Tip-up Preferences

[Reel Wet Ride]

This is going to my first year really targeting pike through the ice and I'm curious if you guys prefer one style tip up over the others. I was thinking about picking up some of the round ones but I'm worried that they might be hard to get off the hole / ice. What are your guys' thoughts on this? What are some of the pros and cons of the different styles?

Jason

[Auger]

I use the round one's when I think the holes are going to freeze over faster than I'm willing to get off my butt and check them, maybe starting around 10-15 degrees and colder.  Just kick 'em when they stick.  Other than that I like the wooden beaver dam style.  They're just more appealing to me for some reason.

[PIKEGUY]

I'm with Auger on this one. Unless it's real cold I much prefer the stick style. They're just easier to handle IMO.

[Icephishnphreek]

Polar tip ups hands down to me are the best

[Haywood]

I have never had a problem with the round ones freezing down.  I have a mixture of tip ups, cause I always have to try a new one if it goes on sale.  The bramble (beaver dam) style are the easiest to pack.  I personally don't feel that any are superior, but I do like the ones with the telescoping flags.  

[Water Wolf]

I actually like perfer to use regular ice rods or full length rods to tip-ups.
I like that when a fish strikes there is some give, reduces the hooks from pulling out, I also like to feel them fight all the way up.

WW

[Blaine]

I prefer the Polar styles too. It allows me to see from a distance if the fish is running and how fast. Our ice here in CT doesn't get as thick as some of you see around the rest of the country. Stealth is important to us. If the flag pops and doesn't go very far, I take my time and move QUIETLY to the hols so as not to spook the pike. It also lets you see when the flag has been tripped by big bait. I have learned to sit back and wait a couple of minutes before resetting the flag. More often than not, something has spooked the bait and caused him to trip the flag. Obviously, if the tip up is spinning like crazy, all bets are off and I haul a$$ to the hole

[northdease]

i agree with blaine. being able to see what the reel is doing when aproaching the tip up is great,

[fishuhalik]

My favs are just the plain black tipups.

[Madmaxx]

Life is to short to use plastic.

[Reel Wet Ride]

Maxx,
You think if I told one of these Western chicks that she'd agree?
I'll try it anyway!

[MikeThePike]

Life is to short to use plastic.

For a few $$$ a piece they do their job well. I like to use them for perch and smaller fish. For pike and musky I use Heritage Lakers with Polar bases instead of the wooden X bases that they come with. Keeps the hole from freezing up and getting snow blown in.

[pikeman]

I definitely prefer the polars. Theres no wind flags ,plus you can see how the fish is running right away

[Pasquatch]

I like my Polars very very much, they never wind flag, and you can see the fish running. I am very pleased.

[jacksmelt71]

i use heritage lakers . the deep snow around here makes them a necessity to see come feb/mar. also very durable.

[AD]

Frabill bigfoot classic,   its like a polar, except biger, better and with a long extendable flag pole,    you cant miss these from a mile away.     http://www.frabill.com/tipups.html

[GAMBELL]

I love my polars.  I purchased foam hole covers so I can be lazy and not scoop my holes.  I love being able to watch the fish run when you are coming up to the holes.  They are also very easy to pick up when the day is over.

[AD]

I tend not to cover my holes.  The nice thing about the frabills I use is I can walk up to a tip up, grab it with one hand and not set it off, pick it up and scoop the hole out with the other hand holding the skimmer.      Also I will jig the tip-up up and down a few times and have found that this induces a strike sometimes after Im walking away.      Could jsut be luck or coincidance but it just seems to work soemtimes.     

[Reel Wet Ride]

FYI to those who read this thread, I ended up buying 4 10" round frabill tip-ups. I've strung them up with about 75 yds of 65lb (can't remember the dam* name of the line) and finished them off with a sturdy barrel swivel. I'm going to tie up 5 or 6 45lb flourocarbon leaders. Quick strike rigs with size 6 trebles. I'm also going to finish the leader with a snap. Not a snap swivel, just a snap. that way if my leader gets beat up, or broken off I can just un-snap it and snap on a new one instead of trying to re-tie a set up on the ice. Figure with a 3' leader the little bit of extra hardware won't make a huge difference. Once I get out there and catch a fish or two I'll post it the pike board.
Thanks to all who posted,
RWR

[J_MAKI]

My vote is for polar tip-ups.  I like the round ones too but prefer the polar tip ups. I have a frabill round tip up and the spring weakend so much by the second season that it wouldn't hardly hold the heavy plastic flag up. So I just put a cloth flag on and it works fine now. Never had a problem with the polars and some are close to  20 yrs old. Although there was that one time when me and masterangler were out for lakers and it was so cold the flags wouldn't spring up 

Jeremy

[fishslayer37]

I preferr Beaver Dams ive had cars run over them and not have them split in half,  with others i have had them brake in half or brake in some way. 

