Tip up preferences

[jcmontgo]

I have a bunch of tip ups, old school beaver dam wood ones a hand full of good sticks and a few newer cheapo plastic eagle claw tip ups that I got this year. I'm concerned about the plastic spools splitting on these newer tip ups. What do folks think about some of these newer light weight tip ups like the predator, arctic fire, or ht brand types. Brass spools only or do the plastic spools hold up OK?

[Mt.Bucket]

I have some plastic tip ups I've kept that have plastic spools, kept them because the line peels off with just the weight of the line hangin in the hole. Almost 0 resistance and work great for Perch and finicky Walleye. They've held up for years...

[fishin7]

I have some with the plastic spools and have never had a problem with them while fishing.  Only problem I have had is with people stepping on them or throwing them and the spools break.

[MTWALLEYE]

I've fished with both, the majority being plastic spools. Never had a problem with the plastic spools. They seem to work just fine to me. 

[TJet Apprentice45]

I've always used plastic, only issue has been when chipping holes open after being out over night, if you hit the spool or tip up they'll split.  Other than that they've been great.  Bought a Frabil Dog Bone this week, going to try it out this weekend.  If it works and holds up might have to add a couple to the bag, they're very slim and easy to pack.

[trout hounder]

i use the predator tip ups spooled with 50# line of course im after pike 20 plus pounds

[mthuntr]

I have a bunch of those inexpensive HT tipups both the standard rectangular and the round (cover the hole) type...only spool issues I've had are related to breaking them while chipping ice or putting too much line on.

[jcmontgo]

Yeah guess I can't just hammer on them like the old beaver dams. Those things are bulletproof! I would like to lighten up the old bucket a little with some lighter weight outfits. Thanks for the input......no reopening holes with plastic!

[tjstackle]

We use ht fisherman tip ups just the cheap ones some are 15 years old but flags are off them just hot glued fabric to them for a flag

[vicster]

I've used pretty much all of them and they all work.  This year I got one of the round insulated frabills and I will probably start upgrading to them, especially for the east side.  They fit in a bucket so you could stack a bunch in there and have a nice neat package.  My other ones always seem to get a little tangled in the sled which is a pain in the butt putting a set out when it's cold and windy.  Plus if it's cold or your leaving them out overnight the holes don't ice up much or at all.  Disadvantage is they have a really short flag if your spread out a long ways and you don't have the option of adjustable tension for the flag trip which would be a problem if your using live minnows (both of which could be overcome with a little ingenuity I think)  I also have a couple windlass tip ups which add some movement to your bait.  It has really produced on pike on tough days and is huge when fishing Walleye with dead bait.  Draw back are that the spool is external and line passes thru the hole so they are susceptible to freezing.  You can use coated tip up line and I've seen videos of guys who made floating foam hole covers with a small tube for the line to run through.  Add a little mineral oil to the tube and it will not freeze up even in very cold temps.  Kind of high maintenance but I can make a huge difference on tough days. 

[jcmontgo]

I really eyeballed those windlass tipups. I may buy one to try and do some experimenting. Thanks for the info fellers. BTW completely off topic....Costco now has Kirkland light beer...$21 for a 48 pack! Its not bad....its as good or better than a Coors light, if you drink light beers, try it! If you decide you don't like it, you can send the remainder of the pack to me for absolutely free!

[Tacojuan]

I like the cheapest plastic tip ups and here's why, like a guy above me said they have very little resistance and on the off chance that you break a spool they sell replacements. I had four ht tip ups with metal spools but they seemed to spin less smoothly when it got cold. I also tried the frabill thermal tip ups and they worked good but ultimately my holes would still freeze up. With them being shaped the way they are you're left with very little room to get an chipper in the hole to get it out. If you're worried about your holes freezing i just use rubber mats and pack snow, or ice shavings when there is no snow, around the edges of the mats and they work as good if not better than the thermal tip ups. Ultimately your tip ups and probably all going to be run over by someone or broken some other way so you may as well go cheap. I got one of the dawg bone tip ups for Christmas and have yet to use it but if it works as good as the other cheapies I'm going to buy another five of those. A guy could probably fit 12 into a five gallon bucket.

[chucknduck]

I have five of the cheap dog bones. Think I got em for $7. They have lasted a couple of seasons so I think I got my $ worth. I can fit all five in my tackle bag. They take up very little space. Very compact and don't cost much to replace. I also have a thermal one. Never left it over night but can see that you would be buggered if it did freeze in

[JayHelfrich]

My opinion on tipups...

