Tipup Lighting for night fishing

[Scott Freeman]

The best light is no light. I hate buying batteries! Get some white mailbox reflector tape stick it on your flag and wrap it around your flag pole. I cut a narrow strip about 3/4" wide 3" long and place it horizontally on the flag. shined with a mag light you can see this for 100+ yards.  

[j.cilley]

I fish NH near the canadan border,this is the only way I have found to keep track and sight of my traps after dark.batteries do not last!  this does  

[Jadek]

I fish Lake Scugog in Port Perry Ontario. This was my wife's idea and it works great. She also loves to go ice fishing. We take a medium glass jar and drill holes in the top of the lid. Inside we put a candle and place it near the tipup. It works great. We also use orange reflector tape on the tipup for added visibility.  

[Jon Rasmussen]

Here's an even easier way to detect a flag with reflective tape, use two pieces spaced 6-8" apart on the flag so that when the flag is down you'll see the tapes side by side, and they will be vertical when the flag is tripped. This allows you to see a strike from farther away at night, giveing you more options on covering a piece of structure thouroughly.

[Jordan]

This works quiet well. I am only 14 years old but my dad said i had a good idea for this. I had him drive me to Wal-Mart to the sporting goods. There is a cheep little coleman lantern for $5 run on batteries. I bought 3 of them for myself when we go ice fishing at night. I simply place it next to the tip-up and weight. It works well when your going around cleaning out yours holes to. It gives off good light. From Shawano Wisconsin  

[John-]

I picked this up from a guy in Pembine, WI. I use the 10" Frabil tip ups. I make a simple electric circiut using a wire coat hanger, 9-volt battery and an old Xmas light stringer. It requires some drilling but is not difficult. I bent a piece of the coat hanger into a "V". At the ends of the hanger I bent it about a 1/2 inch away from the opening of the V and secured into the top of the Frabil. I wired the battery in the little compartment and connected 1 end to the coat hanger and 1 end to the metal part of the tip up stick. The xmas tree bulb was placed in the flag which was cut out a little bit. Once the tip up flag pole hits the hanger it completes the circuit. It took me about 2 to 3 hours and a few beers to perfect the system on 6 Frabils. I used 9-volt connectors from radio shack. The materials are cheap and the bulbs can be seen across the lakes at night. I'm going fishing in the morning and I'll post some pictures when I come back on Monday or so.  

[Mike-]

My brother used to do flyins ice fishing to Canada...his idea (which I thought was great and have used at night since) take a good old coffee can and fill it with charcoal and let 'er rip. set it up wind of the hole. It will shed enough light to see the flag and also keep your hole from freezing up!  

[The Huner]

Simple circuit with christmas light,9v battery,battery holder any mercury switch. very light and compact. get it all at radio shack. merc switches are being phased out because of hazard but now the switch uses a tiny ball bearing to make contact.wire it all up in series. GO PEMBINE  

[jeff]

I use a system like john only i used the ground wire from 14-2 (bare copper wire, won't rust).  I made a loop with the copper wire by drilling a hole in the tip-up base, one on each side of the flag spring.  The wire copper wire is bent so that when the flag goes up it will rest tightly against it.  I use a 12-volt battery like the one from my vexlar and an old car head light, sealed beam.  I wire one of the battery terminals to the headlight and the other to the copper wire on the tip-up.  I attach another wire to the flag wire and that goes to the headlight.  I use alligator clips to make it easy to assemble.  When the flag goes up it completes the circuit and the headlight comes on.

The nice thing is the light is only on when you get a strike so it uses very little battery power.  The battery is also rechargeable.  Also you sure know when you get a strike, it lights up the whole lake.  The bonus is that you have lots of light to land the fish and get it off the hook.  I prop the headlight in the snow so it aims at the shack. 8)

[Bob_D]

I tie 1" cow bells to my flags and add reflector tape to them. When you hear the "ding a ling" check your tipup with a flashlight.

[slug]

what i use on my tip ups is reflective tape.  I put that on the pole and the flag and you can see that more than 150-200 yards easily, but the name brand i use 3m reflective tape because it sticks alot better in the cold.

[Fishinut]

thanks for the tip. i put reflective tape on all mine.

[DeadStick]

I saw a product that has a light on the top of the tip up and when you get a hit the top of the tipup pops up and the light goes on..?..anyone tried these..?

[holeinhide]

it is the frabill lite bite tip up it works ok but you gotta be carefull with them they are all plastic and if you drop one on the ice it will brake. i had 3 now i have 2 but the lite does work well

[catchnmall]

I have tried the pager system from strike master and those things eat batteries like crazy.  My buudy bought some of these lights and they really work well...

www.icefishinglighthou se.com

[BlackIce]

I've always believed light spooks the walleyes so when I go up to the tipup I usually just use a flashlight instead of the lantern.  My RiteLites have done okay for me, except when I dropped one in the hole last week.

