Anyone figure out a way to have a tip up set the hook?

[delawareriver]

Fish a lot at night and like to set my tip ups spread out pretty far, so sometimes it's a few minutes before I get to a flag. Many times the fish has dropped the bait by then so I was thinking going about 10 ft above the depth I like to fish at and cinch a rubber band on the line then loop it over the spool, then reel up the spool to the depth I wanna fish. This way the fish can take 10ft of line to make sure it's eating the bait then the rubber band will set the hook, probably would work great with circle hooks. If it's a big fish the rubber band would break and let the tip up free spool. Any one ever try this? Can't see why it wouldn't work

[Eddie Spaghetti]

I think (where legal) some guys use rubber bands.

[Idahogator]

It has been in use for a while, delawareriver.   

Here's a bit more:      Enjoy.   

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=210538.0

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=204265.0

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=266318.msg2743290#msg2743290

[panfishman13]

using the rubber band trick in combination with circle hooks works very well. caught me my personal best rainbow on a day that would've been a total bust otherwise.

[delawareriver]

Thanks guys been thinking about it in my mind for awhile and figured I wasn't the first to think of it. Gonna try it tomorrow night

[Idahogator]

PFM13, Wow, Wow & Wow.   

[river rat78]

Use a jawjacker or the automatic fisherman. Since they don't use flags like tip ups you might want to use a bell.

[Smelty88]

I like these, and they are a third of the cost of a auto fisherman or jaw jacker. The design i got off here somewhere, love mine works great!

[GourdneckGills]

Look up homemade jaw jackers on here.  You can probably build one with stuff laying around the house.  Jaw jackers make "tip-up fishing" more exciting

[fishingsurveyor]

rubber bands

[Roccus]

 after setting the depth you can peel back about 10' of line... then hold a loop in place and wind in reverse over the loop 1 - 2 turns... make another loop and wind back the correct way back to your line mark... when the fish runs the line pays normally until it hits the "backwards " line which will momentarily stop/reverse the line setting the hook.. the spool will then "correct" itself and continue to pay out line in a normal manner.. most times the hook will be set.

[jopes]

I pull 8 to 10 feet out.  Make a loop, twist it a couple times then place it on the little thing on the spool to wind the line up.  Wind the line up to the set point and let them have at it.

I do this because alot of lakes I fish the trees are too much and you break off if you let a fish run off 200 feet of line.

[musky-man]

i agree with roccus on this one, a small section of tipup line wrapped in reverse works well and you dont need to worry about replacing or picking up pieces of rubber bands