What is the Best Tip-up, and Why

[Gamalot]

Beaver Dams they out wit out last and out play all others.

That is the most ridiculous statement I have seen here so far!

I have owned them all and Beaver dams are a nice tip up. I never owned one that had any "Wit" and I never owned one that "Played" my fish for me. None of the ones I have ever owned will "Out Last" any of the others if not properly maintained.

We are happy you love your Beaver Dams but you might want to come with more ammo in this thread. I did sell my BD's shortly after I found better tip ups that fit my particular fishing needs much better.

[richstick]

I talked to a buddy that owns a bait shop about Beaver Dams last week - he said he is stunned at the decline in quality.  He's sent back numerous units right out of the box this winter, bent shafts, and other issues.  Unreal - they used to be the best, now I hope they aren't turning into the worst!!!

[Gamalot]

I counted the votes Heritage 1st Beaverdams 2nd Jacks 3rd so far. Relax dude and as far as ammo how about 40 inch minimum for pike here.

Heritage's are available just about anywhere and on sale for under $20 right now at a lot of places. Beaver Dams were at a time the best around but not necessarily great for deep water, deep snow or long set ups-------Flags are low and very hard to see for us optically challenged old koots. Jack's used to be available ONLY from the maker in Maine and not widely advertised to the masses. I do understand that they can be purchased through LL Bean now and possibly a few other outlets.

I own a very nice set of Heritage Lakers and like them just fine. I sold my set of BD's a few years ago as they did not fit my fishing needs. They were a good tip up for particular circumstances. I can't comment on their current quality. I also own a set of Jack's that are the Cadillac's, actually Roll's Royce's in my arsenal.

It does stand to reason that, of the top three tip ups we are discussing, the least expensive one would have the most votes and the most expensive would have the least. Just because more guys own and are satisfied with Heritage Lakers says nothing for which tip up might be judged the "Best". Most guys don't need a Mercedes to get to the lake and they also don't need Jack Traps to catch fish. Those who appreciate the finer gear will certainly be very happy with a nice set of Jacks. HL's will get the job done but you can keep your BD's.

[JoeJ]

  Just my .02 cents,,,,but I have a set of Frabill Classics that I'm VERY happy with.

Joe 

[Gamalot]

Yes I will keep the Beaver Dams they are over 30 years old and still going strong

They are certainly the good ones from BD but believe me, a very long way from the "BEST" Tip Up!

I am sure they do a great job for you but I highly doubt many hardwater fisherman who fish deep lakes for big fish and in nasty conditions would even own them.

As I have continually said in this thread, there is no #1 best tip up that will serve all the various conditions and fishing needs of all who read this thread.

I have four sets that I use all the time depending upon the conditions and species of fish I am going for. I love fishing with tip ups but if the truth has to be claimed, I am sure a good jig rod with a good reel and excellent drag would be my first choice for over-all best set up.

[captain54]

Polars,because of the 4 setting and the reel turns in the direction the fish runs.I've caught crappie,perch ,eyes and trout on the lighter settings and pike,bass musky on the heavier settings.As for the short flag,that's the only drawback I see in deeper snow.

[Gamalot]

what are you fishing for deep and how deep? The swish rod can go way deeper than your rod and reel and is also used as a tip-up

I'm not changing a thing! I always know where I am going before I go and take the right gear. I did loose one of my BDs on a day when the wind kicked up and it got covered over with snow.
I will always go with a stick tip up over a flat or disc when the weather is questionable and winds might blow snow over them. I do like the disc types with extension antenna flags for visibility but they can get covered over too.

We don't need to argue this. What you like is what you should own. As for quality built tip ups, the Jack traps are the best I have ever owned and I am a very capable cabinetmaker and have made a few sets of nice tip ups that sold real fast. Teak is the best wood and if I could buy the Jack Trap hardware they would be around $50 each.

