Luck with anything but live bait on tip ups?

[sr73087]

Has anyone had any luck using anything but live bait on their tip ups? I have always used live bait, but there are times where I have an hour or so to fish and its not worth driving 20-25 mins to the bait shop and back, when I can walk to the lake in less than 5 mins. 

[Baberuth]

I have used Whiting (8-12") and smelt as well as large live golden shiners at the same time. they all caught Pike. I am going to a lake where we will probably catch 7-10 and will keep track better, but we caught them on dead, previous frozen bait. I even caught 2 pike on cleaned smelt. I put 2 on a treble hook. I was surprised and my fishing buddy and I fished for 4 hours and no one else did any better. We bought them frozen from the grocery store and defrosted them on the way. Those were 4-5". Hope to here back that it works for you. I am going to try herring also.

[gravelman_6]

I have heard but never seen it happen from two different guys used hot dogs on quick strike rigs for Northerns and caught fish. Anyone else ever hear off this? These were used on tip-ups.

[JJBat150]

I've had good luck in the past using egg sacs left over from fall steelhead fishing... hang 'em a few feet below the ice.

[doneinne]

I've caught them on dead cleaned smelt.

[Swampstud]

I have heard of the hot dog thing before to, cant say where tho. Maybe woods n water mag. I dont remember

[robgeerts]

Also heard about the hot dog thing, don't think I'd waste the time to try it though.  Dead bait works fine, may not be the best on any given day, but I doubt a hotdog would be either.  I salt minnows and freeze them in ziplock bags.

[TT]

Dead shinners or smelt works. Waxies on a small jig shallow works on trout for me.

[9huskies]

It's illegal to use live fish as bait in my two closest ice fishing ponds. I use dead shiners and blacknose dace with great success for yellow perch, brook trout and smallmouth bass. I have also caught landlocked salmon with the same bait. No bait fish gets thrown away around here. Any that die are frozen and used where live bait is not allowed. I have caught hundreds of fish on tip-ups with dead bait.

[danny boyce]

growing up in northern Maine  we couldnt use live bait . hook them the same way   .lakers brookies ,salmon, pike ,,cusk pickerel, they dont care  when jigging we cut strips  in 3 inch pait one on each hook and the toag  loved it 

[thomasthepikehunter]

You can jig dead bait with success. I have caught pike on suckers that had died a few hours before. This year I decided to give dead bait a real try. I bought 8 "hooligan" which are sea smelt. All were hit eventually. 100% were spit out within a minute because they are dead and gross. Unless you can use frozen freshwater fish, don't waste your time. In MN they either have to be preserved or hooligan. Fish won't eat either.

[rabbitslayer]

For stocked trout, I've used powerbait. Just add a little more weight to sink it.    Keep the jar in your pocket though because cold powerbait paste is like a chunk of rubber.

[coboy]

Where I fish you can't use live fish but a 10" dead sucker works great for catching pike.

[panfishman13]

i do well for trout with chunks of nightcrawler or corn.

powerbait works as well, but it's nasty to clean off the hook in the cold.

[Martian]

 I have been having some good luck with salted  bait, this time, undersized perch. Very convenient, and effective. So next time pan fishing, you could consider keeping a few pf you dinks. through em in a baggie of un-iodized salt, and out in fridge. I have been told they last a long time, and do not turn funky, or, , if you have bought shinners, or suckers or whatever, don't throw them out after they die, good luck

[EssoxHunter]

All good ideas for dead bait, the more fish u catch on a certain bait, the better it works, as long as you can hide a hook or two in it...I currently have a ten inch half of trout/with head, that has caught 3 northerns and a pickerel so far, lotsa hours left in that bait....tight lines!

[mjmeyer]

I have used dead shiners for tip-ups and caught bass and pike. Especially effective on Windlass tip-ups that move the bait. For jigging most people have used minnow heads as bait at one time or another; dead bait with increased scent and no action. A few weeks ago my spikes spilled in a bucket on the way out to my spot. They were frozen solid when I discovered them. warmed each one as I used them to get a hook through them and them worked just fine. I caught eight to my partner's none. Not to forget plastics that are dead mimics of a live bait.