IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Tipups => Topic started by: Barleydog on Dec 16, 2005, 11:30 PM
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Now first let me say that Scott, AKA "Iceshanty" called it! 8) I should have listened, but I didn't. :'( Please let me explain before the laughing Scott!
The Natures Vision "Jig-Up" is the poorest excuse for a tip-up I'd ever seen! The purpose in buying this atrocity, was to give my sets a little action. I'm only allowed to use dead bait, so the use of a battery operated tip-up that jigs your bait was tooooo much for me to pass up. :P I remember when the "Robo duck" first came out. Most of the duck hunters I had hunted with just scoffed at using a battery operated duck in their set. Well, it proved to attract even the most wary ducks, and most of my buds caved into high tech and bought one. Now those same "gimmick" rotating wing decoys are illegal in some states due to there effectiveness in luring ducks.
Well the use of a new high tech "jig up" was intising! BUT I got burned. The rig uses it's flag spring to push the stem and reel up, then it counters the resistance with a battery operated plunger mechanism to push the reel back down. A total fall and rise of 2" in distance. When I first hooked it up in the living room, it worked great! That got me fired up to head out and slay some toothies. I was wrong! :-\
The jig up has several features that are suspect right off the bat. The incredibly cheesy reel and stem assembly is concocked with the finest Chinese plastic and aluminum available. The end caps wiggled and had huge holes with little variance. The reel is designed to hold the line with little fines protruding from the bottom of the reel. They held alright, but only if the reel is filled 3/4 full. The frame is awkward and the bolts are cheap. The major problem occurred when using the rig on the ice! :%$#!: :%$#!: :%$#!: :%$#!: The stem assembly froze up, and didn't allow the reel to spin, :%$#!: and the plunger mechanism to push and retract. :%$#!: There wasn't a stitch of lube in the stem, and it was evident. I squirt a couple shots of silicone into the stem, and it worked! (for a couple minutes...) All this occurred at a blistering Alaskan 26 degrees! ABOVE ZERO! "If" the stem freezing wasn't enough, the plunger jamming up was the other bugger that occurred. Let me also throw in this nugget of love! You can't use over a 4" herring on the dang thing, otherwise the jigging system will not set due to weight issues. I use 6" or bigger, and that limits the use of anything but a crappie minnow. >:(
OK so I brought it home and put some good old frabil lube in the stem HOPING that this would fix the mess. Well it didn't.... The next day I used it in 10 degree weather for a wopping 10 minutes before the water encapsulated the stem assembly and froze it tight, leaving the plunger pressed onto the stem and freezing up the tipup. I couldn't even use it if the motor was down! It wouldn't even turn. How many of us fish in weather above freezing on a consistant basis? ??? Not ME!
Sorry I rambled, but I simply cannot believe this company would allow such a low quality item to leave China! I'm even more P.O.ed at Cabala's for selling such a piece o' junk! I sent it back, and ate the shipping charge, which further ticks me off! I simply cannot get it out of my fat head that these hosers let me purchase this crap! The tackle tester had to be three sheets to the wind to allow this product on the Cabelas shelf. Anyways, here's a couple pictures to get you caught up with this P.O.S.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/barleydog/webtip.jpg)
Here's the reel with it's "fins" that hold your line while jigging. Even put on a thinner lb. dacron just to accommodate this action. No luck! It still "slipped" off the reel and placed the bait on bottom. :blink:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/barleydog/webtip1.jpg)
The spindle is really cheesy! The nut consistently came loose and when tightened, it stripped out! No I didn't put any brute strength on it either! The plastic (with the consistancy of wax) spindle itself is actually threaded! Why not metal? Cheap buggers! It stripped out....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/barleydog/webtip3.jpg)
The switch assembly actually splits open when it jigs bait! The bottom of the housing splits wide open when the plunger stops on the spindle. WOW, wires, batteries, contacts, and a motor exposed to water, GREAT IDEA! >:(
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/barleydog/webtip4.jpg)
Here's the plunger stuck in it's typical postion. When not froze up, this little trick happened quite a bit!
GRRRRRRR! Hope you folks are smarter than I! -Barleydog :cookoo:
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Time to go pick up some Windlasses, BD!
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THANKLS FOR RAMBLING LOL
i was going to get some but now I'm defiantly not thanks allot you saved me $60 but it sux that they would put something on the market that is junk!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I looked at these at the start of the season, but held off...I just kept thinking, way to much could go wrong with this!..So I went with a windlass. Same idea, just dont have to worry about a machine conking out.
Sorry you got bit!
