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Tip ups are used by ice fishers to suspend live bait beneath the ice to detect the presence of fish. When a live fish takes the bait, a trip bar is pulled which signals an ice fisher with a flag that the bait has been taken. This, in turn, allows fishermen to cover large areas without having to sit at a single fishing hole.
The benefits to utilizing tip ups doesn’t just stop at that! In fact, tip ups can also allow ice fishers to work multiple depths at once as well. Additionally, when working along a bank, drop-off, or other structure, one can place multiple tip ups in the area and wait for the flag to signal a bite. Then, the fight is on!
Novice ice fishers will need to become acquainted with tip ups if they truly want to reap the most rewards with their trip on the ice. In fact, there are many different styles and types to choose from, and knowing how to operate your tip up for the best results will increase the odds of going home with a catch. With over 20,000 fishing items in our inventory, Outdoor Shopping has the most extensive lineup of fishing equipment online today! Shop our inventory of ice fishing tip ups at Outdoor Shopping.
Materials
Ice fishing typically means fishing in harsher conditions than one would encounter on a brisk spring day of casual fishing. Cold weather, icy waters, and brutal exposures can break down the integrity of any piece of fishing equipment you plan to take on your ice fishing trip. With tip ups, different materials offer different benefits but can also introduce a host of negatives as well.
Material | PROS | CONS |
Plastics |
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Metals |
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Woods |
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Classic tip ups tend to be comprised of wood, and they are a fairly good choice for any casual ice fisher. Remember that a sturdy design can make or break the pros/cons of any material composition when it’s all said and done.
Types of Tip Ups
When a fish takes your bait on a line attached to a tip up, a flag is tripped that signals the fisher that it’s time to fight for your catch. Ice fishermen will watch their flags and when tripped, run over and pull the line to fight the fish with the “hand over hand” technique. While the general design of a tip up is simple, there are three main styles to choose from:
Style | Guidelines |
Wooden/Classic | This style consists of three pieces of wood held together with butterfly nuts in a 3D ‘T’ shape. The fisher then hooks live bait onto treble hooks and drops it down, folding the flag over the flag notch. The other end of the flag notch should be hooked in the spool so if line is taken out, the flag will trip and signal activity. |
Rounded Base | The rounded design prevents the hole from freezing up and will ensure a smooth spool action on frigid days. Simply attach your bait, drop it down, then set the base over the hole. Next, hook the flag shaft on the groove of the spool shaft to finish the setup. |
Rectangular Base | With these tip ups, the shaft that has the spool on it must be rotated perpendicular to the rectangular base. Hook your bait, drop it down, then simply hook the flag shaft’s hook mechanism on the little groove on the spool shaft. When the line is pulled by a fish, the hook mechanism will trip the flag. |
Choosing a Flag
The purpose of a tip up is to easily alert an ice fisher to activity on a line, so the signaling device - the flag - plays a key role in the success of your tip up use.
Size: Your tip-up should have a large enough flag on a long enough pole that you can see it from a distance of 100 yards (90 m) in most weather conditions.
Color: Choose an orange flag over a yellow one, as a yellow flag will appear white as you get further away from it.
Additional Features: Some tip-ups supplement the flag with an "action indicator" that shows the line movement when a fish has taken the bait and is swimming away with it.
Baits and Rigging
Tip ups generally work best with live bait types attached to fluorocarbon or steel leaders for toothy fish like walleye, pike, and muskie. Keep in mind that what fluorocarbon lacks in strength, it makes up for in ‘invisibility’ once it hits the water, which can contribute to more bites because the fish are less likely to get spooked by your leader.
Some good baits to use with tip ups include:
Perch
Sucker
Shiner Minnows
Shad
Nightcrawlers
Grubs
Mealworms
Waxworms
The latter three options are best for panfish, while the former will snag you larger catches.
When it comes to your fishing line, many opt for either monofilament or braided line.
Line Material | Best for: | Stats |
Monofilament | While this material can be used for line, it’s better reserved for leaders. | For a leader, choose length from at least 6 inches (15 cm) to as much as 3 to 4 feet (0.9 to 1.2 m) of 8 to 10 pound test (4 to 5 kg class). |
Braided | Braided line is best for your spool when ice fishing due to its durability and visibility against the snow. | Choose a line of 30 to 40 pound test (15 to 20 kg class) for most ice fishing scenarios. |
Once you’ve supplied your tackle box with the correct lines/leaders, then it’s time to rig your tip up:
Fill the spool with your line of choice.
Attach a swivel to the end of the line, followed by your leader of choice.
Attach a hook to match your target species:
For bluegill, crappie, perch, or other panfish, use a size 6 or size 8 single hook.
For walleye, use a size 4 or size 6 single hook.
For pike, use a size 2/0 to 6/0 single hook or a treble hook. Some hook rigs for pike feature a pair of treble hooks.
Attach live bait.
Attach split shot when necessary. The key to attaching sinkers is to attach them far enough from the bait to sink it, but not enough to impair its swimming ability; about 4 to 5 inches (10 to 12.5 cm) is about the right distance.
Drop the line only after determining how deep the water is below, and if there are any structures towards the bottom. Once your flag tips, give the fish a little time to actually take the hook, waiting until the spool slows a bit to pull the line up.
With over 20,000 fishing items in our inventory, Outdoor Shopping has the most extensive lineup of fishing equipment online today! Shop our inventory of ice fishing tip ups at Outdoor Shopping.
