What is the Best Tip-up, and Why

[Toppertipupman]

Yes mr.clean that's one thing i did keep reading as an advantage over the other types. Here's a few pics i got.I think i'm off on the size of it diameter wise, also I'll have to get the length of the flag on it. Hopefully the pics show up.I know the one with the lettering/instructions is of poor quality but i think you guys can get the basic picture from the others.What do the round style tip ups generally go for now adays?...I havn't been ice fishing in years so am clueless. I was looking for some on ebay but didn't find any of the round style to compare to. Whatcha guys think?

-Steve

[mr.clean]

A different design from any round tip up I have seen ,a little puzzled as to the purpose of the T shaped piece sticking up in the second photo.(Also photo with instructions)
  As for current prices here are two website for you to check.

 Frabill   www.frabill.com

 HT Enterprises  www.icefish.com

Steve

I just checked Frabill's website prices range from $20.00 to $30.00 depnding on model and features plus shipping and any taxes.

[Gamalot]

That is an interesting design I would want to see up close and personal before assessing it's strengths/weaknesses.

From what I can see here I would consider it a small pond, small fish tip up.

Here is a link to the HT Polartherm extreme ones I like best. http://www.fishusa.com/HT-Enterprises-Polar-Therm-Extreme-Tip-Up_p.html

I bought an extra 5 of these this past fall at Gander and they came as a complete kit with hooks, line, sounder, night light and mouth spreader for $14.95 each which I found to be a real deal.

I highly doubt any one will get rich by making/selling tip ups. The Jack Traps I showed earlier in this thread are about as high quality as I have ever seen and they go for about $30-$35 each and every one is hand made and labor intense.

Your pics seem to show 2 versions, one with an added flag and one without. Most of the disc types have been designed to fit 5 in a 5 gallon bucket for easy transport and storage and this also allows them to cover a 10 inch drilled hole but JUST BARELY!

Gary

[Toppertipupman]

probably right on the getting rich part from selling them...but then again if you have thousands of them and sell them fairly cheap or at least cheaper than any other tip ups on the market, i'm sure it would be a nice chunk of cash.Also i'm pretty sure they are a small fish tip up. They are stack-able too but they are only one design and that's with the flag. The pics are of one not complete. I believe they were designed/packaged to sell as a kit with directions and instructions for use.

When i personally have them in my possession i will be sure to get better details and pictures. Maybe even become a militia member and offer a few if anybody would be interested. I know one thing is for sure though, i go on the ice every season drag racing my quad and have been wanting to do some ice fishing again...this will be some motivation to get back into it for sure. I'm looking forward to it. Thanks again for the responses and links everyone's posted for the help.

-Steve

[Tipup Marathon]

Frabil Pro Thermals.  End this thread now.

[Relheok]

6 posts in and your already making demands.....

[Gamalot]

Frabil Pro Thermals.  End this thread now.

Middle of June, dripping with sweat and sitting here at IS talking tip ups!

Apparently the traffic here has been too busy as of late.

I have buddies who find the rod, reel or lure they like and because they own it there is no need for further discussion. They won't even look at other terminal tackle in their tunnel vision.

Nice of you to chime in here Tipup Marathon. We get the message that you think the best tip up is the Frabil Pro Thermal and no more needs to be said but the thread asks "What is the Best Tip-up, AND WHY". Before the thread Gods grant your demands and close this thread would you care to elaborate on your winner and give some details as to the strengths and weaknesses of you pick for the Gold Ribbon.

Some of us here have actually seen, held, owned and fished with many of the ones be kicked around here and I won't be throwing any of my tip ups in the trash to go get the Frabils. What exactly makes them any better than the others?

Gary

[TIBS]

The best tip-up - Arctic Fisherman's "Beaver Dam Tip-up"

Why - Handmade and high quality in my hometown of Beaver Dam, WI

I believe in supporting local buisness, I won't buy chinese made crap unless it's my only option.
I realize BD's cost a lot more than the HT or Frabill board style tip-ups, but this is definitely a case of you get what you pay for. 

The only drawback to BD's is deep snow, it's hard to see the flag, but more often than not in recent years deep snow isn't much of a problem around here.

Someday I may try Heritage Traps, or Jack Traps (made in Maine, I think, check me on that) so that I have a deep snow option.

[Gamalot]

I will agree Tibs that BDs are a high quality trap.

When ever we try to assign the label "Best" to something we end up in useless wars because it is purely opinionated and based on each of our particular needs.

