Clam Arctic Warrior

Anyone use these? I picked one up yesterday, thinking of running a 42″ Fenwick ice rod (MH) off of it using dead smelt or herring. Any tips, trick or advise for running big dead bait off of it? Seems big live bait will trip the flag every time base off of the pivot point and sensitivity…am I wrong on this? I’m thinking I won’t be able to have the bail open, but cranked to the left, set super light and when the flag trips, open bail, tighten drag, fight fish per instructions.

looking for feedback/pros/cons to this tool.

thanks guys.

Attached

Attachments:

1. 

   20151223_112611.jpg
   

2. 

   20151223_112603.jpg
   

I have 4 of them. Each rigged up with an Frabill Artic Siren alarm whose clip/trigger attaches to the flag. I never go fishing without at least one. I run a 30″ rod and a smaller forrage minnow spoon. It’s an amazing setup for walleye. I have the bail closed and have the rod balanced so the fish can take the bait with little resistance. When the alarm and flag go off I run over, pick up the rod, turn it over and set the hook.

Broman-

With the bail closed, do you have your drag turned all the way down (lightest)? If so, do you feel it impacts your conversion rate? I.E. missing fish that feel the resistance of the drag?

I’m necessarily not to concerned about the drag with my set up chasing big pike… I’m curious to see if my rod will balance with a 12″ herring suspended…???

I have my drag turned up. With it balanced just right the fish doesn’t feel anything until the flag goes up because the rod tip going down provides about a foot of feed .

In your case, maybe add a little weight to the butt end of your rod.

Josh,

I have a few of these and they work great, but as to everything there are pros and cons. With this set up though I have mostly great things to say about it.
I am use mine primarily for Lake Trout “My target fish of choice”.. My set up is pretty similar to what you said you would be using, but Im only running a 38 inch MH spinning rod and attached to the Warrior itself I have a Strike Sensor for each one I have. I Do NOT run mine with an open bail, but yet I open my drag almost all the way, that way when I get a bite, the rod will tip and “controllably” give line with a very limited amount of tension due to the loose drag. I found “Depending on the reel” that if you leave an open bail, there is a chance for an excessive amount of line to release when the rod is tipped over and may cause knotting or a tangle in your line or even the eyelets of the rod, so this is why I run a very light drag.
The one major and only con if you will is that there is nothing covering the hole to keep it from freezing on those colder days, so basically I use a circular foam piece that is slotted for the line but covers the entire hole so it is protected by the elements to dramatically slow the hole freezing process! Not sure if this helps you but don’t be afraid to tinker with your particular setup to see what works best for you.. Good Luck

I also forgot to mention that I am using a larger “Live” bait and have never had the bait trigger the Warrior. But if you are fishing in stronger winds, make sure to point your rod tip in the direction of where the wind is coming from.. a few gusts have been known to push the rod over tripping my Warrior… Overall depending on how large your bait is, you shouldn’t have an issue with a larger live bait like I use for Lakers..

Awesome feedback, exactly what I was looking for. This will save me some trial and error time on the ice. I greatly appreciate your detailed response bud! Great tip with the tip up foam insulator. Cheap fix in aiding in the delay of freeze up.

Not a problem, hope you put a bunch topside!!

I started using these two years ago in addition to my automatic fisherman for brown trout and steelhead in the harbors of lake Michigan and they work fine with shiners. Typically I have it set for the lightest bites and have yet to have a false trip.

Looking forward to using it out this week… Somewhere!