I don’t know if I have the authority to make anything here official, but I’ll give it a shot.
What are your questions about the glorious world of tip up fishing? Any special techniques that help you catch more fish?
My question: Anyone try using circle hooks on your tip ups? What were the results?
I like to set one or two of those HT polar therms with the telescoping flag out a good 40-50 yards from my watch position where noone else is on high pressured lakes. The distance keeps distractional noise to a minimun plus the time to reach the tipup can be more then enough to allow those big finicky pike to run and play with the shiner before they stop to try and swallow it.
I switched over to circles about four years ago. The first year, I don’t think I was sold but then I figured out the shape of the eye made all the difference in the world. Down or up-turned eyes should be snelled so that force is inline with the shank of the hook, otherwise it simply functions as any regular hook at this point. Alternatively, a circle with a straight eye can be tied directly to the eye as force is then in-line with the shank. Since then, I haven’t used anything else as they’ve worked as intended. I prefer Kalhe or Octopus in circles myself.
Nothing but circle hooks on my tip-ups. I even use them dead sticking. It seems like you can just grab the line whenever with the tip-ups. My father taught me when I was knee high to wait for the run to end, then tighten up and set the hook. I rarely do that anymore. If it’s really burning line off I wait, but usually I just grab it and it’s game over.
Also I paint my flags black to be higher contrast against the snow.
I’ve had a lot of success with kahle hooks, but I wasn’t sure on the circles. I’ll have to give them a shot. Thanks.
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Also I paint my flags black to be higher contrast against the snow.
I use the Frabil Pro-Thermal tip ups and make sure that when I set it I always rotate so the hard plastic flag is oriented to face the direction where I will be fishing. Another nice trick is to add a piece of reflective tape to allow for easily checking if a flag goes off even after dark. You can easily see it from 100′ or more with just an LED flashlight or headlamp 
They dont have a website but I found some attractors made for tips ups recently. From the Pauly-Wally Tackle Co out of Superior.
They are short steel leaders with a propeller looking device. I think the pike will like.
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They dont have a website but I found some attractors made for tips ups recently. From the Pauly-Wally Tackle Co out of Superior.
They are short steel leaders with a propeller looking device. I think the pike will like.
Interesting. Did you get them at the ice show or are there retailers around here that may have them?
Found at hardware store in Solon Springs Wi two weekends back.
Need to keep checking the tip ups to. Every 10 to 15 minutes we would send someone around to tend the tip ups. Pull them up, check for weeds, change out minnows if needed, clear ice or just simply jig the minnows. Cant tell you how many times a flag went off just by walking up to the tip up. Would guess the minnow heard us coming and started swimming. Fish saw this and grabbed the minnow.
I like the round frabill tip-ups, but my most used set up is a baitcaster in a rod holder with the freespool open and a pink shoelace tied on the line by the rod tip… when the pink shoelace is gone it’s like a flag going up but you get to do an awesome hookset and fight the fish.
I started using that system because we wanted to use decoy sized suckers under tip ups and it wasn’t working very well.
I make my own QSR’s with 100 lb fluorocarbon and #2 hooks. I’d stay away from circle hooks when targeting BIG toothy critters with big baits. QSR’s are great, just wait until the fish is moving away from you and hammer them. 6 hook points vs 1 hook point… I think I’ll put my trust in 6.
If we ever get some ice maybe a tip up get together would be in order for this winter? Its always fun to have a bunch of tip ups set up and go chasing flags.
Seen a guy a couple of years ago just use his summer rods for pike fishing. Would prop the rods up in the snow with the tip over the hole and then sit back and watch for them to bend.
I fish a tip-up contest every year. Its a blast. Socializing, eating and drinking are the main events.
We usually fish one to over on White Bear Lake. Same thing. Lots of running around socializing until someone yells “Hey you flag is up”. Good time.
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We usually fish one to over on White Bear Lake. Same thing. Lots of running around socializing until someone yells “Hey you flag is up”. Good time.
Does anyone ever yell “Hey your flag is down”. I have some friends who seem to think that is just hilarious.
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We usually fish one to over on White Bear Lake. Same thing. Lots of running around socializing until someone yells “Hey you flag is up”. Good time.
sounds like a blast, nothing better then watch a group of people just idling around until a flag goes up and it becomes the 100m dash on the ice. fun times.
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We usually fish one to over on White Bear Lake. Same thing. Lots of running around socializing until someone yells “Hey you flag is up”. Good time.
Does anyone ever yell “Hey your flag is down”. I have some friends who seem to think that is just hilarious.
The big trick at ours is to put something strange on someones hook while they are preoccupied. Always good for a laugh.
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Also I paint my flags black to be higher contrast against the snow.
I replaced my flags with a black nylon fabric and i will never use an orange flag ever again the black is far easier to pick out even in the dark.
Ajs
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If we ever get some ice maybe a tip up get together would be in order for this winter? Its always fun to have a bunch of tip ups set up and go chasing flags.
I know a great lake for this right in the metro if anyone wants to do it.
Do circle hooks work better than treble hooks? I have used treble hooks on my tip ups my whole.Thinking about trying them out on a few of my tip ups this year.
The problem with treble hooks is that if you don’t notice the flag right away, the fish will likely swallow the hook.
If you are serious about tip-up fishing and want to use big baits and catch big fish, and then safely release those fish, use a quick strike rig.
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If you are serious about tip-up fishing and want to use big baits and catch big fish, and then safely release those fish, use a quick strike rig.
I have a much higher hook up percentage with a single hook parallel to the dorsal fin than I ever did with a quick set rig. It’s a night and day difference. I’ve also never gut hooked a fish with a single hook, either.
Side note: Why do they call it a Quick “Strike” Rig? It doesn’t make the fish strike any faster. It does make it so you can set the hook faster, though.
Even if you do notice the flag right away more often than not it’s a gullet or gill situation with a treble. Everybody has their thing, but I rarely if ever use a treble on a tip-up. I switched over to single hooks a long time ago and withing the last three to five years have migrated to circles and have been very satisfied once I learned how to use them correctly.
I think that how you want to present your bait plays a huge rule in which setup you use. If you want to present you bait horizontally then you’d use a quick strike rig & if you want to present you bait in a more vertical fashion & possibly allow it to move more freely then you’d use a single hook application. Personally I like using a single application & often prefer a circle hook, octopus, or walleye wide gap. These hooks are less visible & do a good job of not harming the fish, because most often the hook set resides in the corner of the fishes mouth. 
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Another nice trick is to add a piece of reflective tape to allow for easily checking if a flag goes off even after dark. You can easily see it from 100′ or more with just an LED flashlight or headlamp
I like that idea. Going to add the tape. Will help navigation with the motor sports guys too 
Does anybody use any beads or blades to attract fish on you’re tip ups?
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Does anybody use any beads or blades to attract fish on you’re tip ups?
Yes i mix it up with beads and blades. some days it,s hot others the old plain hook is best.
Ajs
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