Mikeguard01
Registered: 02/06/08
Posts: 106
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Reply with quote | #1 |
Hello everyone. Trying to get things together for the up and coming hard water season. I wasn't happy with the tips-ups I had last season. It took too much tension to trip. Now I'm looking to arm myself with a new set and wanted some opinions from the well seasoned guys.  I use to have a few made by Frabill that worked well but who knows what happened to them.
Mike
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Getthenet
Registered: 12/19/06
Posts: 168
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Reply with quote | #2 |
Mike,
Tips were real tough last year. Not many perch and some pike. You got any grease one 'em. Frabill makes an ice grease. My bud has caught some big pike on some old rickety tips. My Frabill round ones do fine. Course he could catch 6lb. trout in the bathtub.
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It's all a part o' fishin, son.
Chief "J" My dad's favorite wrassler.
"Got any maggots?" Only an ice fisherman wouldn't start a fight with that question. |
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Perchnut
Registered: 02/22/06
Posts: 147
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Reply with quote | #3 |
i have some homemade ones that are probably over 40 years old, some of them...and they work awsome,,,,im not sure i can post a pic here, but i'll see......but also agree, that last year i caught more jigging....maybe cause im getting better at jigging....but did catch some nice eyes on the tips.... Attached Images:
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Mikeguard01
Registered: 02/06/08
Posts: 106
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Reply with quote | #4 |
Getthenet, Thanks, the grease might do the trick. They weren't very sensitive but then again I only had a couple of baits stolen. Perchnut, That's a cool design looks like they will bob in the wind. No Eyes for me last season. I did manage to get one to the hole only to come off. I'm going to try to make at least on 3 day weekend this year. The 200 mile drive up to fish one day was killing me. Thanks for the replies.
Mike
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StrikeLead
Registered: 09/05/06
Posts: 429
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Reply with quote | #5 |
When buying tips I have a few things that I'm looking for but, most important is how easy can they fold up when I'm frozen and want to leave in a hurry. A handle on the reel is much better than getting your hands/gloves wet.....plus you can see it unwinding as a fish takes off with it. Orange is a good color so that the snowmobiles don't run into them. Plastic doesn't hold water/ice and that's good. And, I love the tall ones for outposts. I probably own 30 tips of various types and Frabill makes good tips but, my first chioces are my old wooden ones with a nice handle on the reel. In freezing cold...simplicity is MOST important.
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My biggest worry is that my wife (when I'm dead) will sell my fishing gear for what I told her I paid for it. ~Koos Brandt |
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Mikeguard01
Registered: 02/06/08
Posts: 106
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Reply with quote | #6 |
Thanks for the replies. The tip-ups I have are the old style but made of black plastic. I think I will add some reflective tape to them. I'm also thinking of adding some Teflon tape on the spring steel to make it slip easier.
Mike
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fishing4u2
Registered: 02/03/07
Posts: 255
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Reply with quote | #7 |
Perchnut,
Am I mistaken or is your attached image actually of a tip-DOWN?
Regards,
'4u2 / Don
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Perchnut
Registered: 02/22/06
Posts: 147
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Reply with quote | #8 |
well,,,,guess its all perspective...if you are looking at the red end,,,,its up! Ive always called them tip ups.....they are adjustable for the wind,,,and do keep moving if you want a little action on the minnow....also, you can see even a modest little bite. Manytimes ive seen the 'flag' just move a little bit, just a little bump, only to find a walleye sucking on the minnow.....We make these, and have used them for over 40 years. Originally from Wisconsin...Im making more, but having trouble findint little reels for them. The original reels were out of Herters.... |
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fishing4u2
Registered: 02/03/07
Posts: 255
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Reply with quote | #9 |
Those pieces of set gear look very intriguing to me, Perchnut. I can't wait to get to see your handiwork in action, on ice, firsthand.
I guess when I see a dry spool and a pivoting 'strike indicator / flag' I think of a "tip-down." When the spool is submerged and only the indicator is topside, I think of a "tip-up", although a better name might be a 'trip-up'. So much for nomenclature.
There are upsides AND downsides to tip-downs, of course. Two of the possible downsides of tip-downs (no pun intended) are storage (weight and/or space) and stability (in strong wind gusts). A couple more are the greater need for avoiding hole freeze-over and added complexity, which translates into comparative slowness in terms of mob/de-mobility as well as greater opportunity for things to malfunction. I'm working on trying to optimize/compromise a design which will split the differences, but as usual there is no single hull or rod or gun or whatever that serves all needs perfectly under all conditions of use.
I'd really welcome the opportunity to learn from your experiences with your gear, so I hope we can auger a few holes together in the early part of the upcoming season. Whatd'ya say?
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Mikeguard01
Registered: 02/06/08
Posts: 106
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Reply with quote | #10 |
Those trip-ups are a nice idea just to keep your hands out of the water.
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Don't wait for the fishing report from others. Just get out and start fishing. |
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Perchnut
Registered: 02/22/06
Posts: 147
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Reply with quote | #11 |
4U,,,lets def punch some holes together this winter...a couple points on the tips....notice they have two parts to them (not including the 'flag'). They have Spring Steel ( I use fashioned doctor blades from paper cutting machines) 'connecting' the two parts, and are adjustable, and actually slide right together for ez storage. The flag also comes out, so I keep way too many in a wood crate with partitions. I'll try to get a pic. Anyway, being adjustable like that, I can slide them together or apart to make sure i get the right action, and also to adjust for the wind. Unless its really fridgid, the slight action helps keep the hole from freezing where the line goes in...plus walking around and skimming the holes of new ice, giving the line a lift up to wake the minnie often results in a fish, or at least a flag. I also have some 'underwaters' that we set, and usually the ole reliables out produce them. You'll have to try one this winter and see how you like it....Cant wait for ice!! |
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fishing4u2
Registered: 02/03/07
Posts: 255
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Reply with quote | #12 |
Its a deal Perchnut, just drop me an e- line at 'fishing4u2@juno.com or give me a ring at 301 3-TROUT-1. From your additional description it sounds like nothing short of seeing your 'tips' firsthand, in action, is gon'na fill the bill. I'm not sure a picture's up to it.
Once set up my own version seems to work well enough, but storage issues and transportation when moving between spots are less than ideal. Also, when the wind really howls, or there are sudden gusts from novel directions I have to cover the bases up with slush/snow to keep them in place and upright. Seems that when you follow a certain rabbit trail (design-wise, that is) you can get sort of boxed-in (which is why I'm looking forward to checking out your solution). I wanted to have a base as a way to receive a hole-cover (this really saves a lot of maintenance), but the weight and bulk of those wooden bases can add up quickly. Instead of using the wooden bases, for a while I tried carrying a portable drill and simply used the ice itself to hold my heavy wire 'uprights' upright, but its amazing how quickly this metal when exposed to a little solar energy starts to melt its surroundings. Maybe I ought to try using a piece of white PVC instead of wire? Oh well, I enjoy the tinkering at least as much as the fishing.
Lets do it!
'4u2
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