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I would use a windless Chucker, but it's hard when my average temp is 10 below. That was the idea for picking these contraptions up.
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Darn, thanks for warning us BD, sorry you had to fund out the hard way.
WW
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ROTFLMAO BD. Sorry lad but your post is funny and Scott and I had discussed this contraption and thought they were a gimmick and figured they would have issues . I just would never have believed that you would be one of the ones that got fished in by this piece of junk . :o I use my windlass alot and sure there are days that you have to work a bit to maintain it by keeping hole clear of ice but not anything like this disaster you had to contend with . Good of you to test it and warn folks off of it . ;)
TD
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Barleydog - out of curiosity, other than the numerous problems you stated, how did the motor hold up as far as batteries lasting and the motor itself working out in the cold??
I've designed a wind-operating jigging add-on for my tip-ups and have been prototyping various motorized and remote control jigging add-ons. Hole covers help!! The BIG problem with electronic devices on the ice is operation during cold-weather. It's almost inevitable that you are gonna have freeze-up somewhere eventually.
Wind-jiggin' away ....
(http://hometown.aol.com/slamcoinc/images/pro3.jpg)
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i work for a company that sells nature vision products and from what ive found, most of it is garbage. We demoed the jigging tip-up and found that at 68-70 degrees(the store temperature) and i observed the shaft get stuck at bottom stroke. Also ive found that you cant trust a nature vision product with dave genzs name on it. almost every combo ive come across the reels anti-reverse almost never works properly if at all. Nature vision has become i name in tackle i will never trust.
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I got 1 windlass trap last year and it worked great, but ill stick with my HL's. Nothing beats them IMO.
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Trapper,
Yeah your getting close without saying it! IM A SUCKER! :pinch: Ya know, any new and cool looking gear I'll try once.... This rig "looked" like the answer to all my problems fishing in the arctic. I should have known by gazing at the pics that it was a cheap POS made in a Chinese sweat shop. :%$#!:
Slammerman,
The motor worked fine as long as the temps stayed above 20 degrees. It whinned like a rusty old oil derick, which led me to believe it was spooking the fish. I have found the the larger the battery, the longer the mechanism keeps running. Don't know if you duck hunt? but spinning wing decoys have a small motor that runs two cardboard wings for up to 8 hours. Heck, the motor assembly from these things are quite, won't freeze, (I have tested mine in 5 degree weather!) and runs for hours on a cheap ol' D cell battery! I like the wind operated rigs! However, I'm lacking wind 90% of my fishable
days which bites!
AMEN TO THAT JOHN BZ!!!!! NEVER AGAIN!
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I found this thread very interesting as I too had looked at one of the so called great Genz stick combos at my local Gander Mtn. The reel was incredably cheap and just as someone said the anti reverse didn't operate properly at all. I CANNOT BELIEVE GENZ WOULD PUT HIS NAME ON SUCH CRAP. The fact that the Ice Team recommends this stuff really blows their credibility with me. Just goes to show you what greed for profits and made in China will get you.
Old Grandpa
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OLDGRANDPA, I agree with you in full! Greed is an aweful thing especially when fellow icefishermen made him into this "Rock Star" on ice. How can someone put thier "so called" good name behind suck a prodjunk? It amazes me! He had to be loaded to agree in sponsoring such Krap! GENZ products are taboo to me! Fishing product Pimp! >:(
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The thing looked like junk to me and I stayed away from it. Thanks for the heads up. Some people will put their name on anything that will bring in the bucks. Too bad but true in some cases. This is why I stay away from products with peoples names on them.
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I think you guys got it all wrong, mine jigged all day no problems. Even caught a northern with it. Oh wait it never got below 34 degrees!!!! My son spent all his allowance to get me one for Christmas so I couldn't take it back, he was so proud to get it for me. I lubed the heck out of the shaft and it is working for me now, can't wait till the weather turns cold to see if it has the same problem. I didn't fill the reel to try to prevent the bait slipping to the bottom but the draw back is that when the fish took the bait the line could not come off either so the fish was relatively close.
I need to find a way to make it work, for my son. Maybe carry a syringe with anti-freeze to inject down the shaft to keep it from freezing, with all the grease in the shaft it should be water tight.
Maybe the northern gods will pull it through the ice saving me from having to hide the truth from my son.
Nothing better than a good day spent with your kids.
Best of luck from Green Bay.
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Funny stuff GBICEMAN! ;D Your ordeal is a tough one for sure! :-\ I don't know how many of us fish in 34 degree weather? I for one see maybe ONE day a year! The rest of my outings are in and around 0 - 5 above.