I have 4 sets of tip ups and each set is IMO the best ones for the job depending upon where I am fishing, what I am fishing for and what conditions I will be fishing in. Fortunately I am not in such a position where I can have just one set to meet all requirements of all the fishing I do. If this were the case then I would surely pick my Jack Traps because they are the highest quality tip ups, by far, in my box and again, IMO they would beat out my Heritage Lakers, HT's and Frabils and can be used in every condition and for every fish I target.

I liked the set of Beaver Dams I sold a while back but I hated that short flag that became near impossible to see in many conditions.

I am pretty sure if a fisherman had the best of each of these tip ups on a table in front of him and all priced the exact same, most would buy the Jack Traps if they would fit his fishing conditions. I have never seen a higher quality tip up yet! Solid oak that is highly varnished and stainless steel trip tube that is attached with SS screws and removable for maintenance and heavy aluminum reels that hold plenty of line for deep water fishing. The trip mechanism is well designed and adjustable for various size baits and there is never a wind flag. Even these are not the thread ender though.

Gary   

[james]

The tip up I use is based on what I'm fishing for: for trout I swear by Fish Brother tip ups. I can see what the fish is doing by watching the spool which is outside the hole. They pack nice and for me they just work! With Rainbows it doesn't matter they just run after picking up the bait anyway. For pike, picks and bass its Jack Traps.

how well do the fish brothers tip up stay over the hole ? they look like it wouldnt take much wind to blow them around.

I do like the design for fishing for rainbows, no reel in the water to spook them, and theres nothing for the bait to swim around and make a mess out of your leader.

Looks like i may have to try a set.

[Tipup Marathon]

Guys, you misunderstood what I said.  I never meant that I wanted this thread closed, and I didn't see the And Why part.  I like Pro-Thermals because they're relatively cheap, they store in multitudes very easily and can be seen from very far away and they have never let me down.

And Relheok, you only have some 40-odd posts, I don't count that as a lot either so quit thinking that your all big and important, I'm not and you aren't either.

[Gamalot]

Some of us here are more impotent than we are important! 

How high up off the surface of the ice are the flags on the frabils when they are up? I sometimes clear about a 3 foot circle around my holes if there is deep snow. If the resulting snow bank is say a foot then I would want my flag to be at least 24 inches high. The only disc type I have found that measure up in this regard are the HT Polar Therm Extremes with the retractable car antenna type flags. Like these.



Off topic but, I had a good day on Friday at my local stream. 5 nice trout 14, 17, 18 and 21 inches but the big one was a thrill. Tiger Trout Hybrid, cross between a female brown and a male brook trout. Awesome fish for sure on 2 pound test ultralight tackle in a swift running stream. First one I ever caught.

[Tipup Marathon]

The tip of the flag is up at around a foot from the tip up.  The flag is very, very bright.  For some reason our lakes never build up enough snow to block your view.  And another plus is that the frame is bright too so they don't get run over as easily by snowmobilers or whoever.  Believe me, I almost rolled mine going 60 mph trying to avoid one after some idiot planted it right in the middle of the ice road.

[Gamalot]

If you look close you can see the flag I show still has two sections to get it up higher, 24 inches, and in the storage position they are 9 inches and fit right into a 5 gallon pail. Plenty of times all I can ever see is the flag and only when it is up. No machines on the ice where I fish but almost always 6-12 inches of snow.

Gary

[Waterwolf Doug]

Some of us here are more impotent than we are important! 

How high up off the surface of the ice are the flags on the frabils when they are up? I sometimes clear about a 3 foot circle around my holes if there is deep snow. If the resulting snow bank is say a foot then I would want my flag to be at least 24 inches high. The only disc type I have found that measure up in this regard are the HT Polar Therm Extremes with the retractable car antenna type flags. Like these.

(Image removed from quote.)

Off topic but, I had a good day on Friday at my local stream. 5 nice trout 14, 17, 18 and 21 inches but the big one was a thrill. Tiger Trout Hybrid, cross between a female brown and a male brook trout. Awesome fish for sure on 2 pound test ultralight tackle in a swift running stream. First one I ever caught.

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

Good job on the trout, Those are some nice lookin fish.

I like the beaver dam's, Ive had them for over 20 years now and they never have let me down. Im finaly going to send them in and get them relubed for the first time. I do like the higher flag though, It probably would not be to hard to modify it.   

[Gamalot]

I agree Doug. If I still had my BDs I would have gone to the radio shack and figured a way to mount retractable antenna masts onto them.

