Why is tipup line such a high pound test?

[IceRaider]

This is a newbie question. I was thinking of buying my first tipup. I've never used them before. I noticed the lb. test line for them is very high. Why is that?

[iceman8132]

 Depending on how you fish you can't exactly sit there and watch a tip-up like hawk and sometimes you get a little complacent and forget to check for extended periods so a fish could be on there for a half hour or more taking out line and if its a big fish you could potentially loose it all and still not have to worry about it breaking (hopefully). Another reason is thinner line such as a mono would be pretty hard to pack tight and keep from getting tangled etc. Also after you take a tip-up out of the water and move to another spot the line will freeze which is a pain but not too bad since its thicker and you can pull on it and not have to worry about slicing open your hands. Over all it's just easier to use.

[Whopper Stopper]

Heavier line is easier on the hands when pulling a heavy fish in. Also the ice can raise havoc on light line as you fight a fish. There are other reasons people prefer heavier line. I will let them chime in.

               WS

[river_scum]

mainly because it needs to be strong.  there is no give in hand lining like there is with a rod. the other reasons given are also all true.

[popnfish]

You're also gonna add a leader of the pound test of your choosing, it's not all braid.

[TMBWarriors]

Tree stumps,rocks,zebra mussels,pack ice and probably the best reason for the HD line.   BIG FISH

[Ice Shark]

I typically fish for perch but my tipups have 50lb test Dacron line on them. You know for that 50# perch I'm hunting for. ;-)  It is just easier to handle when fighting a fish and when its piled on the ice, it won't tangle as easy as the thin stuff.  Just finish up the end with whatever leader material fits your fishing. Going for perch, I use 6# fc w a double treble rig.

[fishermantim]

Plus it can take the abrasion against the ice at the hole's edge better than mono.

Easy to handle, freezes "well" and is still manageable, gives you more power to fight the bigger fish.

Thinner braid just invites problems that you don't want to be dealing with when you have a trophy fish on the end of the line!

[esox_xtm]

My opinion, the higher # test is simply for handling purposes. I fish almost exclusively for pike and catch a good share of incidental muskies. For me 36# Dacron is a good balance between handling properties and getting enough line on one of the small Polar spools.

I've caught fish in open water that weigh over 3x the pound test of the line. Just gotta know what you're doing. No different on hard water. Your fingers are the finest drag on the planet and as long as you've got line left on the spool you should never "break one off" or straighten a hook. Pike and muskies can cut through plastic leaders but that is a different problem.....

You can adjust your final presentation for different species by tailoring your leader.

/m