[Sir Landsalot]

I too love the Polars!  Smooth running, light to carry and cool to watch when they're runnin'!  But....I usually set up some small orange R/C cones next to them to keep the snowmobiles off 

[J_MAKI]

I too love the Polars!  Smooth running, light to carry and cool to watch when they're runnin'!  But....I usually set up some small orange R/C cones next to them to keep the snowmobiles off 

Thats a good idea. One time when my dad and I were fishing the CO came to check us and he ran right over one of our tip-ups. He just drove staight to us without even looking where he was going. The guy never even said sorry

Jeremy 

[Reel Wet Ride]

New Frabil Tip-ups:  $65.00
65lb Tip-up Line:     $12.00
45lb Flouro Leader:   $12.00
Hooks & Hardware:    $ 6.00

Getting pumped about your 1st year tip-up fishing for pike and not being able to go because its 50 DEGREES in January: PRICELESS!

[BowSlayerVT]

Heritage Lakers hands down is the Cadillac of all tips_ups. Their ruggedness in extreme weather is unmatched by ANY other tip-up for the price. Completely windproof. Where I fish its hardcore weather and I've owned almost all the tip-ups you've mention and experienced all kinds of problems. Heritage are tough. On -30 days when your holes are making 1" of ice an hour and you to chip major ice they'll take a beating. 50 mile per hour winds no problem. I had a few or those plastic ones on year and had to put them up because I got sick of chasing them down the ice, because the wind was pulling them out of the wholes and blowing them across the lake. If you don't use them your missing out.

[Rangerclay]

I have both the polars and the wooden X tip-ups.  I have never had much success with the polars and I find them difficult to set up.  Also of you get any blowing snow the will bet buried and the flags freeze in the down position.

The wooden X style has NEVER EVER let me down.  I own one Heritage Laker (before the made them with plastic reels) and they are extremely rugged. 

I would pick uo a couple of each and see what you prefer.

Ranger

[Smeltecca]

Nothing beats a set of Jack Traps, worth every penny.

[JeBa]

I have Heritage lakers, Nor'Easters and a few Worth Pop-ups.
The Nor'easters are a quality Heritage knock off but I prefer the Heritage Laker trip wire & flag set up. I even like the plastic spools - no metal for my fingers to freeze to. Just be careful when setting the drag star nut - make sure the spool nut is tight against it or the spool could fall off.

Jeff

[pikecrazy25]

i prefere artic fisherman or beaverdam tip ups but
$36.00 is alot to pay for a tip up i found that both the polar and heritage laker traps work good to they all seem to be great tip ups if you dont like plastic you can always make wooden frames for your polars. i have also had a problem with the wing nut comming off the drag on my heritage lakers so i took a pair of pliars and worked on the last thread so it cant come off.

[esox slayer]

I've got heritage lakers, best tip ups I've ever owned.  No wind trips even under some extreme conditions, but during periods of freezing rain, the spring on the flags will get enough ice on them so if they do trip the flag may only come up to a half mast position, you have to watch for that.

Any of the lay down tip ups, no way.  Too easy to not see them and have them run over by a wheeler os snowmobile, plus if the wind is blowing the snow it can cover them over.  Get one with the reels that are in the water all the time, the reels out of the water are great until you get your first runner, then the wet line on the reel will freeze and won't trip.

My lakers are 10 years old now and need some work, I made the mistake of drying them out nightly in front of the wood stove and a couple of them have split the wood down where the reel is pinned into the wood, this summer I'm going to replace the upright wood portion of them.  Only thing I wish is that the reel bolt went clear through the wood and was bolted instead of just being pressed partially through.