How do you guys rig your tip-ups????????????????

[Christopher Quast]

I have always tried to get better at this type of fishing and just cant seem to have any luck ever anymore, years ago I couldnt keep a flag down, I usually run the black rubberized tip-up line to a barrel swivel and then some mono or braid and tie directly to a circle hook and place a weight approximately a foot or so above the shiner and then use a little bobber as a line marker.

[Cooter]

I use 25lb uncoated tip up line down to a barrel swivel with 27 or 30lb 7strand down to a #6, 4, or 2 treble. I use a worm sinker on the main line and with leader length it ends up being about a foot above the minner.

[GatorBait]

I do the same as cooter. Always worked well for me. I experiment here and there, but usually resort back to this same strategy. I have to comment on the Bobber as a line marker. I used to do this, but I've had a lot of troubles with them catching on the ice causing just enough slack to loose fish. My buddy had this happen the other day, I couldn't help but to just laugh. I resorted to simply tying a small loop knot at my water depth.

[river runt]

What your using should work. You may want to go to a quick strike rig, I use a string bobber stop to mark my depth. I find if I am catching sunfish this tends to be a good spot for pike. Good luck RR

[Christopher Quast]

Thanks guys keep em coming the bobber thing makes sense and so does the bobber stop too......

[snoozebutton]

I do the same as cooter. Always worked well for me. I experiment here and there, but usually resort back to this same strategy. I have to comment on the Bobber as a line marker. I used to do this, but I've had a lot of troubles with them catching on the ice causing just enough slack to loose fish. My buddy had this happen the other day, I couldn't help but to just laugh. I resorted to simply tying a small loop knot at my water depth.

As far as the bobber goes, I used to do that but when it's cold, it can get tough trying to get that bobber off to reel in your line when you pick up. I use the loop knot on mine too but a buddy of mine uses a small split shot that he can slide up and down the line.

[Cooter]

I like the bobber stop idea, my bud used a button for many years.

[FLnick87]

I usually fish shallow enough where I dont need a depth marker, usually no more than 8 ft, but thats mainly for pike. We use bright jig of colored gamakatsu hooks on a rubber coated wire leader sometimes with a blade to add a little extra color and flash. Just make sure the hook of big enough and strong enough and tip with a large shiner

[Shawn Kellett]

Try getting rid of the jewelry. I run 3' of 40lb florocarbon leader with a 1/0 circle hook. Hook the sucker in front of the dorsal fin. It seems to have the most natural presentation and has worked the best in clear water for us. Just be sure to wait for the fish to stop running and then just start pulling the fish in. If you try to jerk set the fish you won't get the circle hook to find it's way home. You also don't need to worry about gut-hooking fish with circles as well.

[hanso612]

I fish for pike with large or decoy suckers. These minnows are big and lively and trip the flag on there own and generally pull line all over if not heavily weighted.

I'm a quick strike fisherman and for my main line I use the same 17 pound test Trilene xt I generally use for most things just because I have a ton around-but what I do differntly is use an offshore planer board release.

I put the release on a leader and clip the leader to the falcrum bar on the tip up. Then I put the sucker on the quick strike rig and send it down the hole to the desired depth, then put the main line in the offshore release, and then set the tip up. This way I can keep the decoy in check and can set the hook at first sign of a flag tip.

The Offshore releases are expensive but I always have some around to be used as snap weights or as planner board and stacker releases.

Hans

[Jim Uran]

quick strike rigs and a small split shot to mark the depth have always worked for me.

[Gordie]

I use tip up line to a barrel swivel then to 2 ft of 14-17lb mono tied to a kahle hook ussally run smelt or spearing decoys

as for depth marker I use those little red rubber bobber stops. they slide real nice and they dont freeze to the line.

I like the planner board release idea.

[lovetheice]

can you use a plain trble hook on a tip-up?

[Gordie]

I belive that you have to have some type of blade within 3 inches not for sure thou. I dont like to use quick strick rigs or trebles because of the chance of a deep hook set.

[river runt]

sometimes I use a small jig add a couple stinger hooks and

use that like a quick strike rig.

[Selmer]

elwood, I hate to differ with you, but the point of a "quick-strike" rig is that you can set the hook as soon as you get to the tip-up, as long as it's running. You don't have to wait for the pike to swallow the bait. I find them very helpful if you plan on releasing fish. I agree with you on the treble front, it's a fish killer.

