Wind Tip Ups

[Doop]

Anyone use these for northerns?

I am going to a lake in March that is very similar to URL....bowl shaped lake, with NO weed growth to speak of.

I'm going to use teasers in conjunction with a wind tip up! I would think the subtle jigging motion would bring the fish hand over fist!

Just wondering if anyone else uses wind tip ups with any success?

[Random guy]

They stink and you should send them to me so I can dispose of them for you...

No, they work great when I use them with smelt or dead bait rigs, now with the teaser tail it might be a great pike catching combo.

[Selmer]

We use them, but as a fixed outfit. We found the windlass tip ups to be very finicky on setting tension and a bit of a pain to set that way. We just screw the adustment down and use them as a fixed rig, make sure you pile plenty of ice on the back side to counterbalance the fish bite!

Selmer

[MN Mike]

We use the Windlass Tip Ups all the time, the only time we use the flat ones is when we have a bunch of people with and run out of the Wind ones.

Over the years we've come up with different ideas of keeping snow and ice out of the holes, now days we use black buckets flipped upside down ( no lid ), about a 2 - 3" hole drilled in the top and a small chunck of wood V'd out to rest the base of the tipup in.

Works great! snow doesn't blow in, it goes around the base, your tipup doesn't get snowed under like the flat ones do, if you have a steady wind the motion with the line going up and down pretty much keeps the hole open for the line to move, easy to adjust, clean and reset too.

As with any tipup you still have to baby sit them but as long as the line isn't stuck in the ice your in pretty good shape. When you do get a fish on, peel off some line, pull the bucket off the hole and set the hook, it works out well.

Once in a while on really windy days we have to anchor the rear of the base of the tipup with either a chuck of ice/snow or we've made up some large rubber bands out of inner tubes to hold the tipup from falling forward, it doesn't take much to stop it from doing that.

The buckets might looks clumbsy and bulky but they stack well and you can strap them to anything, they are pretty tough.

That jiggin' action these tipups put on the bait is killer and is completely worth the effort to use them, we use only dead bait with this setup and it has even produced 5 walleye over 27" on Pike bait.

[minneman]

great idea Mike! Ive got a couple of those I havent used in years due to freeze up issues. I'm sure the bucket helps alot.

years back on whitemouth I seen the locals using long rods set up like for bank fishing with plastic grocery bags tied to the rod tip, when its breezy the rods get to rocking pretty good.

you got my ich to get up north going now!

[MN Mike]

minneman,

Are you heading north soon? I was going to go today but with the forecast I decided not to, maybe this weekend, I've got a funeral on Saturday but maybe after that I can head to Buffalo.

Wish I could take credit for the bucket idea, that is Dad thinkin' again but they do work great especially when the snow on the lake gets deep.

Them there Canadian's can come up with some interesting ideas for sure and it seems like they usually work pretty well too!

[minneman]

yes, but I think (50/50) my first up-north trip will be up to lk winnipeg the 8th - 11th.

I have a few trips to buffalo planned from the end of Feb threw the end of the season.

I heard the fish at the sand bar were on fire a week ago...?

You'll have to let me know what there is for snow up there.

Good luck!

[MN Mike]

Will do, fishing has been good from the recent reports but I'm trying REALLY hard to get back up to find out myself!

Keep in touch.

Mike