Tip-up Preferences

[NJ PIKER]

Like my lakers also and plan on through bolting the
reel this summer. bought some 6" 10/24 rods and
nyloc nuts & washers at home depot. bought rods because
I haven't been able to find bolts that size long enough.
the nuts & washers are SS but the rod is CS
will use SS rods if I find some 

[Peteamus]

I prefer a windlass oufish any stationary 5 to 1

[esox slayer]

Peteamus...I'll take you up on that 5 to 1 bet.....you live anywhere near upstate NY??

How do you keep the reels from freezing after your first pike runs line out?? 

[GAMBELL]

Windlass = Junk.  I watched on this winter break and go down the hole. 

[BigG3206]

I have Heritage laker Tip ups but recently I have switched to Continentals,  they're faster to set up.

[IceTroll]

I got two Heritage Lakers, brand new in the box, off of E-bay. I added then to my arsenal of home made woodies. I am very impressed with how strong and well made these tipups are and I plan on adding 4 more to my arsenal. You guys that talk about Polar Tipups being totally free of wind trips crack me up. Dont get me wrong, Polars are fine but none of you must live in Wyoming or anywhere in the Rockies for that matter. Polars are the wind tripinest <------(I think I made that word up) tipups that I have ever used. They are horrible in strong winds. Keep in mind that I can count on one hand the days this winter that we have had less than 30 MPH winds and 20 MPH is considered a mere breeze. I use to not listen to old Bob D when he talked about how great heritage lakers are and I think I have changed my tune. I would like to try some Jack Traps as well. Heritage Lakers and Jack Traps are probably the two best made out there. Beaver Dams are about the same as Polar 2's and dont impress me. Plus I try not to run my tipups over  .

[pikekiller]

I have some lakers with the metal spools, and one jack trap, and I find that they perform pretty close to each other.  The only thing about the lakers is that the drag adjustment rusted after day one.  I oiled it up a couple of times, but it wasn't worth it.  I opened it up, and I keep zero drag now.  there's just enough friction on the axle, and resistance from the water, that they won't overspin.  how's the drag on the newer lakers?

[billybono]

icetroll, i assume your not talking about the pro thermals bieng wind trippy   i havent had a false flag in 2 seasons of using them


              billybono

[Water Wolf]

Reel Wet Ride, I actually perfer to use a full length rod. I like this as once a fish grabs your lure it will usually hook it's self, there is tention on the fish at all times, makes it hard to throw the bait. It can slowly pull out line and you have a crank to bring him in with, shorter rods say 5 feet are ideal, but I do just as well with my 7 foot Shakespeare Ugly Stick.
You just have to take your time and don't rush the fish, it nice to have a buddy to grab the fish to.
I also like to feel the fighting fish.

[IceTroll]

Billybono, I was talking about the standard Polars and any other tip up that has the same style trip mechanism where you bend the flag down and rest it under a T type spindle. I certainly dont mean to imply that any of them arent good tipups because they are. My point was that I live in some of the windiest country on the planet often fishing in 30, 40 and even higher winds. Getting those buggers not to trip in that kind of wind is very difficult. My Heritage Lakers are much easier to accomplish that.

[Kyle_]

Reel Wet Ride, I actually perfer to use a full length rod. I like this as once a fish grabs your lure it will usually hook it's self, there is tention on the fish at all times, makes it hard to throw the bait. It can slowly pull out line and you have a crank to bring him in with, shorter rods say 5 feet are ideal, but I do just as well with my 7 foot Shakespeare Ugly Stick.
You just have to take your time and don't rush the fish, it nice to have a buddy to grab the fish to.
I also like to feel the fighting fish.

theres a couple things bad about full length rods out icefishing(which is why i dont use them)
-you cant watch the fish by standing over the hole and then know when you can pull its head through hole.
-you cant cover a fair amount of ground...with tipups when flag goes its free spooling and you can run over and hook fish.  Where as with rods the fish just feel resistance once it bends the rod to its max point(or it pulls down hole  )
-also this is my opinion but im sure others will agree....theres NOTHING better than seeing a flag up.  Well, I actually can think of 1 thing 
just giving my .02 to Reel Wet Ride.

[Barleydog]

My2cents, 
Beaver Dams are beautiful tip-ups.  Someone on IS once wrote "life is way to short to use plastic."  He's right!  Wood is nice on the hands when it's cold, allows for a little grip and looks downright sexy!  I'm not excluding Polars and other various "spindle" style tipups.  They're all great for pike!  
Why the fuss? Ya get excited walking up to a spindle tipup and the crossmember is spinning like crazy!!!!  It's just plain fun to see that little piece of metal spinning that fast!  Your heart pumps and your blood pressure spikes. Man, give me a Beaver Dam anyday!   

[Reel Wet Ride]

Considering I've only had the opportunity to set a spread one time this year, I'd say that I'm pretty pleased with my Frabil Polars that I picked up. Neon Orange for good visability, appear to be very resistent to wind trips, the only knock I see is the short flag wire, but they have a huge flag to make up for it. Plus, if theres so much snow that I need to worry about seeing my flag, I'll probably be fishing for something else anyway.