[Gamalot]

I've fished Lakers any where from a few feet under the ice down to 120 feet. If you tie into a runner and are not paying close attention or on another flag you want as much free line as you can get.

More than any other issue I have with the Beaver Dams, the tiny squat flag is a major draw back to me. I get caught in the middle with them when there is deep snow on the ice. You certainly want the reel to be in the water so you have to dig some snow away to get the tip up down with the reel in the water and then you have the short flag hardly above the snow. I did meet one guy who loved his BDs and fashioned some invisible fence dog flags to go over the top ball and get them much higher. With the Jacks or the Heritage the flag flies almost 3 feet above the surface.

[Gamalot]

Are you familiar with swish rods at all?

Swish rods have been around since I began ice fishing back in the early 1960s. I have used them and they were fine. I just happen to appreciate nice tip ups and prefer to fish with them.

The place I fish at most has good trout and I do best fishing 4 -6 feet below the ice. I use a set of HT Polar Therm Extremes that are disc types with the antenna flags that stand about 20 inches in the extended up position. They are fine as would be the Beaver Dams if the flags were higher. When we get deep snow or I go to the bigger lakes I always switch over to my Jacks or the Heritage Lakers. Both are excellent tip ups but hands down the Jack Traps are the best quality of the two.

I still have a couple old Swish rods and use them now and then but I usually just go out to sit in my shanty with the dog and relax while watching for flags. I do not fish for pan fish and very rarely even bring a jigging rod. I don't even care if I catch a fish unless it is a Trout or Walleye I want to eat. I have had all the gadgets from Vex's to Aqua Views and still just prefer to relax and go as light as I can these days. Dragging the gear is the hard part when we get snow like we had this year. I turn 59 on Monday and wish I had treated my knees much better along the way.

[TIBS]

The place I fish at most has good trout and I do best fishing 4 -6 feet below the ice. I use a set of HT Polar Therm Extremes that are disc types with the antenna flags that stand about 20 inches in the extended up position. They are fine as would be the Beaver Dams if the flags were higher. When we get deep snow or I go to the bigger lakes I always switch over to my Jacks or the Heritage Lakers. Both are excellent tip ups but hands down the Jack Traps are the best quality of the two.

Well, one thing about this thread is clear.  Everyone has their own opinion about which tip-up is best, and it seems to me to have a lot to do with where you live more than anything else.

Those of us who live in the western great lakes area seem to prefer the board style tip ups.  (HT polars and BD's)
Those of us who live in the northeast seem to prefer the the tripod or standing stick style (Heritage or Jacks)

I'm sure there's a lot of exceptions to this general rule, but from what I read on here and what I see out on the lake, this does seem to be the case.  I'm in Wisconsin and I've NEVER seen a Heritage or Jack setup, in stores or on ice.  You can't buy them here, except on the internet.  About the only thing you can buy here that isn't a board style tip-up is Windlass style tip ups.

[Gamalot]

Well, one thing about this thread is clear.  Everyone has their own opinion about which tip-up is best, and it seems to me to have a lot to do with where you live more than anything else.

Those of us who live in the western great lakes area seem to prefer the board style tip ups.  (HT polars and BD's)
Those of us who live in the northeast seem to prefer the the tripod or standing stick style (Heritage or Jacks)

I'm sure there's a lot of exceptions to this general rule, but from what I read on here and what I see out on the lake, this does seem to be the case.  I'm in Wisconsin and I've NEVER seen a Heritage or Jack setup, in stores or on ice.  You can't buy them here, except on the internet.  About the only thing you can buy here that isn't a board style tip-up is Windlass style tip ups.

Great observation Tibs! If you head north from me toward Maine and NH about all you will see on the larger lakes are Heritage, Jacks and 40UP stick type tip ups. All good traps for sure but it does seem to be a geographical thing. When I lived up near the NY Finger Lakes the big thing there was jigging rods and pan fish. Where I am now near the NY, PA and NJ borders I see just about every design and type there is but mostly just the WalMart junky plastic stuff or cheap wood ones. Only ever saw one other guy here with Jacks but quite a few with Heritage and BDs. 6 years ago I was one of a very few who had a clam trap and now just about everyone has some sort of shelter out there.

