favorite tipup

[flagguy83]

fish bros. Made in tustin michigan.

[aaron21x2]

I have loved my Polars for 10 years, and until recently had no problems. In the real cold, one now fails to turn freely resulting in lost fish, but these 5 traps have seen maybe 50 to 60 outings.  Jack traps from LL Bean are very fine but hard to reset quickly with cold hands and are 30 bucks a pop.  Lakers are what I was switching to one at a time but have had trouble with losing the nut on the reel, causing the drag nut to spin down tight when a fish runs stopping the spool dead (I have the metal spools). I still plan to change to Heritage Lakers because they hold enough line for togue and are visible in deep snow and are easy to set.  The extensions have helped in deep snow with my Polars, but I had to cut some sticks to stand beside them or I don't know where to look for my traps from a distance, and I want them visible to snowmobiles. Blowing snow buries them, too.

As with any other mechanical item your tip ups require maintenance!!!! The polars are very easy to maintain. I take my shaft/spindle assemblys apart every year and and remove the old lubricant, dirt,water or whatever else has accumulated inside. Frabill tipup grease and bluelube are readily available lowtemp grease designed for tip ups. The springs on top of your tip ups are also adjustable for spindle tension. I keep mine adjusted so a bb size splitshot will take line off the spool at 20 degrees. I don't care for the beaver dams because to dissassemble you have to melt the solder off the bottom of the spool and resolder to keep them running smooth. Now for your visibility problems, get some 5 gallon pails and paint them black. Cut a hole in the bottom of the pail the spool of your tipup will fit thru. Place the upside down bucket  over your hole with the tip up on top and fish away. On sunny days down to about 15 degrees the bucket absorbs enough heat to keep the hole from freezing. On overcast days you can use a hole cover or light a small candle and place inside the bucket provided the wind isn't ripping. hope this helps you out.

[Neversink Jimmy]

Here's my setup for the 2009-2010 season:

(3) Heritage Laker's for the deeper water and holes farthest from where I am sitting (so I can see 'em easy)

(2) South Bend "Beaver Dam" style tip-ups for the shallower water closer to where I am sitting

In my mind it's the best of both worlds.  My new HL's are awesome, but I just can't completely part with the beaver dam style.  I call 'em "pinwheelers" because there is nothing more fun to me that seeing that little shaft spinning wildly as a pike takes off with my bait.  Even from a distance, the speed of that little pinwheel spinning on the top of the trap helps me decide if I should take my time and finish my beer, or if I should get off my arse and run like hell towards the flag!

[topher7694]

I started out with a Frabill Arctic Fire and a Berkley in the same style.  Worked great the first year, then the second year I upgraded to a set of 40 ups.  They worked great until they were mishandled by a friend of mine one outing and the studs that hold the spools on all got bent..no biggie..So this year I have a set of Lakers...started using them the last 2 times out last season to attempt to break the "new tip up curse"..I really like the quality that these tip ups possess...

[YO1157]

Heritage Lakers