Tip Up Question

[muskie9]

Season is right around the corner.  Spent today dreaming about ice fishing.  I fish the hills lakes a lot and do well for perch, trout, and bluegill.  When I am at Stockade, Sheridan, or Pactola I usually set up tip ups...problem is I never get bites on them.  I must be doing something wrong because I can catch them in the summer...here is my set up... 50 pound braided line, one or two medium sized split shot (sometimes I take them off if the water is real shallow), tied directly to a Quick Strike rig with the spinner, leader, and two trebles on them. Then I hook a dead smelt or shiner on them.  I set them up usually 20 yards from shore in bays and spread them around.  I set the bait about halfway up the water collum.  I usually fish in less than 15 feet (unless it is pactola).  Does anyone have some suggestions? Thanks

[buuddy]

The setup you described sounds more like how you would fish for pike.
Try using a fluorocarbon leader with a single hook (sharp) and splitshot.
Fish one foot off the bottom with a lively minnow (small).
The time of year is also important, depending on the lake, fishing shallow will only be productive early in the season. If you are out there in midwinter with no success, you may have to search for deeper water.

[bowmandan]

Try using crappie rigs with tip ups set just off the bottom or on the bottom.

[muskie9]

My bad, I meant to say that my tip ups were set out for pike.  Sorry about that

[Spider1]

here's some good reading and a video from in-fisherman. The main thing is drawing them in. Like he says, set up your tip up and jig flashy rattling lures to attract the pike when they aren't in the area.

http://www.in-fisherman.com/pike-muskie/northern-pike/tip-up-ice-fishing-pike/

[legend]

thanks, that was a great read....and im going to try it on first ice !

[icebomb]

I fish those same waters and would say you're set up for pike is right on except for your depth. Drop your line all the way to the bottom and then crank it up a few turns. Your fish will be concentrated in that bottom 3", including the baitfish you are trying to mimic.

[chrispeters]

How goes it everyone. This is how I set up my tip ups and I have very good luck with it. I put the predator rig on whatever that may be. I clip a bottom finder weight to the hooks. Then send it to the bottom. Pinch the line off at the water and clip a small split shot onto the line that is the bottom. As if the hooks are sitting on the lake bottom. Then I pull everything up. I reel the tip up till that split shot is just behind the line loop. Then I pinch the line at the line loop and fold the line up to the base of the tip up that sits on top of the ice. I clip another split shot on there. When I reel my tip up to that split shot that is now my bottom. Because The stem and the reel will be in the water. With the second split shot now behind the line loop measure how far you want to be off the bottom and clip another split shot on. When you reel to that one and set the tip up down the hole the distance from the second split shot to the third will be how far your off the bottom. It is kind of time consuming but its is very accurate. The biggest reason I do it that way is if you get a hit it takes no time to get baited back up and down the hole again because everything is already set up and you know right where you were at. Hope it helps good luck this year everyone...

[Le4ge]

I personally suggesting using the polar-popups made by HT enterprise. I use about 10 yards of monofilament backing along with 80 pound gorilla braided line. The trick to fishing big snotrockets is all about timing. The average ice fisherman will bust head over heels when spotting a flag. The trick is actually to wait. The initial bite is usually just the northern attacking the bait. They set off the flag and by trying to get there as quick as possible and setting the hook will scare the fish. He initially attacked it to kill it or just peck then in a matter of minutes will inhale the bait. You want to wait about 5-10 minutes before distinguishing that you have a flag. This case for northerns goes the same as for walleye. I learned this strategy from a professional ice angler himself. I took a fishing trip with him last winter and this strategy he introduced to me increased my hookup percentage by a great deal. Hope this helps! Best of Luck!!!

[brad.kruse]

I suggest running some of the tip ups with live bait presentation to bring in the northerns. I have just as much luck on live chubs as I do smelt.

[chilly-willy]

I used windless tip ups and reg tip ups with great success.. but what I think you described to me sounds like a pike set up not a trout set up...  what I would do is use 6 or 4 pound mono about 8 foot and a size 14 temco hook model 2457 or a similar cheaper brand .. like eagle claw or mustad.. tie it on the end and get some dinsmore tugsten / lead shot in like triple zero or even no shot at all on the line.. add some wax worms in clusters of 3 or four to the hook and set tip up so it hangs about 2 to 5 foot down below water.. in some were that close to shore like 12 to 18 fow.. the trout live in deep water of like 20 to 45 fow because the water stratification is warmer deeper some times and is layeref or stratified...  it id ls allways warmer deeper  then it is shallow and they swim shallow for food and warm up deeper.. but when hunting food will swim shallow like 15 to 18fow they follow the contours of the lake.. like if the lake was round as a doughnut they would swim around in circles.. they follow the counters along form 12 to 18 fow .. stager tip ups in a ziging and zagging pattern streched between 12 and 18fow. Like 5 to 12 foot apart so it set up a net that got to swim threw.. so put it this way if your aloud two tip ups per person bring friends like two of them so you can run 6 tip ups and set a spread out.. you can hook minnows in the back like a crappie minnow same hooking method but I prefer waxies or live minnows not sure if it's legal were you are so pay station to the laws.. hope this info helps it all in the book ice fishing  secrets produced by the  in fishermen staff.. can be found on e bays half .Com and amazons used book stores or bought new frim infishermen.. at their store on line.. 

[eepks]

Lots of great information!!
I don't know about anyone else, but I use a steel leader so my line doesn't get bit off.

[chilly-willy]

What about using a windlass jigging style tip up that works with dead bait? Let the wind jig your dead bait? That may attracked pike over.. that or it is all about location like are you in the wrong spots??  Here is a link to a windlass jigging tip up read more about how to use it in the book ice fishing secrets by infishermen... yes the windlass is used for pike lol's sorry just noticed this was for pike..


http://www.fishusa.com/product/HT-Enterprises-Windlass-Tip-Up?utm_source=google_ps&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_ps&gclid=Cj0KEQiApqTCBRC-977Hi9Ov8pkBEiQA5B_ipemH-RGnEBG5J0JgFV5NTUuxXp7F_0yakP2YTwuWqh8aAgcc8P8HAQ

[SDbuckmaster]

I use a 50lb braid for my leader.