I do know HT does sell replacement masts but I think I could get them cheaper at the Shack. Keep in mind, being antennas they are a bit fragile if you handle them rough but mine have been fine for 5 years now. I am not sure if they would work on the Frabil's but that is one of a few drawbacks I have with most of the disc or folding type traps, Short flags and very hard to see especially if you have snow. The others are small spools usually and that most of the brim able discs that fit in a bucket are a very close fit for a 10.25" auger hole if that's what you drill.

Gary 

[mr.clean]

Wow! June and we have a discussion on tip ups model/style pros and cons. I own three different types ,board style like the Beaver Damns , traditional three sticks that cross over ice hole (Jack Trap design) and a modification of the three stick with two of the sticks being horizontal and one vertical to the ice when set up (looks like a cross) the sticks are connected by metal plate at each end and the tip up folds flat for storage/transport. I'm sorry should have said four styles also have a few thermals similar in style to the one in Gamalot's photo.
  Just my opinion Beaver Damns have two draw backs small line capacity spools and need to send back to Manufacturer for re-lubing since there is a soldered connection on them. The three stick styles i own have high flags when tripped but are also prone to false /wind set flags. I modified a couple of my board style with a telescopic flags only problem is this defeats the trip lever design. Most board style trip levers have four setting of various resistance . A tapered end for least resistance, smooth surface and two notches the diameter of my telescopic flag shafts will not fit into either notch.
  What and when we each choose to use various styles will depend on many conditions and I feel it is a matter of personal preference since every style has its strengths and weaknesses.
 Steve

[Gamalot]

That's right Mr. Clean, the best tip ups out there are the ones you feel most comfortable with.

One of my fishing buddies is the one I began ice fishing with back in the early 1960s and he still uses the very same tip ups his father gave him back then. He likes all of mine but has no desire to change his own and he catches just as many fish as I do.

I am a gadget guy and like good quality gear and I am also an insufferable tinkerer who has to make every thing a little better to suit my needs. My wife thinks it is hilarious that I always find the best widget available and then get it home and start fixing it. OH WELL!

Gary 

[pooley]

this is why i started this thread! summer is a great time to discuss it too. please post pictures of any modifications you have made! that's another reason i started it! i tinker too!

[Gamalot]

Go back 0ne page in this thread to see the upgrades I made to my Jack Traps.

All I have done to my HT Polar Therm Extremes is to electrify the flags for night fishing.

My Heritage Lakers drove me crazy until I repaired them. The have a pressed in reel shaft and a tension drag from the factory but when the wood swells from being wet the drag tightens up so a fish can't pull line out. Many guys have said the reels can actually fall right off if the pressed in shaft loosens up enough. I repaired them similar to what I did on my Jacks by changing the shafts to SS threaded rod and nutting them on both sides of the wood. Now the wood can swell all it wants and my shafts and drag remain exactly where I set them.

The perfect tip up has not been made yet but I am pretty comfortable with all of mine after tinkering with them a little. I still feel I need at least 3 sets of good tip ups to meet the requirements of the fishing I am doing on a particular day. I don't use my discs when I am fishing deep for lake trout and need a couple hundred feet of line. I can use either the Heritage Lakers or the Jacks for deep water but I have different leaders and hooks on each of these sets to accommodate the bait and fish I am after. No need to change my rigging when I change the fish I am after or the size of my bait. I just bring the set that is right. Some days I bring a couple of each because I might be fishing where I can target trout in the shallows while I target Lakers in the deep or Pike and Pickerel that need heavier leaders. Those are the days when the shallow disc tip up with 6 pound mono leaders set 8 feet down for Browns or Bows will be hit by the 10 pound Pike that bites me off! It is good if the fish wins every now and then, makes it a fair contest.

Gary

[Relheok]

Great fish. I have tip ups that were made in Maine, but a small shop type deal. FishRiverTackle.com I agree with the statement of supporting American made products. Almost impossible to find anything American made anymore, it sucks. I am looking for two more tip ups this year, been thinking about getting Jack Traps but they are pricey as hell.

