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You can use tip ups for crappies, but it will slow you down. When the bite is on you want to keep the line in the water as much as possible. Only a rod and reel can do this. If you want to see if you can do it with a tip up, go for it.
I have also seen days when they hit better on tip ups. My favorite crappie spot is a 100% tip up spot. Jiggers dont catch have the number or the size. It all depends on the body of water and that day.
I fish for crappies at night. I don't think a tip up would be a good choice for that kind of crappie fishing. Most will say that the crappies caught on tip ups where by chance, and not the target fish they were aiming for.If the tip up does better than jigging, a tip down would be preferred.
Does anyone ever use tip ups for crappie? If so, waht do you use for bait? Fatheads?
I use tip ups at night all in a tight grouping 2 inside my flip over which I jig between and 3 right outside the door . I have 2 minnows under each tip up. On some nights they only like the jig but when they are really hungry I'll have multiple flags going off in short blitzes.
In NY we can have 5 tip up/downs and 3 handlines.
x2 although three hand lines is hard to do