Tipup set-up???

[slip_knot]

So, how are you folks setting up your tipups when fishing for lakers?

I started out using 3 or 4 foot leaders of 10 or 12 pound test when I was a kid. It seemed to work, but looking back, it didn't work well. As I got older and fished more, I started realizing fish could get line shy... especially in the clear water of Newfound. I started going down in leader test. I started running 6 pound test mono and found more fish were biting. Then at some point the light came on and I realized a longer leader would help too. So I went to ten foot leaders. Then, I switched to smaller hooks and smaller swivels. All in order to keep already spooked fish from shying away from my line.
As of last year, my laker set-ups consisted of 20 or 35lb ice-line, to a small barrell swivel, to 10' of 6lb mono, tied to a size 8 or 10 hook (baitholder or octopus). I would add just enough weight to get the smelt to go down. I then would set it up so the bait was within 2' of bottom.
Well, this year, thanks to a slap to the head from my close friend YoA... I brought fluorocarbon into the picture. Been using it for several years while trolling the lakes, but never got around to bringing it on the ice. Why??? Don't know.
So, my new setups have 6lb fluoro on them and my leaders are growing. I now average 12 to 18 feet of leader. I figure if I can see bottom in 18 feet of water, the fish can see the top, right? Why not leave my swivel and ice-line up out of sight?
Has the fluoro made a difference? I'm not 100% sold... but leaning towards "yes". Maybe the light fluoro line has more of an advantage with smelt because it also allows the smelt to swim more freely and look more natural? Once stretched the fluoro also doesn't seem to have as much memory "coil" as mono, I'm sure that helps too.
I've found keeping my bait from 1' to 2' off bottom seems to work the best. (We rarely remove a fish from the hole if we're not going to keep it. We cut the line as close to the mouth as possible unless the hook is easily removable. This means after every "retie" or two, we need to let just a little more line off our spools to keep the bait within the strike zone. Something to keep in mind.)
Last thing about my laker set-ups is I always use smelt and I almost always hook them through the back just under the dorsal fin. I have had zero luck fishing shiners on tipups for laketrout on Newfound. Perhaps I haven't given it a fair try in recent years? But why fix what ain't broke. Smelt work for me.

So, lets hear what techniques work for some other people. Anyone catching lakers at other levels of the water column, besides bottom?

[NHfisherman]

Great info...I dont get up for lakers much, but i fish browns,rainbows,bass alot. Ive been running a swivel with 4 feet of 10lb flouro, then another swivel and 4 feet of 6lb flouro. This is working well, i think the flouro does work. To my eye it disappears in the water, dont know about a fish, but it seems to work, so i have confidence in the system so it works for me. Also I like to use a light diameter, with all species of fish, even bass, i check them after every fish and retie if theres any fraying in the line. Pretty much along the same lines as you. As for the smelt, from what ive heard shiners dont work for lakers, so when i get out all ive ever used is smelt.   

[bluecaddisfly]

 Hook placement sometimes makes a difference. Back hooked, run hook point from behind dorsel fin forward, so the shank of the hook shank runs along the backbone, this puts the hook point in place once the fish has it in there mouth/throat to drive the point in. Also use large enough hook gap so it clears the bak for better penatration.
 Nose hooked, run point through shiner/smelts nostril through center of the roof of the mouth with a short shank hook, sliding the shank in far enough to be perpendicular with point in front of shiners face, also makes hook drive home easier.
 On winni, smaller and low vis is always better, not just because of the water clarity, but , most everything under the sun has been thrown at the fish. You can't tell me there are no 36 plus lakers or cusk in there. A body of water that big has got to have some twenty year old fish in there. Those are the ones that would make the trip of a lifetime. Just hope it's one of our kids that finally pulls something that big in.........and puts it back!

[slip_knot]

Thats funny, you're the second person this year I have heard of that puts a hook through the back in that fashion. I haven't made the full out switch to it, but have tried that approach about 20% of the time so far this year. I do like the way it puts the shank of the hook down alongside the bait where a fish is less likely to feel it upon biting.
My question about this technique is: what happens if a fish takes the bait from the head? Then your hook is pointed in the wrong direction and must flip over inside the fishes mouth to be able to set. Thats the only reason I haven't given this route total conviction. I'm just weary of that happening. I've seen fish come in and grab a bait from just about every angle. Am I just over-thinking it?? I should start setting my tipup like that all the time and see what my hook-up ratio is compared to my brother who always hooks straight across the back. Just to see.