[pooley]

the idea of this thread was to profile the good things about your favorite tip-up, not to highlight tip-ups you don't like. the reason for the regional differences are where the tip-up is manufactured, more than anything else. they were introduced before the world wide web.

[Gamalot]

the idea of this thread was to profile the good things about your favorite tip-up, not to highlight tip-ups you don't like. the reason for the regional differences are where the tip-up is manufactured, more than anything else. they were introduced before the world wide web.

I got a chuckle out of that Pooley! With a few exceptions of the better ones made here in the northern states, most of the others come from China.

I think you do have a point though. Discussing what attributes make a particular tip up better than others is a worthy discussion. What is "Best" to me is certainly not "Best" for us all and we all have to consider what conditions we are using them in. I have my favorites for each situation I fish in and even the plastic tip ups from China get the job done pretty well.

There would be a lot of variables to consider when deciding what is the "BEST" tip up. Materials, function, fit and finish, price, weight, durability, line capacity, availability just to name a few.
I do know we both own a couple sets of the better ones but I also think we take the ones we own fishing based on what we are fishing for and what conditions we will be fishing in. I have my sets rigged for the fish I am after and I usually don't change the rigging, just take a different set that is ready.

[xjma]

Very true gamalot.  

I have a mix of traps and I don't dislike any one of them.  Some are better suited for this while others are better suited for that, but they all catch fish!!  

I've got some Frabill pro-thermals which are the most compact and easiest to carry around, you just drop them in a bucket.  They're great for when holes ice up quick as well.  Not so great when there is 3' of snow on the ice....hard to see the flag.


I also have frabill bigfoot classics, and one of my favorite things about these are that you can usually hear a noise from the metal holder thingy dropping down onto the spring once the flag pops up.  The pro-thermals and the bigfoot classics have the added bonus of being able to see if the spool is spinning before you even get to the hole.  If it's not spinning you know that it might just be a flase alarm before you even get there.  They are solid and hold way more line than I need them to!  They are kinda bulky and not as easy to transport though.  


I've got a bunch of heritage lakers which are all around good.  I've done a few mods to them to make them a little better with better hardware, etc.  Good tip ups for moderate money, and parts are readily available.  

Then, there are the Indian Hills!!  Not that any of the others that I have are poor quality, but when you hold one of these things in your had you can tell that no corners were cut in making these traps!  From the stain, to the rounded edges to the nylon washers on all the bolts they just scream high quality.  I don't usually have many wind flag issues, but with the design of the Indian Hills, it is a non issue.  If anything I would say that the spools are way overkill!!  They're not cheap, but you definitely get what you pay for.  Hold one in your hand and you'll know you got a good deal for your money.  Also, despite being totally wind proof, the trip mechanism is totally seamless...there is no increased resistance right before the flag trips.  I hear that years of trial and error went into the final designs and it shows.  Here are some pics I stole from other people on IS to show you guys from outside of new england that haven't heard of them yet.  http://indianhillicetraps.com/






I saw that someone asked about the trip mechanism, so I found some pics of it as well. 



The white piece that you see below the mechanism slides up and down on the tube and keeps the flag from tripping while in storage/transport. 

[pooley]

http://indianhillicetraps.com/

[pooley]

this will help for the heritage owners.

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=157537.0

[tipupfrenzy]

HT polar II with wood base and metal spool

[Gamalot]

The Indian Hills look like a good design and right along the same lines of the HL's and Jack's. They must have been reading posts from Pooley and me from years back where we upgraded the reel shafts to be through bolted and added drag systems for large bait. I did the upgrade to my HL's probably 10 years ago and when I got my Jack's a few years back I did the same to them.