I tried the lube trick.... It worked in the garage! not on the ice. :-\ The spindle tube is so poorly built, that water just seeps right through the holes even with excessive grease. I didn't care for the oil slick it left all over the hole. Something about Frabil tip-up lube and fish that didn't mix. Looked like the Exxon Valdez was moored up in the ice hole.
I guess you shouldn't have to "alter" your tip-up right out of the box IMHO.
There is one bright side to these jig-ups.... They have a warrenty on them! Once it fails on the ice, maybe you could explain what kind of junk some folks like to sell to the public, and even adults fall victem to thier exploits! (use me for an example, but please try to use the word sucker.) :D Then ask him if he'd be willing to send it back? Tell him he can pick out ANY tip up on the shelf at the local Fleet Farm, oh yeah, and one for him too dad! :D :D It's a win win! Except for your pocket book. ;) :tipup: :tipup:
Best of luck right back at ya GB!
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Let me add my 2 cents... I bought one to try out after seeing one go on eBay for $30 + dollars. Bought mine at Thorne Bros. First trip out at @ 28 degrees, the thing froze up after about 1/2 hour. Was very noisy and a complete waste of 20 bucks. Was going to try the blue grease route, but after reading the posts, I think I'll just salvage the two batteries out of it and put it with the rest of the junk! Disappointed in Dave Genz endorsing it..... couple more fiascoes like this and his rep will be zip.
jmo,
SF
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Semper Fi, Thought you missed this post! HAHAHAHA! Sorry about your bad luck. Your so right on your post. I wouldn't even pass it along to anyone for free! Do you know there's a warranty on it? Get your money back from Natures Vision. ;)
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hey brarleydog, I used my jig-up for two days and had no problems with it. I caught many fish with it using dead bait.
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i got one for x-mas it works great when it isnt frozen but first time trying it in 5 minutes i had 2 flags then it froze up then today i used it and got a pickeral i like it as long as its not below 32 degrees
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Man, that thing LOOKS like a piece of crap!
I just bought 4 Arctic Fire Frabills at Fleet Farm and tried them out over the weekend. As someone else observed, no, they're not Beaver Dams, but at about 8 bucks a tipup, they were better built than anything else in that price class. A metal spool and all metal guides and parts were the key selling point for me. Plus, they're well lubricated from the factory. The plastic frames are a little lighter than wood, and elsewhere someone reported that you can weight the end opposite the flag to keep them from 'jumping'.
I guess the point is, really inspect goods before purchasing. Mail order is scary that way. Even in-store purchases can take some scrutiny...I examined tipups for a good half hour or more before choosing the Arctic Fires.
The above mentioned things look like something from Popeil.
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Saw the genz reels and rods ,thought the same thing, went with the rapapla combo!!!!!!
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Thanks for the info, I was going to buy a few of these too..... You saved me some of my ice fishing budget for the year!
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That's why I love this site. I was thinking about getting one or two of these myself. Thought they looked a little cheesy. Now I'm glad I didn't.
Think I'll grab a Windlass and give her a try.
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Just grab an old piece of carpet to cover you hole, cut a small hole in the middle of the carpet to run your line through, and use the vinyl coated ice-free tip up line and the windlass will work great in cold weather conditions.
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Sigh I wish I had seen these posts before I bought mine :( Ive been so looking forward to the automatic jigging ( lazy by nature) is it that loud? maybe figure away to use it in the shack lol! I haven't even taken it out of the package yet ( no where to buy line yet) well looks like I wasted a 100 bucks so far this year in that tip up and the hole heaters I bought (Impulsive buyer) some day Ill learn (prob not!)
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Here's another thank you for this post! I was close to getting one of these. Our Bass Pro Shop is having their annual ice fishing weekend in a couple of weeks and I had plans of getting one of these! Looks like my $20 is going elsewhere now!
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Sigh I wish I had seen these posts before I bought mine
I try to never be the first guy with the new and improved wonder gadget. Always let it sell for a year, and check for feedback. They may as well have the president of china endorse ice fishing products, I will not trust Dave Genz's name on anything again!
I learned my lesson the hard way, I burned my cash on garbage deer rifle for $350. The Remington model 710, the answer to all of our woes! That gun was the bigest piece of garbage I have ever put my hands on! At least the price of a jig up isn't so steep. :-\
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Blarneydog,
Thanks for the warning. Good job sending it back.
Knowledge is learning from your own mistakes. Wisdom is learning from the experiences from others.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. We are wiser for it.
