IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Tipups => Topic started by: burtmcgurt on Nov 14, 2020, 03:31 AM
-
Hey All -
For game fish I tend to fish for a 3 to 6 ft leader with a heavy spro swivel connecting to the backing braid.
Do you guys add split shot between your leader and bait?
-
With live bait I'd say usually. Not needed for an artificial bait. Didn't indicate rod/reel or tipup. Sorta matters but you should get the drift...
-
For tipups(this is the tipup section) no I do not.
I put on a small say 1/8oz egg sinker above the swivel that my leader attaches to.
Works well for me.
-
For tipups(this is the tipup section) no I do not.
I put on a small say 1/8oz egg sinker above the swivel that my leader attaches to.
Works well for me.
I usually do about 18” above the bait, but wasn’t sure what other people do, I was just reading InFishermans “Ice Fishing Secrets” and it got me thinking and wondering what others are doing
-
For water less than 30' deep, I do not, the longer it takes for a struggling bait fish to make it near the bottom the more territory it covers..
-
Silly me, never thought to look at what forum this was. In that case it's almost always. Sure, you can let bait swim willy nilly but sometimes, many time some restriction is better. We talked about this a couple weeks ago. Check out the discussion: https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=378645.msg4098986#msg4098986 (https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=378645.msg4098986#msg4098986)
-
Thanks for the link and your thoughts - makes a lot of sense to think of it in terms of presentation and I haven’t spent enough time playing with placement much closer than 18-36” away.
-
No doubt there are times when an exact, specific location needs to be nailed down, but, most fish in winter roam far more than they do in the summer, and NOTHING rings the dinner bell quicker than a bait struggling and lost.. its just like vertical trolling.. bait on a sinker tends to tire quickly and sit in one place, movement is a key element... how many times have you gotten a flag right after "waking up" your baits... I'm just adding to the conversation and food for thought... most people are set in one way of fishing and dont think beyond what everyone else does.. I am not one of those fisherman.
-
I use big bait and fish from 5' to about 25' of water most of the time. Never use weight. Even big fish get tired quickly and end up straight down.
-
I can't use live bait here.
So I find adding a little weight helps send down frozen baits if I didn't get it thawed.
Otherwise it takes a bit to thaw and descend to where I want it and I hate waiting for bait to thaw.
It also help restrict the movement if your using live baits. Keeps big baits from tripping your tip-ups and makes them a bit easier for those predator fish to get ahold of.
But as I stated I just put a 1/8 oz egg sinker on my braid above the swivel that my leader attaches to.
-
No doubt there are times when an exact, specific location needs to be nailed down, but, most fish in winter roam far more than they do in the summer, and NOTHING rings the dinner bell quicker than a bait struggling and lost.. its just like vertical trolling.. bait on a sinker tends to tire quickly and sit in one place, movement is a key element... how many times have you gotten a flag right after "waking up" your baits... I'm just adding to the conversation and food for thought... most people are set in one way of fishing and dont think beyond what everyone else does.. I am not one of those fisherman.
Kinda my way of thinking. Going into this season gonna switch up a little bit. Any tip up in 10' FOW or less...no weight. 10 -20'... 1/8 oz. 20'+...1/4 oz. ( In the past it's been 1/2 oz. on all ). Idea is enough weight to get the minnow down there, but not to hinder it's movement. They'll tire a bit anyway...trying to pull away on a line with a hook in it's back. Look at when you first stick one in the water...lively as hell...swimming all over the place. But after an hour or more down in the deep...you pull it up to check it. It's still alive. But usually not with the same vigor when you first put it in. Anyway...that's my theory. Wrong as it might be. ;)
-
I usually place a slitshot 12"-18 above the hook. The size of slitshot depends on the size of minnow.
-
And I'm not a set it and forget it guy. My belief is you should be out shakin' your sets every 45 minutes to an hour. But you're right, lots of times I get bit shortly after that. I've also watched on camera pike observe a minnow swimming widely, and that IS very attractive, but never willing to chase it (lack of a trigger). Sometimes they prefer to eat something totally still and dead nearby. Thus I always have a range bait set effects and try to dial in a pattern of activity. Thing is that can change throughout the day. If I've been out tending enough times with no action it also gets easier to move one at a time to fresh water. A new option for me is to use two tipups and jig a number of holes in the area with a rattlebait or flashy spoon.
I'm not completely disagreeing with you Roccus. In fact, your weightless bait makes me think of the old man's favorite "tough times" presentation: two big fat nightcrawlers hooked through their noses with zero weight. Throw 'em out and let 'em settle... On the flip side if deads are in play for pike I've always got at least one bobbing on a wind tipup. Sometimes those are the only ones that pop.
Just sayin' that one way all the time may not be the most effective. There is a time and place for everything, the challenge is figuring out the what and the when.
-
And I'm not a set it and forget it guy. My belief is you should be out shakin' your sets every 45 minutes to an hour. But you're right, lots of times I get bit shortly after that. I've also watched on camera pike observe a minnow swimming widely, and that IS very attractive, but never willing to chase it (lack of a trigger). Sometimes they prefer to eat something totally still and dead nearby. Thus I always have a range bait set effects and try to dial in a pattern of activity. Thing is that can change throughout the day. If I've been out tending enough times with no action it also gets easier to move one at a time to fresh water. A new option for me is to use two tipups and jig a number of holes in the area with a rattlebait or flashy spoon.
I'm not completely disagreeing with you Roccus. In fact, your weightless bait makes me think of the old man's favorite "tough times" presentation: two big fat nightcrawlers hooked through their noses with zero weight. Throw 'em out and let 'em settle... On the flip side if deads are in play for pike I've always got at least one bobbing on a wind tipup. Sometimes those are the only ones that pop.
Just sayin' that one way all the time may not be the most effective. There is a time and place for everything, the challenge is figuring out the what and the when.
You are right my friend.. it's why we share info here..
-
I add enough weight to keep the bait under control. you don't want them free swimming. I use big split shots mostly. sometimes ill use as much as a 3/8oz egg sinker though. that's on days they are kinda neutral and not willing to chase. you can clip the tails of lively baits too for same affect.
I also add a shiny blade between the sinkers to flash and clang around.(almost all the time) very murky waters ill even add a rattle and chunk of sponge with yum scent on it to the line also. the murkier the water the more attractants can help you. imo