Seems to me that each new arrival is striving to one up the currently available high end stuff by reading the threads and employing some of the ideas we come up with. That's a good thing for the newcomers looking to buy good equipment ready to fish.

My Heritage's came with pressed in reel shafts that got loose, fell right off or got real tight when they swelled and the reel would not spin free. My Jack's never had any issues like that but they did not have a reliable way to fish very large bait. Jack said to lower the flag which adds more pressure to the trip but I found nylon washers and a Nylock wing nut that does the trick perfectly. The Indian Hills ones have all that covered and are a nice looking rig right out of the box.

The Jack's have a nice little feature not many know about. Under one of the trip shaft holders, you just unscrew it, there is a grease port for re-greasing the shaft. The grease gun to do it is for chain saw bars and has a tiny needle tip that pushes the old grease out while the new goes in.

Lots of great choices here and I love seeing the newest models. I will certainly ad the Indian Hills to my personal list of the best ones. I never have seen a 40 UP close but they do look like a well made rig.

Great thread that's been going for a long time now!

[Gamalot]

Seems an earlier post by Mungo 544 talked of inferior steel poor customer service( or should I say rotten customer service) no service for used products. No Jacks for me     Beaver dams  will service even if your not the original owner. Never had to service mine. Want a name plate they make them too. Does anyone have an earlier patent? or a better patent? need a glow in the dark tipup Beaver Dam makes them. Got to go back to the willow stick before the beaverdams for an excellent tipup. I think about 70 yrs.

I watched that entire thread by Mungo544 and stayed out! Go to page 3 of this thread where I posted high res. photos of the trip mechanism of my Jacks. You can see the flag steel has some rust. Big deal! I ride them hard and put them away wet all season long. At the end of the season I pop the flags off, rub them down with a scotch brite pad and oil them. I consider it normal maintenance and the steel will rust a lot more from all the tears and crying! The time he spent bashing them here could easily have solved the issue with a quick and easy clean up. Every other part on the tip up is top notch stainless steel or high grade aluminum. I could call Tim Jackson today and never get a foul attitude from him and get any part I need. We have to remember most guys never say a word unless they have a complaint. I will grant there is probably better steel for the flags but it is such a minor issue I would not waste my time crying over it. Every one of the tip ups we are discussing have their good and bad points and I don't sell any of them.

I am very happy with all the tip ups I own and have kept even after I had to do some upgrades on them. If Beaver Dam made a cross stick tip up with a higher flag I would probably have a set of them too!

[Mainehazmt]

use what you like and have woked for you regardless you aint gonna see a stimulus bill to get you what you want unless you like carp....oppssss

[pooley]

use what you like and have woked for you regardless you aint gonna see a stimulus bill to get you what you want unless you like carp....oppssss

good post Hazzy! 

[backwoodswalker]

WOW alot of reading here, Old thread but interesting. What is the best tip up and why   Usually I use my beaver dams for everything but trout in deep water.  Then I use Jacks. Before I seen them though I did use BD's successfully on trout up in the bay. I really don't know if there is a "best" one or not. All have there goods and bads.  Kind of the ford and chevy thing. I guess whatever "floats your boat" is best for you. Steve

[surflizard]

I'm waiting on my order for 4 Frabill Bigfoot classics, I really like all the features, Bigger flags that are easier to see, extending flag arms for deeper snow, Metal spools and shafts that are easy to relube, the dual trip setting and I use hole covers, so being able to see if the fish is running even if the trap is covered in snow,  I think is the best feature of them all !! 

