Tip up setup for pike

[dude_5024]

I'm just getting into tip up fishing for pike, and i'm wondering what is the best rig setup for a tip up. What is a good bait to use?

[Twins 57 Fan]

Put out a big red treble hook with a spinner attatched, a steel leader, with big shiners or suckers. The spinner is to make the treble hook legal, otherwise in the great state of MN you are not allowed to use trebles (I believe that's true).

Don't forget to bring beer while you wait for flags.

[dude_5024]

Why do you recommend a red hook vs other colors? How do you keep the bait from swimming away from the fish?

[BuckKiller]

a red hook gives it the allusion of blood. makes it look wounded.

a northern if its hungry can catch a minnow with no problem but if your worried about it you could add weights to the line. id probably put them a foot above the hook to limit the minnows movement.

and yes he is right a treble hook WITHOUT some kind of lure (spinner or other lure such as buckshot rattle spoons) would count as three hooks, giving you an extra line violation (I believe)

[Quetico]

Dude- what part of the MN are you? I'll take you out and show you some of the basics.

Generally, I make my own quick strike rigs. Get some seven strand wire, some mid sized treble hooks, some beads and blades. Leave about 2-3" between trebles. The put a bead and blade above the second treble. Use them with 4"+ suckers and shiners.

For smaller minnows just go with a 2/0 wide gap bass hook.

[HUMMER 55]

Ya i use red treble and they are by far the best on tipups. I always have questioned the treble hook law. i havent ever found anywhere stating that a spinner would make it legal or not. im like you i use a spinner with in 2-3 inches of the hook and assume it legal. does anyone actually now the law or can anyone post a link to find where its stated??

[Quetico]

I have always used quick-strike rigs. I posted a thread a few days ago. Everyone said 2 trebles on a leader must have a bead and blade.

[Twins 57 Fan]

"A treble hook, when not part of an artificial lure, is considered three hooks and is not legal." MN Fishing Regs. Page 8.

So its simple, make your treble hook in to a lindy rig, and its an artificial lure.

[BigWadeS]

Dude- what part of the MN are you? I'll take you out and show you some of the basics.

Generally, I make my own quick strike rigs. Get some seven strand wire, some mid sized treble hooks, some beads and blades. Leave about 2-3" between trebles. The put a bead and blade above the second treble. Use them with 4"+ suckers and shiners.

For smaller minnows just go with a 2/0 wide gap bass hook.

If you serious about showing newbies to tip-ups how to do let me know I tried it a few times and have never caught anything with them, but would love to learn how to do it correctly...

[BuckKiller]

thanks for clearing that up. i thought that was the case but i wasn't sure.

[dude_5024]

Quetico: do you have a pic of that setup? I'm from the Monticello area.

[Quetico]

Dude and Big Wade email me at [email protected]

Quickstrike rigs allow you to set the hook immediately when the flag pops. You dont have to wait. Some say they result in fewer flags and smaller fish. I generally mix it up but I seem to catch more fish and bigger fish on the rigs vs a plain hook.

The draw back is the wire is a beast to work with. If you get the sleeves its not as bad. But I'm poor and cheap.

I'll send pics to who ever emails me.

[dude_5024]

Thanks for everyones advice, hopefully it will help me catch some pike this winter.

[Pike Stabber]

REQUIREMENTS FOR MONSTER PIKE

lakes must be 40 plus feet deep

complex structure is mandatory. clusters of humps are needed espically if they are near shore. huge humps with turns holes and fingers. the more dynamic the better. the best humps crown in 8 to 15 feet of water, mabye down to 20, with inside turns.

if big pike are known to use shallower humps, you will find them cruising the sides.

the lake could/should have colored water for camoflage - for their survival

10,000 acre lakes are acceptable, if they are deep and full of eelpout and trout. see food notes.

