IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Michigan => Ice Fishing Michigan => Topic started by: primetime on Feb 28, 2013, 08:19 AM
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Ok guys I have been using a tipup going on 3 years now and yet to catch anything on it. I really want to catch a pike. Anybody have any suggestions on setup for me? Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
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i use a depth finder weight to find the bottom and reel it up so the bait is about 1/2 to a foot off bottom. i use steel leaders but if you want a better chance to catch one then a mono leader isnt a bad idea. just make sure its strong enough!
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I check the depth to find bottom then set my bait about 2-4 feet higher. Remember, a pike will see food above him (her) but will rarely look down to find food. Also, I like to use about 4-6 long shiners instead of suckers.
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I like to set mine 1 to 2 feet below the ice in 8 to 10 feet of water just along side the weed bed. Green Shiner with a 1/4 oz weight. I always catch one or two when I'm out jigging :tipup:
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Now these are general rules...but pretty simple: Find 8-16 ft of water fairly close to weeds. I like setting my shiners about half way down, but usually no more than 6 ft off the bottom. I think 4-6 ft off the bottom is the best strike zone for pike. I think the biggest mistake most guys make is setting them too close to the bottom. Make sure the bait is above the weeds. I guess I would question the lakes you are fishing in. Follow these simple rules and fish a lake that has quite a few pike and you will get action. Good luck!
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I go with regular black tip-up line with a 3/8oz barrel sinker and then I tie a swivel on with 2ft leader of 15lb mono with a quick strike rig at the bottom.
This is a quick strike.
(http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn297/Comstock28/Predator-Rig-red-wire-200_zps83aafc32.png)
I use my vex to tell the depth and then usually drop my minnow down about half way depending on if theres weeds or bottom structure or anything.
I prefer to use sucker minnows over shiners because there a lot tougher, but we have also done well on dead smelt and alwifes.
Keep trying! :tipup: :tipup:
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3 years? Are you sure you are in pike infested waters? ;D
We can't use live bait here so we just hang a half a herring on a trebble hook and keep it down toweards the bottom in about 10' of water. if you find the weeds you will find the fish.
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another thing to note. If you are fishing shallow and you are trying to fish by the bottom make sure to take into consideration the fact the tip up goes into the water at least 6", so if you are setting up 6" off the bottom that bait will be laying on the bottom and ineffective.
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I used to set mine 3-6' off bottom, 20lb mono leader, later in the yr move closer to bottom 2-3' as I have found that the females will hug the bottom later in yr. As chi92 stated they can only see up the way their eyes are arranged in their head. This has caught 30-40 pike a yr when I used to set tip-ups!
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2-4 ft off the bottom, near weeds, use a small red treble hook with a shiner no bigger than six inches. Run a larger weight about a foot above your hook. Don't forget to reel up an extra foot tip compensate for your tipup under the ice. I'm a fan of shallow channels and shorelines. If you'd bass fish it in the spring, pike fish it on the hard water
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I caught my first tip up pike this year. Actually got two in the same day. I was with a guy who tip up fishes a lot. He suggested always setting your tip up half way down no matter how deep you are fishing. Example: I was fising 16 feet of water, tip up set 8 feet deep. Pike look up.
My set up is simple, I have the black tip up line, then a barrel swivel with about a 2.5 foot leader. My leader is a special kind of wire that I got from a guy that you can tie simple over hand knots with and it holds perfectly. I have a treble hook with three glow beads and a small silver blade above the beads. We were using suckers for bait.
Got another hit on the same set up with a 20# mono leader instead of the wire. That hit just stole my bait though!
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I don't worry how far off the bottom I am, I want my live bait a foot or foot and a half above the weeds so it is constantly movving around trying to get into the weeds.
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I have been using a steel leader and large treble hook. I went and bought some small red trebles # 10 and I'm going to do away with the steel leader and try again this weekend. Thanks for the advise.
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I am no expert, but a few tips can greatly improve your success using tip-ups; 1) tie a monofilament lead on the end of your heavier tip up line 2) use a dual-treble hook rig for better catch on fish strikes 3) try varying the locations of tip ups, placing some in shallower water and others on drop offs, etc. Good luck
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I have been using a steel leader and large treble hook. I went and bought some small red trebles # 10 and I'm going to do away with the steel leader and try again this weekend. Thanks for the advise.
Maybe its not the set, up but the operator.
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I was waiting for a smart a@# comment from you. LOL ;D
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i set mine about 2 foot from the bottom i put the minnow on there so it swims around, i prefer walleye minnows but sometimes perch ones are the best. i use the old school wood tip ups and always seem to catch a nice pike or two everytime i set them up, ive never had a problem using steel leaders anything will work. i usually put a heavier split shot about a foot from the leader, i use them blood red hooks dont know if it matters or not
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I tie my own snelled fluorocarbon tip up rigs.
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one little secret ill share is to take blades from spinners (crawler harness blades the round ones) painted or not tie some line to the blade and then to the leader, adjust the height so the blade sits above or belowe the hook never next to the hook tho. This will create more flash. I like orange,yellow, and the shiny stuff. Pike are ambushers, I like channels, points in shoreline and in shallow water structure. I always fish 10 fow or less, fish 6ft and up. That should help I hope
Also I dropped a tip up last weekend in 2fow on sand bottom n got one , use predator rigs also and I rarely use sinkers, its not a big deal for me to have my minnow swin both sides of the hole COVERING more water for me
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I have seen lots of people use blades.
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There are a lot of good suggestions on here. For example the guy who said if you would bass fish the area in The spring it's good for pike in winter. I like 4-8ft of water with weeds. If you can find a point that fits this description surrounded by deep water even better. I use 2' of 14lb vanish line as my leader. I like using fluorescent gamakatsu circle hooks. Use smaller than you think. Size 6 for example. I prefer fluorescent green yellow and orange. Hook it through the back of a shiner behind the dorsal fin. Make sure you use a snell knot on the hook as only this will hold the minnow in it's natural position. If it is really cold and fish are sluggish use a dead shiner. Pike are predators and like to ambush baits but will never pass up an easy meal on slow cold days. Good luck