Someone has to be the first "real world" tester. It''s ok to test things in a nice comfortable environment like a testing lab or a store, but it's not until the rubber meets the road that the true value of something comes out. It's great to have a forum like this where there are no ulterior motives. No one is getting paid by the manufacturer or advertiser. The truth can be told. It is disappointing that people (Genz) and organizations put their name on things that don't work. A reputation is difficult to cultivate and easy to tarnish. Too bad Genz and Ice Team don't get this.
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Thanks Mackler13!
Your words a kind indeed... Your correct in your assessment, I am wiser for my mistake! ;)
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I saw the jigging tip-up in the DVD that Natures Vision has out
The spool dipping in and out of the water looked like a nice feature ;D
It looks cheap too :%$#!:
Thankyou :bow: for proving that it is the POS it looks like
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My wife bought me some ice fishing stuff from Cabelas for my birthday this coming friday. Well I couldn't wait and opened my gifts early. She got me one of these auto jigging tip ups. It does seem pretty cheaply made, but hey it was a gift and I'll use it for poops and giggles. I also got a new jig rod, thermals and one of Frabills orange disc looking tip ups. I'm used to the old fashioned 3 wooden stick tip ups. I ordered a new Polar and pimples from Cabelas last week, should be here any day now. We'll see how this auto jigging tip up works. If it's too cold to use, I have plenty of other tip ups to use.
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Speaking of endorsment names, have you guys seen that plastic pos Roland Martin is putting his name on. The bazooka fisherman or what ever it's called. Come on I mean does being a pro sportsman pay so poorly you'd have to endorse such Kmart engineered crap. And as for the jig-up, don't feel to bad I was about 2 seconds from buying it on sale for 15 bucks my self, I mean I hear good things about the windlass and it does'nt look to me to be over built if you know what I'm say'n.
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Thanks for the warning Barley your revenge is this post!
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After reading this post the other day, I saw this product at DICKS....got a chuckle out of it...seems to be a low quality product readily available, go figure :)
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As a gift, I would say! Thank you, (love & kisses)! :-* When their not looking, take it back for a refund! :-X
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BarelyDog -
One dog to another, thanks for the report. It does not surprise me. I ordered their free CD this year, and
from their on info-merical could tell that thing was trouble. I think I remembered reading your experiences
last year, but it's not surprising. Hoping you get/got your tip-up jigging problem solved. If so, update us all please.
MD
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I picked up the Dec. Infishermen today, and watched the DVD they stuck in there. When they got to the part on the jig up, and I saw that spool going in and out of the water like that, I started to laugh and blew soda pop out my nose. I'll stick with my Beaver Dams thank you. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out whats going to freeze and not turn. They must of done their testing in July, off a dock or something.
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Thanks Gents! ;D
Yeah it's funny now! Last year was a different story... C. I'm glad that my mistake will help others in their decisions.
Mainedog, I did send it back to Cabela's and they refunded me my $$. I did write them a little letter of concern stating my dismay, (without losing my bearing.) Well my letter wasn't answered, (I assume it's due to Cabela's being swamped/overwhelmed with GENZ JIG UP returns eh!) Oh well!
Buschlite,
Amen to Beaver Dams! Infishermen is pimping this monster out now? Your right about testing it from a dock in the summer. Problem starts with us folks in Alaska who rarely fish in 32+ degree weather? :D If you want something tested for WINTER use, send it up here! 8)
Good Fishing All!
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that is why i go with all wood tip ups like the high flyers i use they are always well constructed and have never failed me or at least when i respool them the right way lol and they are more visible when the flag goes
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i hate nature vision products. i got a 400$ aqua VU what a waste. that thing looked so cheap, and the aquaviews don't last as long as a vex would. they r a piece of crap. david genz is just greedy. he puts his name on everything he can that is ice fishing related as long as they give him some $$$. i hate nature vision. there products suck and r cheep. has anyone seen there folding chair in a shanty it looked like it would of blown away if no one was sitting in it. i am never going to by any nature vision products because of the poor quality. i prefer marcum's anyways.
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i too got suckered in by this crappy product. i think i will take it for a ride to my local rifle range. :tipup:
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yep me too, I read this last year, and even after that I tried one because it was very cheap (blow out sale, now I know why)........I almost left the piece of junk on the ice....crap...not worth $5
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I bought one for a gimic to bring along on an annual ice fishing trip I take with 6 buddies - 10 days of nothing but ice fishing. I put the thing in the water in spite of the harassment I knew I was going to take and believe it or not I caught a 26" pike on it. After that one fish I haven't been able to get it to work again - so it went in our box of "I told you so" crap.
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I know the feeling def a POS but worked good in the former ice shack but noisy (see post ) http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=55442.0 (http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=55442.0)