[jigginfool55]

I've found that if u take any of the large wooden traps and take the spool off, go to the hardware store and buy bolts that fit the spools only about a 1/2 to 3/4 inch longer put a washer against the wood of the trap, then the spool ,then a washer, then a small spring ,then another washer,and lastly a wing nut to fit the screw you can put the right amount of tension on the spool for the kind of fishing u want to do! that way you can use ur favorite traps and have them completely versitile .as far as all of you that want lights at nite thats easy too. put ur flag all the up solder a wire to the bottomof the flag metal at radio shack u buy a battery holder for the size batt.u want to use aa,c d so forth and the kind of light bulb u want to use.run the wire from the flag to the batt. holder run a wire from the other side of the batt. holder up to the top of the trap, heres the tricky part ,take a metal coat hanger roll one end to fit the light bulb snuggly and make sure that the paint is scraped off the inside of the loop that holds the bulb,bend the loop so it points up measure the rest of the coat hanger to as high as u want it,cut it off about 1/2 inch longer ,drill a small hole into the top of ur trap and insert the coat hanger piece, solder the wire from the batt holder to the bottom of the light bulb,then bend a small "u" bend into the lower end of the wire that holds the bulb so it hits the wire of the trap flag making sure the paint or any lacquer is scraped off the flag wire and coat hanger. when the flag goes up  the flag spring hits the coat hanger completes the electric circuit and the light comes on!!! u can also get buzzers at the shack that u can hook in paralell so when the flag goes up the light and buzzer goes off at the same time!!  jibbinfool55

[surflizard]

I found some Frabil Arctic Fire tip ups stashed in the back of my local tackle shop. I guess because of the florescent
base frames, nobody was interested in them ? I checked them out, the frames are thicker and longer than the Polars, the spools are coated metal and the spool posts are heavier, the pivot bolt locking thumb screws don't need pliers to be loosened or tightened, the flag trip mechanism has more adjustment for lighter or heavier settings and the flag arms have stronger springs and The best parts for me are that the spools have holes in the outside edges that the flag stick into to lock the spools from unraveling and they give me a place to secure the hook while protecting the hook points and my personal favorite, No body wanted
them ,so I bought all 4 for $12 bucks apiece !   So far I've used them with no problems and great success for Panfish, Rainbows and Lake Trout ! I've owned most of all the popular brands over the years and these Frabil Arctic fire tip ups are the most user friendly, rugged and dependable traps I've found yet !

[CTPikeFerret]

When im home in CT i use Artic Fires mostly pike fishing. When i go up north 2 NH or ME i use my jack traps. This is based on weather up north i need a more visable tip up when it starts snowin and blowin. Just my 2 cents

[Gamalot]

This is a Great discussion.

We cannot really decide on an "Absolute Best" before we define some parameters.

What are you fishing for?

How deep is the water?

How deep is the snow?

How far away is your tip up?

How cold is it?

Is the snow blowing and do you need or want a covered hole?

Does weight matter?

How high do you want your flag to be when the magic words are hollered, Flag up!?

Is quality craftsmanship and made in the USA important to you?

Are you OK with plastic made in China?

The Original poster here asked what might seem to be a simple question, "What is the BEST tip up and WHY"?

Apparently not such a simple question with this many responses and going from garbage tip ups that work to Cadillac tip ups that cost some $$ and also work extremely well.

Let us define a few of the parameters and put an end to some of this threads confusion.

If-----------I---------------Could only have one set of 5 tip ups to meet every requirement above, Quality, Made in the USA, Deep or shallow, High flag, Wind resistant, and pretty much fail safe.

I would have to go with my Jack Traps. Followed close by my Heritage Lake's.

Beaver Dam's are great but the flags are too short.

When the snow is blowing I love my HT Polar Therm Extremes with telescopic flags and they cover the holes.

If I have to do a long trek in to the pond and weight is a major factor then I guess I will have to get a set of plastic, light weight traps for this trip and hope for the best where quality is concerned.

I think I said this early in this thread but if a man could only have one set of tip ups that would do it all and last a lifetime then you won't go wrong with Jack Traps or Heritage Lake's and a few other very similar traps that have some real beef and all the most important attributes a tip up needs. Quality, durability, line capacity, functionality, good flag height and wind resistance.

I do, at times, buy China or import stuff but I would never consider any of it in the "BEST" category. Keep in mind what the original question was, "What is the Best Tip-up, and Why". It does not ask what is your personal favorite or what is the cheapest decent tip up.

I could easily build the greatest tip up known to man after 50 years of hardwater fishing. No one would pay the price for them but they would last a few hundred years and be Teak wood that never rots or light weight aircraft aluminum or titanium with stainless steel, fully machined reels and mechanisms and have all the great trip gadgets we have ever seen. They would do better in an ice fishing museum of fantastic and very expensive gear. We are not going fishing on the moon or mars but there are a few outstanding tip ups already on the market that could.

Gary

[holehawg]

mine...when theres fish on them....