Thanks for all the responses.

[esox slayer]

I prefer a windlass oufish any stationary 5 to 1

I agree with Gambell..windlass equals junk...and you never did respond to my question about the lines freezing....where are you Peteamus?

[Jim111]

Heritage Laker tip-ups get my vote overall, for any ice fishing where I might get into something that might run, as Heritage have big spools. Mine all have 200 yards of 36 pound test ice line on them, no problem. Also Heritage are about wind-proof, as others have mentioned and they are as sturdy a tip-up as exists. They're pricey, but worth every cent. I'm sure my grandkids and even great grandkids will be using mine, long after I'm gone! Let's face it, you get what you pay for! Plus the snow machines don't run over my Heritage tip-ups, unless it's on purpose. We get enough snow to where the polar flags can go up and STILL not be seen from more than 20 feet away! Not for me..
-Jim

[icejunky]

I love my polar Tip-ups... i did up grade to the larger wood modle once I started targeting Pike. I dont know if the smaller plastic one would be an issue but I didnt want to take that chance

[Doggz1]

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.

you can pull that reel bolt out w pliers and fill the hole w some Gorilla glue, this will help with the cracks in the wood too.  after just push the reel bolt back in the hole and tap w hammer lightly.

[esox slayer]

you can pull that reel bolt out w pliers and fill the hole w some Gorilla glue, this will help with the cracks in the wood too.  after just push the reel bolt back in the hole and tap w hammer lightly.

Thanks for that info!!  I rebuilt the lakers last spring though, but will keep your info in mind on the gorilla glue.  I made a couple modifications that should make them resist splitting and also put 4 coats of polyurethane on the uprights......Esox

[Oldfart]

Life is to short to use plastic.

Life is too short NOT to use plastic. Polars are king!

[TheBigPickerel]

"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 "  Blain

[pikekiller]

I prefer the Polar styles too. It allows me to see from a distance if the fish is running and how fast.

depends how you define "a distance".  sometimes I set mine very far apart if I'm trying to figure out the best spot.  I haven't found anything that can show a running fish from a longer distance than the Tip-n-Spin.  these are not my favorite tipup, except when they are WAY out there.

[RandyH]

"Where I fish its hardcore weather........"

me too - I have had Polar tipups for many, many years. I find that they are a quality piece of equipment. They have survived many Manitoba winters and have performed in temps low enough to freeze the balls.......well you get the idea. I have had some "wind bites" on breezy days but not enough to convince me to try another brand. And if the snow is deep I just add a flag extension to the existing flag arm.

Number 1 in my book.

[Shaggy]

I love my Heritage Lakers, cant beat them for the price. I also use Jack Traps, very well built trap, quality craftsmanship. Modified it by turning spool bolt around and adding nylon washers and a ny-lock wing nut for a super smooth adjustable drag.

[marcus]

i have no clue the brand name of the tip-ups i use they are green stick style i have used the same set (5) for 6 years now and aside from a tweak here and there   and maybe a little duct tape   they have never failed me i have bought, tried, and own quite a few different styles yet these green duct taped beat up tip-ups are the first out of the sled and into the water they are failproof. IMO

[big and toothy]

I have to say for my money it is the Frabil Artic Fire tip-ups for me.  no wind flags on these tip ups at all have had some strong winds and not one!  also they work good in cold weather plus they are multi species so you can set them for what ever you are fishing for. A nice peice of equipment for sure!!

[WHITETAIL111]

I have many different types set up for different fish.  For fishing for pike/lake trout with some snow on top you can't beat the Heritage Lakers.  I've yet to have one wind flag with the Heritage Lakers.  Well built and have a nice drag adjustment on the reel if your using big bait.  When there is little/no snow I love using my wooden Polar tip ups.  There's just something cool about watching that top spin as your walking up to it!!  The only thing I don't like about the polars is they are hard to see and have seen many a snowmobile come awfully close to them and have seen others ruined when a snowmobile ran one over.  I also have the green tip ups that I use for general bass/trout/perch fishing.  I own a lot so I don't have to re-rig all the time.  I just grab the ones I want to use on that particular day for whatever I'm going after....and bring along another set of 5 for good measure.   Well not many days left on the ice.  I wish you all well the rest of the season and then...onto the open water season.  Later!  Whitetail.

[Walltrout]

I love my polar Tip-ups... i did up grade to the larger wood modle once I started targeting Pike. I dont know if the smaller plastic one would be an issue but I didnt want to take that chance

I don't think you would have a problem with the plastic ones.  I got a 19 pounder on an el cheapo plastic one this year. Just make sure you tie your line on real good. They will spool you every time.  Lost on to a bad knot last year.

[fish time]

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[fish time]

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[Greenz]

:)JACK TRAPS MADE IN MAINE