Selmer

[b1gf1sh1]

Quote:

If you try to jerk set the fish you won't get the circle hook to find it's way home. You also don't need to worry about gut-hooking fish with circles as well.

way too little used up in 'da norte' country. saltwater fishermen have vused them for years and southern boys.

Shawn, any idea what number/style/size you use that works best? i prefer a shorter shank in the MUTU XX 4/0-6/0by Owner for cats. i'll be using them this year on anything big. last year i got lucky fishing pike. i hooked a ski and it was deep but still into bone. with a quickstrike. i got lucky. nothing but circles for me now.

[Doop]

I dont like to use quick strick rigs or trebles because of the chance of a deep hook set.

I guess that's the reason why I use quick strikes is to avoid deep hook sets. We make our own quick strikes...here are some my bro in law just made:

[Gordie]

I dont deney the fact that they help to get a faster hook set but there are still guys out there that use them and let the pike run as a matter of fact I wacthed this happen yesterday as three guys stood around the hole watching the thing spin after they got the pike out of the water (which was small)it took them about 5-7 min to get the trebles out its throat.

I know that that fish if it was released (which it wasnt) would of never made it and I also know that not every one fishes this way.

[Doop]

yeah...that definitely defeats the purpose of "QUICK" strike rigs. It's definitely a foot race to hole and that fish gets JERKED real fast!

[mskyfshntchr]

I use tip up line- 20# dacron or whatever.

I then tie on a bobber stop- one normally used for slip bobbers.

Then I tie on a snap swivel.

For northerns:

I have pre-tied quick strike rigs I can hook right to the snap.

I also have some with circle hooks and fluro- which are getting more use lately.

For walleyes:

I have pre-tied line with different styles of hooks and colors. Barrel swivel on one end and the hook on the other.

This becomes almost a quick change set up. Go from northerns to walleyes in no time without switching tip ups.

The bobber stop is easy to see, get nice and snug on that dacron line, is cheap and won't catch on the ice!!

[hanso612]

Even if you let a fish run with a quick strike rig, they rarely are able to swallow the hook into the gullet because the second hook catches on the outside or some other part of the inside of the fishes mouth- not allowing the first hook to go down the gullet.

Single treble hook rigs are not quick strike rigs.

On circle hooks- I've seen many fish take a small bait with a small circle hook all the way down. Once in the gullet the circle hook catches on the inside edge just like it does on the edge of the mouth when the hook is set on time. The circle hook doesn't magically pull out of the gullet without hooking. The key is to keep all hooks from going all the way down in the first place, and that is done by tending lines and setting hooks quikly or using a quick strike rig.

It's also very important to have a good wire snippers and a jaw spreader when fishing pike or musky. Most fishing pliers with a side cutter are too soft, too short, and much harder to get into cutting position than a true nippers.

Don't worry about cutting line and hooks to save a fish. Most of the unhooking horror stories you see are perpetrated by fisherman who are scared of the fish, intimidated by retieing, and who aren't willing to sacrifice a lure. Hans

[Cold_blood]

hey doop what are you using for "line" from your swivel to the hook is it metal or what

[bmc]

I don't use tips ups hardly at all anymore. I use a heavy baitcast type rod/reel w/ 10 lb mono on it. Then I use a 3' leader of 20lb mono with either a Bigtooth quickstrike rig or if they're finicky a 1/0 Gamakatsu circle hook with a colored

bead and a small blade above that. SMELT always and nothing else. I set my rod in a 5 gallong bucket and engage the reel, feed line down to the depth I want, while watching on the vexi. Once it's where I want it, I put a paper clip on the line between the rod tip and the water line. I then slide it up towards the rod tip and clip onto the line between the top 2 guided on my rod. I have a piece of dark surveyors ribbon tied to the paper clip. When a fish hits, the paper clip pulls off the line and falls into the hole and it's fish on!

Brian

[dabaer]

what i have always done, is go to menards or home depot and get mason line and use that. ill tie that to a 3 ft, 45 lb steel laeder then either use a big treble hook, not sure the size, or a big pike hook. for the treble hook ill take the hook off the leader then stick the hook up through my bait, either ciscos or smelt, bout 8 to 10 inch, up through the belly all the way out thier backs the hook back up to the leader. dont forget the extra spoon or spinner. and for the pike hook i start the hook back by the tail of bait and run the hook all the way up to just behind the cisco or smelts haed.