Which Tip Up

[WolfpackFishNGuy]

Are there differences in the different type of tips on the market. If so what are advantages and disadvantages between them?

I haven't done a lot of tip up fishing but I've used the Polar plastic tips ups? How does this compare to the frabil round ones and the Beaver Dam tipups.

I'd mostly be using them for Northerns, walleys, and possibly Trout.

[NCLaker]

If I were to do it all over again, I would buy simple plastic tip ups as long as they have the freeze proof grease built in and the two different trigger setting. Much lighter and portable IMO. In addition to that I would get the foam black hole covers to help reduce hole freeze ups.

I have some of the Frabill orange round ones, they are too rigid and don't seal areound the ole as well as the fome covers IMO. Also are a bit on the bulky size.

I also have the wood bigfoot tips from Frabill. Very nice tip-ups but a bit bulky.

If you don't have them, be sure to pickup some tip up flag lights (like the Frabills), for night fishing. If you are interested in the round or wood ones, let me know, they are in great condition for a good price.

P.S. so will you be a "EastRidgeFishNGuy" next year

[EBass]

All I have are the 10" round frabills. They barely fit on a 10" hole, but they work. I should get some freeze proof grease though.

[Drewski]

I would go with a beaver dam. Best tip up out there.

[R_B]

I second drewski's response

[crappiekid24]

Beaver Dams are great tip ups! Use a foam hole cover with them to prevent the hole from freezing.

[WolfpackFishNGuy]

Can you buy these foam hole covers or do you just make one?

NCLaker can you email me at wolfpackfishnguy at hotmail dot com

[crappiekid24]

You can do either. I have just bought mine.

[cRaPpiEMaN8265]

Definately give the HT Round Tip-Up a try. I like it because it is light smooth and has a 32" flag. The flag is just like a tv antenna and extends out to whatever height you want. You can see them from a mile away and they do a nice job of sealing up the hole. 12 bucks at fleet farm or 18 if you want to get the one with line markers a tipup light and a depth bomb.

Ryan

[NCLaker]

Can you buy these foam hole covers or do you just make one?

I picked mine up at Gander Mtn. I've seen them at other stores, can't remember which. If you don't have padded knee ice fishing bibs, the foam covers also work great for doubling as a kneeling pad at the ice hole.

[JBrobeck]

I use the Frabil arctic fire tipups (thick yellow plastic ones) they are much more durable than the standard black polar tipups, and still very inexpensive, the beaver dam and other wood base tipups are nice and store well, but can be a bit more spendy and bulky/heavy. I Too am a believer of the black foam hole covers, they work awesome.

I like having a few (always carry 4 with me) set up with different leader/hook combos, my gear bag will hold 4 tipups and 4 rods, but would not accomodate the round tipups, so, ive never used the round ones.

Josh

[Quetico]

I'm a beaver dam fan. I only have one but will likely be adding 2 more this week.

Like others have said the round frabil's are nice but a bit difficult to store/transport.

One more tip-up issue- for me I will use that that has as little memory as possible. Line is difficult enough to deal with when your hands are frozen then to have to wrestle with all the memory not good.

[Hard617]

I like the beaver dams and the regular wood frabills. There are pros and cons to both though. The frabills have a take apart inside rod that you can clean up and re-grease if it becomes stiff while cold or even freeze up. on the other hand, their line holder sucks.

The beaver dams, while nice, are spendy and you cannot take them apart without heating up the end and melting the solder. the line holder is nice, but we take a hack saw and cut a slit in it so you can take your line out of it with ease, also seems that the flag spring gets weakened easier than the frabill, but still work fine after years of use. I am still waiting for a combo of the 2 with a take-apart rod and a nice line holder that you can easily take the line out of, and somewhere to attatch the hook to when you roll it up. I usually put the hook into the braided line, but sometimes gets stuck in there, or falls out and gets tangled in everything else. what has everyone else done for this?

[R_B]

You can get the foam covers at fleet farm too. I have tried other tip ups and keep going back to my beaver dams.

[Hoffer]

I am a little different than the other posters. I have switched almost exclusively to the round polar tipups. I used to use the other standard ones a ton - and still do like them alot - but I find I can fit 6 round polar 10 inch tipups in my 5 gallon bucket. I have a swivel seat that snaps on the top - so in one nice neat package - I carry 6 tipups along with a seat. Plus, I think when the round ones are folded in and inthe storage position - one on top of the other - you get very little tangling compared with trying to store the other kind together in a carrying bag. Plus, if you clean the ice aorund the hole nicely - they fit very well and are "insulated" and I do think that helps. Probably not as well as the black plastic hole covers - but they do prevent freezing better than just an open hole. I also sometimes leave some ice shavings around the hole. If you position the tipup in the ice shavings - the shavings will soon freeze up right around the round tipup - and form a kind of snug spot for the tipup to fit in. The tipup will still easily come out - but I think it actually helps the holes from freezing up a little.

[snoozebutton]

I've been using Beaver Dams since the early 70's but they're pricing them out of my range. Might try a Polar or 2 the next time I need to replace them.

[shorefisher]

I was a Beaver dams only guy most of my life but with the price they are asking now there are just as good tip-ups out there for less then half there price. I like the Frabill wood tip-up better. But i have been replacing wood tip-up for the light plastic ones and have had no issues with any of them.

[R_B]

My buddy decided he would by the Frabill wood tipup because of the price. They leaked greese and don't spin very well anymore. As far as the tangling I use hook keepers to prevent them from tangling or getting snagged on the inside of my bag.

[FISHINGURU]

i use the yellow frabill thermal tip ups

easy storage in a 5 gal bucket - check

easy to take care of and grease - check

storage compartment - check

light for night fishing - check

insulates the hole with a little snow packed around it - check

catch big fish while my buddies are constantly messing with theirs and breaking away ice and their reels get jammed - check

[Farley]

When the thermal tip ups came out I used them religously, but then after a while I went back to the wood Frabil ones with the Northern on it, and havent gone back. I still use the round ones when I need to have another tip up out, but 9 times out of 10 I grab for the wood one.

[andrew chadwick]

I like the pound thermal ones for pike. I use the non plastic coated tip up line so I can fit more on it, as I have been spooled using the plastic coated junk.

for lakers you need something with a large spool, as you will likely be deep and they can run fast.

I recently picked up an arctic warrior tip up, and put a 42" genz rod on it with a 2500 symetre. I have 12 lb seaguar flourocarbon on it. the walleye seem to spit the hook a lot less with this set up, plus its more fun to reel them in.

[gritsnham]

I like the thermal style just because they cover the hole and work well when it gets colder. I have had the same 2 in use for 4 years now with only some minor bits of plastic coming off(cold weather, what can you expect). They have worked great for me and I use them over the others I still have most of the time

[Blaze]

I'm a Frabil round orange tipup guy here. On a side note, I had a spring get tweaked last year on one of my tipups. I emailed Frabil customer service and asked if they sold replacements - the gal asked for my address and mailed out a replacement spring and flag that same day...FOR FREE. Frabil customer service is excellent, should you need it (once in 10 yrs for me).