[JT]

I guess I like to keep in simple and compact with the HT enterprises clip on lights with the 3 volt lithiums . Put them on when you need them take them off
when you don't .Really liked the coffee can and charcoal deal,going to try that some night. Try spraying flags black for contrast,can see them alot better against the snow. Lightweight Aurora lithium 3 yr battery headlamp,they rock!
Just don't like shining flashlights around all the time.

[trapdaddy21]

the icefishinglighthouse lights are the cat's a$$. i have no complaints with mine, they work great. i just bought two more yesterday at gander mountain in eau claire for less than ten bucks. i've messed around with all the other methods mentioned, but these are the best!

[IceholeFisherman]

it is the frabill lite bite tip up it works ok but you gotta be carefull with them they are all plastic and if you drop one on the ice it will brake. i had 3 now i have 2 but the lite does work well

Try taking the working parts off the broken one and make one out of wood.
Use one off the goods ones for a pattern.

[Ice Dog 67]

For my money the HT tip-up lights are the best.  I'm on the same set of batteries 3 years running now.  Just checked them out getting ready for the season and not a dim bulb in the bunch.

[fishinnut]

Does anyone use the glow sticks. Attach to flag arm, slide small piece of pvc over glow stick. When flag trips, pvc slides down, exposing glow stick.

[bigfish57]

Hey I like that tip!

[HYDRASPORT73]

I saw these lights at walmart that go on your valve stems . I bought a set to try them out and must say , they work alsome . They stay of until the flag is tripped and come on and blink while the flag moves . I use them mostly on my Windlas tip ups but am sure they will work on any . You can unsrew them and take the batteries out while tranporting them .

[reelcharacter]

I saw these lights at walmart that go on your valve stems . I bought a set to try them out and must say , they work alsome . They stay of until the flag is tripped and come on and blink while the flag moves . I use them mostly on my Windlas tip ups but am sure they will work on any . You can unsrew them and take the batteries out while tranporting them .

Now that sounds like an interesting idea!!! What do the Wallyworld valve stem lights run (or, perhaps I should better say, cost)

Thanks,
-Reelcharacter

[CrappieGuy]

I tried the valve stem thing and they are a pain in the a$$.  The price is right 2 for under $5.00, I bought 2 of them and 2 valve stem extenders to screw them onto.  I then used a tiewrap to attach them to the flag rod.  What they have inside is a very small spring and I mean small, that vibrates when it's moved.  The vibration causes the spring to touch a small 3 side piece of metal that surrounds the spring, that contact causes it to light up.  It would work great if your flag moves enough to get the spring to touch the metal, I had to take them apart and use a magnifying glass to bend the metal closer to the spring, leaving the distance of about 2 hairs between them.  They seem to work most of the time once you do that.  They make for a cheap light but I don't think they are that dependable.

[Mad_Ital]

For fishing trout, ill keep the lantern right next to the hole. Works well on ice. Even better in the summer.

[Gamalot]

OK, so who here has the posting of pics down to a science?
I made some great tips with lights but can't get them on with this BS dial up connection.
Would love to find someone to post them for us. I am able to send slow photos to others but get dumped when I go to photo bucket.
Night fishing is great when you have the stuff set up right so you can see a flag.
Anyone have the posting down please give me an email to send pics too.
Thanks. Gary (Gamalot)

[reelcharacter]

OK, so who here has the posting of pics down to a science?
I made some great tips with lights but can't get them on with this BS dial up connection.
Would love to find someone to post them for us. I am able to send slow photos to others but get dumped when I go to photo bucket.
Night fishing is great when you have the stuff set up right so you can see a flag.
Anyone have the posting down please give me an email to send pics too.
Thanks. Gary (Gamalot)

Gary,

Sent you an email message as well. If you want to email the photos to me I will get them posted for you. I just set up a Photobucket account a few days ago and have a few things posted.

-Reelcharacter

[Gamalot]

Done and Thank you very much. I love this thread and enjoy the inventiveness but here in the woods I am back in the 18th century with the internet.
Again, Thanks.
Gary

[reelcharacter]

Here are Gamalots two pictures for the Tip Up lights he rigged up. Look Great! If he's "game" perhaps he will add the details on cost and sources for these parts to this topic. How about it Gamalot, how about a walk-through Again, Great Job!!!

-Reelcharacter

Overall view of tip ups with light:


Closeup view of the light parts and assembly: