New to the Tip up world

[reelmaster]

I was wondering what you guys think I should get. I have never used a tip up before and was wondering what is the best. I was thinking of getting the Frabill pro thermal tip up. Also what line is the best and what should I get for terminal tackle. I am going to a large hunting and fishing store this weekend so if you could give me tips before saturday that would be great.   

[DRabbit]

I have a couple of the frabil pro thermals, they are very nice and work well. I dont have any complaints about them that i can think of.

[Haywood]

What kind of fish are you planning on using them for and what size auger do you use?  My pro thermal will fit in a 10 inch hole.  I have a about 6 different kinds of tip ups.  I like the Bramble style the best, but when it is cold, the ones that cover the hole completely, have their benefits.  
Line?  I use a 30-50 pound braid tip-up line and then a mono leader.  Because they dont wind tight, the braided line seams to work better, plus, when you forget them in the truck and the line freezes, you can pull the heavy line a lot harder to break it loose.
As far as terminal tackle, you are normal going to be using live bait.  For pike, I use a plain hook, sinker, and leader (the south bend invisa leaders are my favorite).  Sometimes I will go with a jig, but mainly just a plain hook.  

[C.C.]

Don't ask me. I fellow named Ice Sniper told me that mine were junk I think it was because mine were going off and his were just sitting there Bean, don't relay this message.
       Jim

[big big rdg]

I have Heritage Laker traps and love them. They are very good quality and set up in no time. For line i use i think 30lb braided with a 3-4 ft mono leader. The heritage lakes are nice but the pro-thermal are also nice due to the fact that the hole doesnt freeze.

[billditrite]

i have been using heritage lakers for close to 20 yrs now and still love them everytime i set them up. mine are the older traps with metal spools. they went to graphite last year and the jury is still out on that one lol. i have heard mixed reviews on the graphite spools. if you do not get a lot of snow then i would go with the polars they are easy to pack, very lightweight and are durable. if you fish deep water make sure whatever you buy has a big enough spool . some have a bigger spool option. i use 30# dacron for backing and my leader varies with species. hope this help and good luck!!

[gamefisher]

Do yourself a favor and go online and order yourself a set of jack traps.  Up front cost may be a little more than what you want to pay but taken care of, this trap will last you a lifetime.  He will even set it up for you: line, leader, hook size, etc.  It comes ready to fish!

[Auger]

I use beaver dams above freezing and Frabill thermals below freezing.  The beaver dams are nicer to look at and easier to see in the snow because of the longer flag.  The Frabills pack better and work better when it's really cold.  They keep the holes open surprisingly long even below zero, if you get a tight seal with the ice.  I tip-up fish almost exclusively for pike so I'd suggest quick strik rigs for dead bait if they're legal there and single hooks on the live bait of your choice with either heavy fluoro/mono or wire leaders.  I like wire, but I keep getting told to switch to fluorocarbon.  We'll see, maybe I'll finally switch this year.

[reelmaster]

I have a 10" auger and will be mainly targeting pike, Lake trout/ other trout??and burbot. What is a rough dollar amount for a complete setup tip up, line, terminal..... 

[Auger]

I have a 10" auger and will be mainly targeting pike, Lake trout/ other trout??and burbot. What is a rough dollar amount for a complete setup tip up, line, terminal..... 

Depending on where you live, I'd say you'd have a real tough time getting over $25 for a Frabill thermal, spooled with 30# dacron, and a quick strike for pike.  I think I saw the tip-up for either $14.99 or $19.99 at Wally World last weekend.  If you decide to buy a big spool of fluoro or wire, you might spend a tad more.  But then you could get more hooks of varying sizes and styles and tie your own leaders until the ice gets here.

[Auger]

Don't forget a couple of clip-on weights for depth finders and some little marker bobbers or buttons.

[iceintheveins]

I have three tip ups. An HT windlass wind tip up is my favorite. I set it for a very light waving motion in the wind, and the spool is very smooth. My second tip up is an HT Professional Thermal Tip Up. I like it but it seems the spool isn't as smooth as my windlass or my third tip up, which is an HT econo tip up, a cheap wooden one. The econo tip up seems to get more flags for some reason than any others, and the spool is a lot smoother than the thermal.

I always use 15 pound HT Polar Vinyl Coated Tip Up Line. It sheds water because of the coating and is very manageable and tangle resistant. On the end, I use a 3 foot leader of 10 pound fluorocarbon for lakers, and a three foot leader of at least 15 pound fluorocarbon for pike.
I love tip up fishing for pike. Here in Colorado flags can be few and far between, but I usually get 3 - 5 flags per pike trip nowadays. Jigging seems to far outproduce tip ups for lakers around here.

[deadsmelthead]

I have a hodge podge collection of tip ups.. The Beaver Dam style are my favorite I also like Heritage Lakers... Just don't buy the $2 tip ups with the cheap yellow spool on them at wally world and you will be in good shape.

[P.I.K.E.]

I use Frabil thermals when the temps are below zero. Otherwise I use Beaver Damn or the wooden Polar tip ups.

[Haywood]

For Burbot, go with glow jigs.  Last year at Eelpout fest, we had 20 tip ups set, glows and non-glows and we caught 11 pout, all on the glows. 

[curtis_rak]

I was new to tip-ups last season and went for a budget setup. (~$25 CDN)
I was using an HT Hardwater tipup with 20lb mono line.

This year, braided line will be the 1st thing that will go on as I found the mono will ice up eventually on the colder days. However, I had good success with it. Also, I think a thermal tipup will be on my list this year. On slow, cold days, the holes freeze fast and its a pain in the ass to have to beat your tipup out of the ice, but the tipup works really well and I will continue to use it all the time. (~$16 CDN i think)

I use my tipup solely for Pike. I hook a steel leader to the end of the mono along with a 3" long red devil and a large treble hook with an 8" smelt on the end (rigged horizontally). It never failed to catch decent Pike all season. I always set it up in about 5-12 feet of water (not very deep...) with the red devil/smelt rig suspended halfway.

Hope this helps.

[John_BZ]

I have a hodge podge collection of tip ups.. The Beaver Dam style are my favorite I also like Heritage Lakers... Just don't buy the $2 tip ups with the cheap yellow spool on them at wally world and you will be in good shape.

I tend to use cheaper stick tipups mostly. I own beaver dams, ht polars, and the round frabils but i prefer to put out the real cheap ones because ive lost more than one tip up to snowmobiles and other various "accidents". However i do like my frabill bigfoot for puting way the hell out there and also when the ice gets thick. You can see the flag go up pretty far away and they are a lot easier to see. My favorites are the ht polars though.

[reelmaster]

Thanks alot guy. Really great tips here. I went out and bought a frabill pro thermal. I just need to get some quick strike rigs now. 20 lb tip up line (not braided but coated) see how that will do it was cheap so if I dont like it I am not out too much. Also got some 25 lb invisi leaders to try out.
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