[Thunder]

6 to 8 feet of 6 to 8 lb test flouro (went to carbon ice this year from vanish).
Small (size 8 or 10) red bait style hook
Smelt hooked in the back
Small sinker (just big enough to get the smelt down)
Typically 2 feet off bottom but I have caught lakers 6 feet under the ice in 30 to 40 fow as well

My biggest tip would be make sure your tip-up has very little to no tension. When my flag goes off even if a fish doesn't take it and even with a very little amount of weight the spool will spin and the sinker will drop to the bottom.

[trouthunternh]

Last year I went to the swivel set up. About ten feet of flouro to a swivel(black) ten pound and then six feet of six pound. Small hooks staying with size eight. Fished Newfound three times this year and caught about 15 fish all cookie cutter Lakers. While jigging with a Deadly Dick and piece of sucker i caught a 22 inch Rainbow a nice surprise. Its still in the Lake. Also caught a Laker on a piece of sucker suspended about two feet from the bottom. Fished that Lake for over twentyyears and never caught any thing on a tip up.

[duck doctor]

My laker set up consists of:
(1) polar tip up with a 500' spool.
20# orange flyline backing for running line tied to the smallest black barrelt swivel I can find. I then tie on a 10' piece of 6# mono. I then tie on another small black barrel swivel. To that, I tie on another 5' piece of 6# mono. I then put a small splitshot 18" up from a #6 or 8 Gamagatsu red octopus hook. (#4 if I am using suckers.)

 I ran a test on Silver Lake in Harrisville two winters ago. I would set one polar with P-Line Flouro and 1 with mono. Both were in the 6# class. There is not doubt in my mind that Flouro will take more fish over mono any day of the week. But I stopped using flouro when I read that Flouro can not be manufactured in the U.S. becuase of the amount of polution the manufacturing process makes.

[teampar]

I use 20-30lb backing, 12 foot leader (8lb) mono, down to a 1 foot leader attaced with a small barrel swivel with a very small barrel sinker. I find there is not as much coil from the smelt with this sinker as apposed to a split shot. I use Smelt hooking in the back just under the skin just below the head.

[james]

I run 500' of 22lb mainline to a 10 lb sampo swivel then 20' of 10lb fluorocarbon to a size six circle hook that i snell myself so theres no knots to spookem with a tiny split shot about five feet from the hook.

I think smelt are the key to catching togue on tipups, at least on Merrymeeting.

                                                                             james

[Jiffy Man]

hmm...all good stuff. I haven't fished lakers for years. Meant too last year bought I was a bit preoccupied with catching crappie. I will never forget the day though that my GF and I went to winni to try for white perch. Actually it was my last time out last season. I caught a 20" laker on my little ultralight crappie pole. Talk about a fight. It felt like I had a bucket full of water or something on there, lol.

[knurren]

HAHAHA... now I know what you were talking about.   

I would say Keith would be a better judge of what that is like. 8)

[NH Trout Fisherman]

HAHAHA... now I know what you were talking about.   

I would say Keith would be a better judge of what that is like. 8)

Are you referring to the story I told you about my Dad?

[Jiffy Man]

Are you referring to the story I told you about my Dad?

What do you mean? 

[NH Trout Fisherman]

What do you mean? 

... About a month ago my Dad and I were trolling for trout and we heard the line peel off the reel!

His rod was doubled over and we were excited he might have something good?    Long story short ---He snagged a 1 Gal. bait bucket 
You shoulda seen our faces? It was weird because he was only a couple colors down... and we were over 50ft of water? It must have been floating there for a long time as it was all discolored with a rusty chain attached to it 

We laugh now but were p.o'ed then 

[Jiffy Man]

... About a month ago my Dad and I were trolling for trout and we heard the line peel off the reel!

His rod was doubled over and we were excited he might have something good?    Long story short ---He snagged a 1 Gal. bait bucket 
You shoulda seen our faces? It was weird because he was only a couple colors down... and we were over 50ft of water? It must have been floating there for a long time as it was all discolored with a rusty chain attached to it 

We laugh now but were p.o'ed then 

ROFLMAO!

I know, you told me that story a couple of weeks ago on the phone. I was busting on you, lol.

[NH Trout Fisherman]

ROFLMAO!

I know, you told me that story a couple of weeks ago on the phone. I was busting on you, lol.

I know,  I told you... I reposted it to bust on you 

Anyway now the rest of the IS knows