New to ice fishing, ? about tip ups

[Guest]

I was wondering how tip ups work, and what do you usually put on the end of a tip up?

[Steve Foss]

frOsty:

Welcome. Think of this site like a library.

Plug tip-ups, tipups, tip-up and tipup one at a time into the search feature offered at the top of each board. It will give you a readout of all the posts containing tip-ups, and you'll get all you need to know about them, probably more.

If you have more questions after your research, post them, and the helpful thousands here will answer.

But part of your question is very basic, and probably won't be answered on any of these threads, because the guys posting tend to have a certain level of knowledge, and assume everyone else does, too.

So, here goes.

At its most basic, a tipup contains a spool of line that rests under water (so the spool doesn't freeze and can spin) on a shaft. Attached to the top of the vertical shaft above the hole is a horizontal pin. The pin holds down the shaft of a spring-loaded flag that is bent down to rest under the pin. When a fish takes the bait, the spool and pin spin, and in spinning, the pin releases the flag shaft, and the spring pops up the flag, which hopefully is then seen by a fisherman who hasn't had too many beers.

Live minnows, suckers, dead smelt and cisco are the most common tip-up bait. Depends on what you're after.

Good luck.

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 01-25-2003).]

[Stiff]

Welcome to the forum Frosty!

There are a couple of different kinds of tip ups, but most have a spool that gets submerged so it doesn’t freeze up. I spool mine with Dacron line because It doesn’t coil and doesn’t tangle too much. Then I run Mono leaders on the end for walleyes and wire leaders for pike. I usually put an appropriate sized Treble hook (~ #4 for pike and ~ #8 for walleye) on the end. If you use a treble hook, you have to put a bead or blade or both above the hook in order to be legal in MN. Then just bait it with a minnow.

There is a “T” on the other end of the shaft from the spool. Catch the flag under the “T” so that when the spool turns, the flag goes up.

Set the depth so that the bait is about a foot off the bottom for walleye and anywhere from a foot off the bottom to a foot under the ice for pike.

One last thing, once you have your depth set, put a tiny bobber on your line right by the spool. That way you have a good idea how much line is gone when you get to the hole and it’s a lot easier to set it up for the next fish.

One more last thing, when fishing pike, the fish run and stop. Set the hook when he goes again. As long as line is going out, the fish is swimming away from you, which is what you want when you set the hook. As long as you use #4 trebles, you will almost never gut hook a fish.

Good Luck, Stiff

[Guest]

That is some really good advise to ya!!! be carefull when you see your flag and your want to just pick up the line and set the hook, That is not the best thing to do, Let it set for a little while and let the fish get the bait into its mouth. Dont set the hook like your bass fishing or just setting the hook on any fish!!!! Pull the line up onto the ice until you feel the tention on the line. Set the hook with a small tug. (if you dont the chances that you will loose the fish is more likely) Good Luck and catch those fish!!!!!!!!!