[Chris Raymond]

I watched that entire thread by Mungo544 and stayed out! Go to page 3 of this thread where I posted high res. photos of the trip mechanism of my Jacks. You can see the flag steel has some rust. Big deal! I ride them hard and put them away wet all season long. At the end of the season I pop the flags off, rub them down with a scotch brite pad and oil them. I consider it normal maintenance and the steel will rust a lot more from all the tears and crying! The time he spent bashing them here could easily have solved the issue with a quick and easy clean up. Every other part on the tip up is top notch stainless steel or high grade aluminum. I could call Tim Jackson today and never get a foul attitude from him and get any part I need. We have to remember most guys never say a word unless they have a complaint. I will grant there is probably better steel for the flags but it is such a minor issue I would not waste my time crying over it. Every one of the tip ups we are discussing have their good and bad points and I don't sell any of them.

I am very happy with all the tip ups I own and have kept even after I had to do some upgrades on them. If Beaver Dam made a cross stick tip up with a higher flag I would probably have a set of them too!

I too have never had an issue with attitude when I called Jack Traps, in fact; they've always been very helpful to me.  Rust on the flag spring has shown up at times but it hasn't been bad for me.  Having said that, Jack Traps has upgraded to stainless steel or nickel flag springs now and I'm going to replace all my flags with the new ones. 

[ASATMillerbluegill]

I just won the bid on two vintage Beaver Dam tip-ups on ebay. They are in Excellent condition, came with the box, and I gave $46 for the pair. These will be my 1st tip ups.

[Bullelk34]

That's a good deal Bill, I mean Don. I was bidding on a few as well, and can you believe the price of those "special editions"?

[ASATMillerbluegill]

Yea, I wasn't interested in them, or especially the 50th, which was after the sale of the company to Uncle Josh, from what I read. I wanted a little history with something from the past. They just look cooler then plastic offerings, that many companies are offering; I'm tired of plastic and Made in China.

[buddlakemusky]

ht and frabill hole cover ones are good for not refreezing holes and not spooking fish especially walleyes
heritage lakers are built well and are good for big fish and fishing in deep snow
never owned a beaver dam but they look really nice but are like 40 bucks a piece
but all the cheaper ones i've seen or used work pretty good either way there is no clear cut winner

[gooseblaster49707]

This is a Great discussion.

We cannot really decide on an "Absolute Best" before we define some parameters.

What are you fishing for?

How deep is the water?

How deep is the snow?

How far away is your tip up?

How cold is it?

Is the snow blowing and do you need or want a covered hole?

Does weight matter?

How high do you want your flag to be when the magic words are hollered, Flag up!?

Is quality craftsmanship and made in the USA important to you?

Are you OK with plastic made in China?

The Original poster here asked what might seem to be a simple question, "What is the BEST tip up and WHY"?

Apparently not such a simple question with this many responses and going from garbage tip ups that work to Cadillac tip ups that cost some $$ and also work extremely well.

Let us define a few of the parameters and put an end to some of this threads confusion.

If-----------I---------------Could only have one set of 5 tip ups to meet every requirement above, Quality, Made in the USA, Deep or shallow, High flag, Wind resistant, and pretty much fail safe.

I would have to go with my Jack Traps. Followed close by my Heritage Lake's.

Beaver Dam's are great but the flags are too short.

When the snow is blowing I love my HT Polar Therm Extremes with telescopic flags and they cover the holes.

If I have to do a long trek in to the pond and weight is a major factor then I guess I will have to get a set of plastic, light weight traps for this trip and hope for the best where quality is concerned.

I think I said this early in this thread but if a man could only have one set of tip ups that would do it all and last a lifetime then you won't go wrong with Jack Traps or Heritage Lake's and a few other very similar traps that have some real beef and all the most important attributes a tip up needs. Quality, durability, line capacity, functionality, good flag height and wind resistance.

I do, at times, buy China or import stuff but I would never consider any of it in the "BEST" category. Keep in mind what the original question was, "What is the Best Tip-up, and Why". It does not ask what is your personal favorite or what is the cheapest decent tip up.

