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Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Tipups => Topic started by: Martian on Jan 16, 2022, 01:56 PM

Title: alternatives for tip up bait. (Pike)
Post by: Martian on Jan 16, 2022, 01:56 PM
 we do a lot of tip up pike fishing. We consist of myself , my buddy , his wife , and their 2 kids. so we set 12 tip ups put. We take turns buying bait. At our local purchase place , shiners, chubs, suckers, or whatever he has, is $10 a dozen . so bait is $30. I checked out another local place, it was $14.50 a dozen, so right near $45 for fricken bait!!! I have heard guys usie hotdogs, and I have tried a couple times with no success. I have also heard guys using whole smelt , and the dead bait thing.  Any suggestions? thanks
Title: Re: alternatives for tip up bait. (Pike)
Post by: DR.SPECKLER on Jan 16, 2022, 02:21 PM
Have the kids start fishing for some small gills,perch or crappie to put on a few of them.
Title: Re: alternatives for tip up bait. (Pike)
Post by: river_scum on Jan 17, 2022, 06:29 AM
havent bought baits in years.  like he said small gills and perch are great baits.  way hardier than store bait.  at the end of the day ill release them to live on.
Title: Re: alternatives for tip up bait. (Pike)
Post by: Hillsfisher on Jan 17, 2022, 09:20 PM
Live bait is hard for me to get (an hour drive each way to the closest), so I use dead bait.  Typically, creek chubs that I catch in the fall and freeze.  I have used smelt from the grocery store as well.  However, the past two seasons I have been using hotdogs with great sucess.  They out fish my chubs and smelt every time.  Buy the cheapest ones you can, nothing fancy.  They are cheap, easy to find, last forever, and they work!  I use a single circle hook in the middle of the dog.  Eight pike this season, 2 on chubs and 6 on dogs- including a 38" and a 40" (my biggest). 
Title: Re: alternatives for tip up bait. (Pike)
Post by: Salty Ice Queen on Jan 21, 2022, 02:55 PM
My husband and I trap creek chubs and keep them live in our spring with a bubbler...We will have to try a dog though,...hopefully something big will hit...