50,000 acre and up lakes as a good start - the bigger, the better.

if the lake has good/great numbers of pike and trout, there will be monsters around, as long as those other criteria are met as well. these fish go hand in hand for size classes, and sustainability.

big pike need specific food to maintain their size, and to grow larger. they will need soft-finned, high fat, high calorie baitfish and juvenile versions of certain catchable species. dead or alive. if these criteria are not met, you will not find the man killing pike you dream of catching.

some popular top class pike producing meals are:

whitefish

ciscoes

eelpout

trout

and of course, all pike like:

large shiners. i mean - LARGE SHINERS!!!

and big sucker minnows

inside turns on hump features are the best choice for tipup placement. the DNR sets their preadator fish funnel trap nets there. the theory is that schools of baitfish get confused when runnung along a hump or ridge. when they find an inside turn, they have to make a decision as a group whether or not to continue forward, or turn to the inside, going over the top of the ridge or hump. this is where they pause and get ambushed by preadators, and all big fish know this trick. they will be watching those inside turns very closely, because it is their favorite technique for getting dinner.

big pike eat dead as well as live bait. big dead stinking smelt and ciscoes work well, as long as they match the food sources for that lake.

if you find pike and the size is not what you were looking for, wait it out and keep at it until the action stops. where there are small pike, there are big ones as well.

pike will cruise around humps, so try to concentrate your holes on the edges, and a couple on top of the hump. with special preference to those inside turns, of course.

pike are sight feeders. big vibrant lures with rattles, and flashy blades are top pick.

when hooking baits, go for a big profile. hook em' through the head, to hang them vertical.

on your deadstick pole, tie a heavy duty swivel-snap for fast lure changes.

it is recommended to use at least a 4 inch or bigger wire leader for all mentioned setups. unless you use power pro braided 5 billion pound test, like i do. just be careful and check your line after each fish, and tie those special knots so the knot doesent come out. cuz this line is crazy slippery, and strong.

lures to try on a tipup:

1/2 and 3/4 ounce buckshot rattle spoons. try to upgrade the treble hook size. but stock size will do.

a size 3/0 wide gap worm hook. (with the lead weight molded onto the hook) attach a 2 inch or larger leader, depending on the size of your bait, onto the worm hook, with a #6 treble hook. this is the "stinger hook" on the rig. hook your ciscoe or smelt through the head on the worm hook, and the midsection of the bait on the treble hook. you should also tail hook one or two live shiners on the remaining treble hooks, to create some action, and a massive friggin' profile for those bike dumb pike to see. so we are talking like a couple of bucks worth of bait on one line. expensive.

lures for a deadstick:

rapala jigging rap - tip the treble hook with a shiner

northland "magnum" airplane jig - hook a big shiner, ciscoe, or smelt on this guy.

northland bionic bucktail jig - hook a big shiner, ciscoe, or smelt on this guy too.

1/2 and 3/4 ounce buckshot rattle spoons, with an optional bigger gamakatsu treble hook.

[bgreen82]

^^^^^^^

sounds like this guy has no idea how to catch a pike whatsoever.

haha

[BigWadeS]

email sent

[7outof10]

i like the 2 fatheads swiming away for each other lol

[Random guy]

REQUIREMENTS FOR MONSTER PIKE

lakes must be 40 plus feet deep

complex structure is mandatory. clusters of humps are needed espically if they are near shore. huge humps with turns holes and fingers. the more dynamic the better. the best humps crown in 8 to 15 feet of water, mabye down to 20, with inside turns.

Guess I am just screwed on URL.

[Pike Stabber]

not to plagerize another persons work, but my post was compiled from the dec 2008 in-fisherman magazine article on pike, written by noel vick, and paul nelson. its a great edition dealing only with ice fishing.

[meestro]

Anytime one starts a sentence with "only", "must" or "always" I get a little suspicious.

[Royce Aardahl]

thow a smelt on and a fathed so it wiggles

[berfish]

I have always had good luck on a large Kahle (1\0, 2\0, 3\0 4\0) hook tipped with minnow dead or alive. In my experience the tip ups out with single hooks have got more flags, and similar flag to fish caught ratio, as a treble hook\quick set rig. Not sure why that is but I havent lost too many fish to want to change all of my rigs to trebles. Not to mention the single hook is easier to remove than the rig\treble in most scenarios. This is just my opinion. No one makes a better tip up than Beaver Dam.

[metrojoe]

You can buy pre-made quick strike rigs at most bait shops and sporting good stores.

[kirkatholomew]

Another option that I have used with success on my tip-ups is a circle hook. If you are catch and release fishing the circle hook is the best option, IMO. The fish has a much smaller chance of being gut-hooked with a circle hook and having that fish hooked in the corner of the mouth makes a fast release without digging into their mouth for a treble or Kahle.