I could easily build the greatest tip up known to man after 50 years of hardwater fishing. No one would pay the price for them but they would last a few hundred years and be Teak wood that never rots or light weight aircraft aluminum or titanium with stainless steel, fully machined reels and mechanisms and have all the great trip gadgets we have ever seen. They would do better in an ice fishing museum of fantastic and very expensive gear. We are not going fishing on the moon or mars but there are a few outstanding tip ups already on the market that could.

Gary

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i've gotta toss in 2 cents here along with this post quote.
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i must say,  there is no such thing as a ''best tip-up''. each has their positives and negatives. that's why we get to buy a few/bunch of each.
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polars for the nasty cold days with a hole cover, for pike/bass fishing. the kids can see the shaft spinning and a cheap way to outfit a bunch of occasional fishermen.  they fit into a bucket or tool box and travel well.  remove the flag and replace it with a flo red/orange bobber and they'll never freeze down. can be seen from quite a distance and, with a surveyors flag/tape tied to a stick, stuck near the hole, usually, don't get run over if you are near-by.
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beaver dams - made right here in the good old US of A. two to three times as much money as a polar. i've got some, like them very much.  modify and treat like a polar. i feel the ones i own are not as ''tuneable'' as a metal spooled, orange polar. sorry, my opinion.
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heratige laker/indian hill/cross stick.   unless modified, jump on the ice and rock/slap/twang.  a sure shut off for the walleye.  the heratige lakers need that stupid stud and drag removed. the center stick drilled thru and a stainless bolt epoxied in its place. a nice nylock wingnut serves as a drag and will NEVER work loose and cause your spool to fall off.   (get a grip on this people).  it's a simple fix the factory should have been doing for years.   they stand a whole bunch above the ice but, are raw wood that needs to be finished with linseed oil/poly/spar varnish/etc.  i've got a set and love them dearly! ! ! modified and finished for sure.   wonderful equipment that will last 5 lifetimes when taken care of.   i've gone as far as to remove the cross sticks and make my own ''H frames'' for them to stop them from rocking on the ice.  hole covers are recommended in nasty weather.
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fish brothers.    a neat little set of tip-ups that nest 2 to a box.   the box serves as a hole cover for bad weather, blowing snow.    $20.00 a pair at my local bait shop.  Made in USA, Michigan to be exact.   the problem is the POS spring/flag set up they have.   i've modified mine to use a ''wand'' style flag.    if there is too much drag with the existing system, go to your local ACE hardware and buy 8-32 x 3'' long screws and nylock, metal wingnuts.  $3.00 will fix the pair.  this allows full range of drag from totally free spooling to cranked down tight enough to hold an F-250 4x4. keep the original spool spring and don't cut it down.   save the 2 1/2'' screw and plastic wingnut.   use them to modify the reel/spool on the windlass tip-ups.
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polar windlass tip-up -  great jigging tipup when fished under mild conditions.   keeps the bait moving. don't pay wal-marts price of $20.00 each. can be found for under $10.00 each on sale/wholesale. the factory spool drag will give up after a few outings and need to be ''repaired''. toss the 3mm metric "China'' screws, nuts and plastic wingnuts. replace with 6-32 hardware from your local ACE, screws, nuts, washers and nylon wingnuts.  you can save the 3mm nylon wing nut that was original and carefully thread it onto the 6-32 screw. you make/cut new threads this way in the nut (instead of using a tap) , they'll last for a while.   saves you $.70 if you are careful.  a better repair is to drill out the spool to 3/16'' and go with a 10-32 screw, nut and nylock metal wingnut.  i much prefer using the small size spool (200 feet) to the 500 foot spool as sold.
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IF I COULD ONLY OWN 5 TIP-UPS, i'ld cry like a little girl. why can i only own 5?    painted into a corner, i would want a set of fish-bro's, 2 polars and a windlass.   all modified as there is no such thing as a perfect/factory tip-up.
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my posting, my comments, my thoughts.

[spotail]

Awesome stuff here!