Setting hook tip up

[Codyjames215]

I just wanted to ask everyone's experience and suggestions on setting the hook while tip up fishing for Pike. There have been many times when my reel was ripping and when I went to set hook I got my minnow back, does anyone have a suggestion how I can land more fish or am I doing something wrong ?

[bigace]

Wait for the line to stop moving or to slow down, usually fish grab the minnow or shiner and run with it for a bit before they stop too swallow it. I usually wait for the fish to stop and go before setting the hook

[mikelt]

I'm new to ice fishing so take this with a grain of salt. I've caught a few pickerel on minnows with tipups. I use very small hooks- size 16. So far all the fish have hooked themselves. I just pull on the line as soon as i can get to the tip up. Same thing with perch.

[UFCreel]

No Jimmy Houston type hook sets. A gentle tug usually seals the deal.

[fish/hunt4ever]

I have found that a quick jerk of your wrist sets the hook better than just pulling the line in, but that is just my way of setting the hook, and waiting for the fish to stop and eat the minnow is good if you are using big minnows.  Have pulled the hook out of too many minnows when they grab the minnow usually by the head and run, hook minnow under dorsal fin and feel hook pull out when I try and set the hook while the fish is still running.  just my .02 cents.

[Burtess]

This entirely depends on what rig you have on the end...... are you running a quick strike rig?  What kind?  Single hook?

I run a quick strike rig tied with #4 to #6 trebles, about 2 to 2.5" apart.  This matches well to 7-8" sardines that I use for bait.  They are hooked with the upper hook in the tail, and the lower hook wherever it lands in the back/dorsal area.

With this rig if you see a flag you go get it and set the hook right away, no waiting.  A simple "start pulling in the line quickly" will set the hook.  If it is a larger fish it will pull back nicely and  you will have your hook set 

Hardly ever any deep hooked fish, most always just in the mouth and easy to release.

Burt

[thomasthepikehunter]

Like was stated, it is completely dependent on the rig you are using. How you set a sweedish hook is different from an octopus, is different from a 2 treble quick strike. In general I see a few common mistakes that will more often than not result in missed fish.

1. fish that are either under you or facing you. If the fish is not moving away, don't set the hook.
2. setting hard on a fish that is tearing line. With a single hook, I see more people tear a hook clean out a fish's mouth than get a weak hook set. The best time to set the hook no matter what is when the fish is moving slowly away from you.
3. a quick jerky hookset. This is my #1 pet peeve. The majority of fisherman do this. The worst is when they give the fish a tiny bit of slack an instant before they rip the hook right through the mouth. These kinds of fisherman wont touch a circle hook because they would never hook a fish. In reality the hook set for a regular J hook should be almost exactly the same as a circle hook. Guys just use J hooks wrong.
4. Building off of #3, with quick strikes, too short of a sweep. With a quick strike, you have to tear multiple hooks out of a bait, and into a fish's mouth. It takes distance to do that.

I guess if I condensed everything into one statement it would be to use relatively gentle sweeping hook sets, not a short rip. To be honest, I don't even mess with regular J hooks for pike any more. I use circle's when they are being spooky, but with big bait, a single hook is not ideal.

[Codyjames215]

I don't use quick strike rigs it's tough enough keeping my rigs together on 10 tip ups(my brother and I) in a Home Depot bucket let alone 10+ treble hooks attached to them, and I want to see all the fish put back in the hole unharmed it's my local lake and do not keep fish from there. I usually use a J hook fairly large in size with steel leader attached with a very small split shot 16 inches above hook. I believe the fish don't fully take the bait. I believe they take half the bait and run with it without fully taking bait into their mouth. That's my opinion and since I've started to be a little more patient with my tip up after I get a flag, I have landed more fish. I watch the line tip for a minute wait for it to stop and then go again then set hook. Unless the line keeps ripping and won't stop I will take it.

[Codyjames215]

I'm sorry I'm using jumbo shiners about 5 inches long and they are wide

[HybridHunter]

I'm sorry I'm using jumbo shiners about 5 inches long and they are wide

A 5" bait is nothing for these fish to inhale. They don't need time prior to setting the hook. By the time you get to the flag, the fish has had it long enough. If your concern is for these fish to release well, don't wait to set the hook.

[Codyjames215]

I'm just curious as to why on Multiple occasions(more times then fish we've caught) we see flag up line ripping go to set hook and bait gets pulled from fishes mouth. I dont understand why this happens so often....

[thomasthepikehunter]

I told you in my original post exactly why, you rip it clean out of their mouth. You are fine being patient, and waiting for the fish to slow down. What you don't wan't to do is wait for the "second run". That is just asking for gut hooks. Do more research on quick strike rigs, they are designed for catch and release. I stay away from single hooks because it is so much of a guessing game. With bait as small as you are using, I wouldn't worry about it much. One quick tip, if the fish has stopped, feel the fish gently, and when it feels you it will turn away. When it pulls line, grab on and it will set itself.