Round ones should be used for day use only.  These should not be left overnight or even all day without checking them as they will freeze up no matter how insulated they are.  They are hell to chisel out when frozen in.

HT Polar and Polar Extreme:

     Good trigger mechanism same as a regular flat one.  Plastic spools don't bother me I only put 100' to 150' of line on them as I feel anymore is a waste of materials.  The extendable telescoping flags SUCK.  Step on one it breaks.  Get water on it and it breaks when you try to collapse it.  Just made of really cheap materials.  Fair price but are junk once the flag is broken off.

Frabill Pro Thermal:

     Trigger mechanism is difficult to use.  Not really able to adjust it for light biting fish easily (can be done with trial and error) at first.  Spool is plastic.  The spool  and spindle can be pulled out because it is only held on with a C clip.  Solid wire flag is nice.  Paddle flag will freeze down to ice or tipup.

Frabill Round Tipup:  Regular trip/trigger mechanism.  Solid Wire Flag.  Strong design that will stack up in a bucket.  Not insulated but black color should help keep hole open.  Best for your money IMHO.

Flat style are the best for long soaks, being durable, and easiest to use.  Open design allows you to see if your depth marker (bobber or what ever you use) has moved after the flag was tripped and makes it easy to break the ice free when it is iced over.

There are too many styles and brands to go through each one.  I have Frabill, HT, and Beaverdam in the mix.  My preferred tipup is a HT Polar (Black, Pink, Green, Orange, ect) because they are cheap, easy to service, and just catch fish.  When someone runs one over you aren't out $50 like a Beaverdam.  Right now North 40 Outfitters (Formerly Big R) has them on sale for $7 a piece.  At that price you could get line and tipups for a full limit of lines for around $50.

I have a couple of tricks I do to make them work easier.  The best one is to take the coiled loop that the line runs through off the spool and open the coil so that you can slip the line through it.  This way you can take the line off the guide after you have a fish make a big run so that the line can be layered back on the spool nicely.  Also when you are done at the end of the day you can take the line off the guide and reel it up while layering the line on so it is in good shape for the next trip.

But truthfully, my preferred tipup is one in an ice hole.  They do us no good at home.  Go Fish!

[bowhtr]

I have some plastic tip ups I've kept that have plastic spools, kept them because the line peels off with just the weight of the line hangin in the hole. Almost 0 resistance and work great for Perch and finicky Walleye. They've held up for years...

X2

[atwoodnative]

My plastic ones have been pretty durable, except for the one my buddy ran over with snowmobile.

[WesternAngler]

Plastic seems to be fine.  This is not really a high stress application. Been using a Dog Bone one for a couple seasons now with no problems. Just remember plastic gets brittle when cold so don't beat on it but normal use seem to be ok.

[rmdocks]

I just got a couple windless ones today. Never used this kind before but i like the action  they can give. I guess it takes a little ice time to get em figured out though

[lives4huntin]

Are you better off using tipups, or something like the jaw jacker?

[The Rezerend]

I believe they both have their place. I use the cheap plastic ones and have made hole covers out of conveyer belt material and it's worked out pretty good. I use my home made jaw jackers on nice days or in the house with me on my dead stick. No way I'd ever leave a jaw jacker farther than I could see.

[llancaster]

Frabill

[llancaster]

Thanks

[pricklyperch1]

Ill have to agree with the consensus, the cheap ones are tough to beat.  I still have a few from high school that are every bit as good as the day they came off the shelf.  Not really impressed with the thermo frabills, but its nice to not have to chip ice all day when its -20.   

[Evan_35]

Can you use a jaw jacker as a set line? Does anyone do this?

[doublehaul]

My wife and I own a set of B.D.'s. Although much more expensive than other brands, they are the best rail-style tipup on the market for my $$$.

[Wapiti Warrior]

If the tipups are not spinning freely when they are cold then it is time to clean the tubes and relube. I do this about every 2 years and even my cheap tip ups work smoothly.

John

[wyogator]

I think the plastic base tipups are fine, as long as they have a metal spool.  I don't like plastic spools for the simple reason that when I spud out the ice in the holes, I would end up breaking one.  I think I am going to start slowly adding BDs to my collection.

[clmiller]

I like the Frabill Ice Arctic Fire tip-ups, cost more than some other ones.

[Goodnight]

JACK TRAPS!!! Pricey but they are the best you can buy. I fish my cheapo frabill ones in high traffic areas in case of an accident but prefer the jack trap to anything.

[icefich]

Jack Traps X2!