[dkfry]

how well do the fish brothers tip up stay over the hole ? they look like it wouldnt take much wind to blow them around.

I do like the design for fishing for rainbows, no reel in the water to spook them, and theres nothing for the bait to swim around and make a mess out of your leader.

Looks like i may have to try a set.

I bought a set of Fish Brother tipups at the beginning of last season. I used them quite a bit and really like them. When the sun is out it will heat up the black base ever so slightly and melt a shallow channel in the ice which helps to keep them from moving. I got into some wind last season and they didn't tip over. For extreme cold you may run into icing issues but I didn't run into any problems. I have them spooled with 20lb plastic coating tipup line which is thin and fairly manageable. Going to pick up another set for this season.

[james]

I bought a set of Fish Brother tipups at the beginning of last season. I used them quite a bit and really like them. When the sun is out it will heat up the black base ever so slightly and melt a shallow channel in the ice which helps to keep them from moving. I got into some wind last season and they didn't tip over. For extreme cold you may run into icing issues but I didn't run into any problems. I have them spooled with 20lb plastic coating tipup line which is thin and fairly manageable. Going to pick up another set for this season.

Thank you for the help dkfry, its much appreciated ! I think i will try a set this winter.

[jiml]

This is a Great discussion.

We cannot really decide on an "Absolute Best" before we define some parameters.

What are you fishing for?

How deep is the water?

How deep is the snow?

How far away is your tip up?

How cold is it?

Is the snow blowing and do you need or want a covered hole?

Does weight matter?

How high do you want your flag to be when the magic words are hollered, Flag up!?

Is quality craftsmanship and made in the USA important to you?

Are you OK with plastic made in China?

The Original poster here asked what might seem to be a simple question, "What is the BEST tip up and WHY"?

Apparently not such a simple question with this many responses and going from garbage tip ups that work to Cadillac tip ups that cost some $$ and also work extremely well.

Let us define a few of the parameters and put an end to some of this threads confusion.

If-----------I---------------Could only have one set of 5 tip ups to meet every requirement above, Quality, Made in the USA, Deep or shallow, High flag, Wind resistant, and pretty much fail safe.

I would have to go with my Jack Traps. Followed close by my Heritage Lake's.

Beaver Dam's are great but the flags are too short.

When the snow is blowing I love my HT Polar Therm Extremes with telescopic flags and they cover the holes.

If I have to do a long trek in to the pond and weight is a major factor then I guess I will have to get a set of plastic, light weight traps for this trip and hope for the best where quality is concerned.

I think I said this early in this thread but if a man could only have one set of tip ups that would do it all and last a lifetime then you won't go wrong with Jack Traps or Heritage Lake's and a few other very similar traps that have some real beef and all the most important attributes a tip up needs. Quality, durability, line capacity, functionality, good flag height and wind resistance.

I do, at times, buy China or import stuff but I would never consider any of it in the "BEST" category. Keep in mind what the original question was, "What is the Best Tip-up, and Why". It does not ask what is your personal favorite or what is the cheapest decent tip up.

I could easily build the greatest tip up known to man after 50 years of hardwater fishing. No one would pay the price for them but they would last a few hundred years and be Teak wood that never rots or light weight aircraft aluminum or titanium with stainless steel, fully machined reels and mechanisms and have all the great trip gadgets we have ever seen. They would do better in an ice fishing museum of fantastic and very expensive gear. We are not going fishing on the moon or mars but there are a few outstanding tip ups already on the market that could.

Gary

Excellent points here Gary.  Some posts get started with the idea that there is only one answer but in reality there are so many methods to use tip ups in ice fishing that there really is no perfect set of tip ups.  I chose Heritage lakers because they work well in most applications for me.  Are they perfect in all applications.....heck no.  I think they are more suited for Large species like Pike / Bass / Pickerel which is what I use mine mostly for.  When I do occasionally target trout I do wish the trip mechanism was smoother and quieter but these do get the job done.  So all in all you need to research tip up purchases based on what you will be using them for and realize that what is right for you may not be good at all for another angler based on their methods.

[Gamalot]

I get a kick out of threads like this. It's kind of like asking "What is the best color hair on a girl or what is the best half ton pick up truck".

I'd have to go with Brunette and Ford because I have both and picked them for a good reason!

I have owned a lot of tip ups over the years and to be very honest I never owned any that I didn't have to fix to my liking before I used them.
The same goes for my Ford pick up to get it just right and I am still working on the Brunette.

Gary