than a 4-6' rod held up with a stick with a y on top and a plastic grocery bag tied on to the tip to catch the wind, ive seen many use these up there even when I thought it would be too cold...? seen em?

[almosthaddabite]

My vote goes to Beaver Dam. I have had two for 30 years without a problem. This encludes Laker, Nothern and Walleye fishing. They are wood and cost about $30 US.

[Raven]

My vote goes to the "Artic Warrior". Just bought another one of them from Fleet Farm for 16 bucks. What I like about them is that you use your own rod and reel. The rig has a piece that attaches to your rod with velcro. You place your rod in the frame and set the flag. Works the same as others on a hit, except you just pick up your rod and fight the fish. No hand line stuff. I have landed some mighty nice northern with this and also walleye and crappie. No freeze ups as only your line goes into the water. A MN outfit put them on the market last season. I have the other tip-ups, but this one is the best. In my humble opinion

[Guest]

i was just wondering which tip-ups are good?...please inform me.
thanks,
vikes

[Pig_sticka]

usually the most expensive wood one u can find the the best. the plastic work kinda funny for me, and those wood ones with metal spools work great. my 3 cents

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Good luck sticking pigs this year!

[NoodleSalad]

I agree with the Artic Warrior. It's my 2nd year with it and I believe I'll take this tip-up to my grave. I use a baitcaster. Get a thermal hole cover for the hole does freeze up. I've been using a device that I invented similar to the Warrior for a three years prior. I bought the Warrior because it was my setup refined. -NS-

[EBass]

I have the Frabil 10" round ones. I love them and my hole never ices over. Plus they stack pretty well, and they have a litte storage box to put extra weights or quick strike rigs. Right now it's 20 bucks, but in the off season my friend got them for 7 bucks.

My two cents

[icemaster]

i like the plastic ones made by polar. during the offseason you can pick them up at walmart for 7 or 8 bucks.PRAY FOR ICE

[Wables]

I like the 10" Frabil round tipups, but I wish that they were about an inch bigger as I use 10" holes. It seems that if the top of my hole gets chamfered at all from the auger, my tipup sits in the water and needs to be nocked out. (I realize that they wouldn't fit into a bucket, but oh well.) This year I took blueboard insulation scraps from my shanty and glued them to 1/4" plywood, and cut them into 12" circles with a 3/8" slot going to the center. I will put this over the hole with a polar tipup on top of it. I haven't tried it yet, but it should work well. I like the trip mechanism on the polars better than the frabils.

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Wables

[Steve Foss]

There are two basic types: Those that use the wind to give action to the bait, and those that don't.

I've never used the wind kind, but want to get a couple because it seems like a nice option to keep a bait moving, especially a dead bait while pike fishing.

Of the fixed style, I say get what you can afford. Really, it's like the favorite auger question that crops up every year. They all work well these days, and if you get a well-known brand, you'll be able to cut nice holes. Same with tip-ups. If you have to go cheap, go cheap. I have two of the standard HT Polars that cost $10 on sale each, and they're great. And I have a couple round Frabill 10-inch insulated tip-ups, which cost from $20 to $24 full price and go on sale for a few bucks less, and I like them a lot when it's cold, because the holes don't freeze up. And I have some very compact Frabills that stow away great, cost $10 each on sale and I spool with light line for 'eyes, perch and crappies.

Bottom line is, any of the three, or all the ones mentioned by other guys here, will do the job. So I'd get what looks good for you and go have fun.

Or you can keep your eyes open for garage sales, where you can get used tip-ups for $1 that work just fine.

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 12-17-2002).]