Advanced Tip-Ups for Dummies

For many pan fish anglers in particular, the concept of tip-ups is quite foreign and not well understood nor embraced.  I will certainly agree that with most fast paced ice fishing tactics, tip-ups really don't follow in that same mind set and actually slow down your ability to cover a lot of water in a small amount of time.  Furthermore, here in central Iowa we are not afforded the luxury of having great walleye, northern pike, or lake trout fisheries; all of which are perfect candidates for using tip-ups.  What predator species we do have in most of our area lakes are large mouth bass and channel catfish and both species can be readily caught with tip-ups.

In Iowa the regulations state that we are only allowed two lines per person while fishing all inland waters, but on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers and their backwaters each angler is allowed to use up to three tip-ups per person.  Other states have a more lenient stance on numbers of lines, for instance South Dakota, which allows each angler to use up to four tip-ups when ice fishing.

(33" x 16" Northern Pike caught on tip up)

So if tip-ups don't let you cover a lot of ground quickly, are somewhat cumbersome, and you can only use one or two on all inland waters here in Iowa; what's the point?  To put it simply, tip-ups can and do produce large fish!  In my own experience, some of my largest fish I've iced have come off of tip-ups.  The topic im going to cover in this piece is more along the lines of improvements and suggestions beyond "typical" tip-up set ups and presentation.

Im going to start by going over a couple of tip-ups i use and have good success with.  The first one i will talk about is the HT Windlass Tip-Up.  The unique thing about this tip-up is that it has a vane which catches the wind and in part gives the live bait more motion under the ice.  It has two springs which adjust the tension so these tip ups can be fished in strong winds or light breezes and it allows for larger bait to be used as well.  The only caveat i have is that this tip up is really only effective down to about 15 degrees Fahrenheit.  Any colder and it becomes tedious removing the ice which accumulates on your line and marker.  One suggestion if you're going to use this tip-up when the temperature is in the teens is to use an ice hole insulator like the one i have linked.  It does a really nice job of keeping that hole open longer.

The one modification i made to this tip-up is to put reflective tape on the orange flag.  This allows me to view my tip-ups at night and from a long distance.  Many of the next tip-ups i will discuss have lights you can add onto them but with this style of tip-up, it isnt as easy.  Also, the lights run off of batteries and we all know how well batteries and the cold mix.

The next tip-up i will discuss is the Frabill Thermal Tip-Up.  The nice thing about this tip-up is that it has some Styrofoam insulation incorporated into the product.  By having this insulation, it does a great job of keeping the hole open in very cold weather.  When the temperature drops below 15 degrees, this is the tip-up i pull out.

The modification i made on this tip-up is the same as on the HT Windlass.  I took reflective tape and put it on one side of the tip up flag so when viewing at night or from further distances, it is easier to see if the flag is up or down.  Do make sure to only put it on one side of the flag and not both since the white reflective tape is a lot harder to view during daylight.

This style of tip-up also has a handy storage container where you can put extra hooks, beads, lights, split shot, line markers, etc.  Also with these tip-ups, you can add a light which trips when it is turned upright and starts blinking.  Again, it is a very nice accessory and i certainly use it but batteries and cold weather don't always play well with each other and it's nice to have a back up.

So i've covered what's above the ice, now i will finish by discussing what's below the ice.  When fishing for bass or catfish i prefer to use a leader of fluorocarbon line as compared to a steel leader you might use when fishing for northern pike. Eight to ten pound test line is all that you really need unless you are targeting much larger catfish.

Similar to open water fishermen who pull Lindy rigs or bottom bounce spinners, i like to dress up my presentation.  This especially holds true in either dirty water or when fishing at night.  The sky is truly the limit on what you can add for "bling" but some of my mainstays have always been soft number three to five glow beads and the same size hard bead in brilliant colors.  You can experiment with color patterns and combinations but i always make sure i have a few options available.

One thing i started experimenting with a few years ago was the addition of sound to my live bait offering.  We all know that fish are visually interested in colors and we have that covered with the beads, but we also want to excite their lateral line receptors and i have just the ticket.

Bass guys have been using it for years but not a lot of ice fisherman utilize glass rattles in their presentation.  One easy solution is to take a glass rattle, cut a piece of shrink tube so it covers the rattle and slide it on your fishing line.  Take a lighter, be very careful not to touch your line with the flame, and heat the tubing so it adheres to the glass rattle and your fishing line.  You can slide the rattle anywhere on the line and it stays put.  I have fished this setup with great success on large mouth bass as well as walleye.

So that pretty much wraps up some simple suggestions i have for running tip-ups this winter.  For those guys who like to fish with a minnow and a bobber, the addition of glow beads and glass rattles certainly work for your style of fishing as well.  The next time you're out fishing, try one rod with your normal presentation and the other with some of the modifications i mentioned and see which one does the best.  Try it a few more times you are out and see if a pattern starts to develop; you might be surprised!

(18"x13" Largemouth Bass caught on a tip-up)