Hey all,
Got into tip down fishing for the first time this weekend with some success. I am going to make about a dozen of them this summer for some friends and family. For those of you that have made your own, what brand rod/reel have you went with?
Cheap HT rod with schooley type reel. Less than $10 and work fine. Longer the better IMO.
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I agree with the cheap ht rods but I prefer the 25 inch over the 28inch
I have made over 100 this winter and I use the HT JL-3 Little jigger 25″ ABS plastic handle. You need to consider the height of the stand to the length of the pole if you are using a design that is close to the ice.
The wood handle poles look pretty but we have them balanced to delicate that the wood varies enough to throw the balance off.
The ABS Plastic is strong and the consistancy of the material makes it easy to use the exact same balance point. I do sell them for $20 each with a pole and ready to fish. You will have a hard time building them your self for that price. Consider the price of the pole, wood and plywood for the frame, line, terminal tackle, bolts and wing nuts.
The only way I can sell them at this price is my dad has the lumber from trees that we cut on his land and we sawed into lumber on my cousin’s porable sawmill. My sister has a giant woodworking shop and I buy the poles direct from HT. I have a dealers account setup with them that gives me a discount on large numbers of purchases.
If you want any tips and more info on building them feel free to call or PM me 715-379-2376 Charlie
How much for just the pole Charlie?
I bought three from Icenuz and they are great. Easy to pack, great balance and for $20 you can’t go wrong 
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How much for just the pole Charlie?
PM sent
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I bought three from Icenuz and they are great. Easy to pack, great balance and for $20 you can’t go wrong
Thanks Marc,
It took us about 10 years of different design mods to get to that final design, which I think is the best design made with the fisherman in mind. I have sold a little over 100 of them this year and we are looking at expanding next year and actually setup an LLC and sell them through bait shops. We will put up a web page but not an e-commerce site, info and places to buy only. I may still sell direct to customers but it is really time consuming taking orders, boxing and shipping besides making them when it’s basically a one man operation, I’m loosing too much fishing time now.
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I bought three from Icenuz and they are great. Easy to pack, great balance and for $20 you can’t go wrong
Ditto here. I don’t even get a chance to jig if Iset out two of these!! 
Charlie’s (IceNutz) tip-downs are fantastic. Have enjoyed them thoroughly this winter. A great buy at $20!
Thanks guys for the kind comments. Also thanks to all of the people that purchased tip downs from me this year, because of this I was able to donate some to several fishing jamborees and to one of the members on here to use for their kids jamboree.
I’m not sure if I can get any more poles this year or not. I have to purchase in minimums of 4 to a pack and unless you want quantity the shipping cost is too high to make it worth while.
I really hate to pile on, but the tip downs made by IceNutz are fantastic. I love the ones he sent me.
Done piling on now. 
The best one i’ve found is the Schooley combo at 26″, the cheap HT reels are junk if you actually have to reel in a bigger fish. Like pike, walleye or bass. Schooleys have a spring on there reels that really help the drag. HT reels will actually tighten the drag so you can’t reel in the bigger fish. If you can find the schooleys on fishusa they are by far the best for tip downs. They cost a little more per rod well worht it in my opinion. Also once you start making them, they cost about $12.00 to make if you use pine, ive have sold about 4 dz per year for $15.00. Crappie guys design 
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The best one i’ve found is the Schooley combo at 26″, the cheap HT reels are junk if you actually have to reel in a bigger fish. Like pike, walleye or bass. Schooleys have a spring on there reels that really help the drag. HT reels will actually tighten the drag so you can’t reel in the bigger fish. If you can find the schooleys on fishusa they are by far the best for tip downs. They cost a little more per rod well worht it in my opinion. Also once you start making them, they cost about $12.00 to make if you use pine, ive have sold about 4 dz per year for $15.00. Crappie guys design
The Design you are using is my design, I use Crappie Guy on other sites and we call them Crappie Guy Tip Downs.
If you can make them for $12 using Schooly Rods you are getting the rods at a good price. Schooley Rods cost about that much.
Classy. Use his design and then undercut his selling price and brag about all the sales you have done.
Not trying to offend anyone, just telling the facts… I don’t sell them to make money that’s why there cheaper. Friends and family thats it. Pretty much pays for the supplies and a circ. saw blade. I was actually giving crappieguy props, great simple design. I just use a different pole. And the original question was what kind of pole do people use for tip downs. Always going to be one person offended on here 
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Not trying to offend anyone, just telling the facts… I don’t sell them to make money that’s why there cheaper. Friends and family thats it. Pretty much pays for the supplies and a circ. saw blade. I was actually giving crappieguy props, great simple design. I just use a different pole. And the original question was what kind of pole do people use for tip downs. Always going to be one person offended on here
I have no problem with anyone using my design, I actually posted it on another fishing website about 8 years ago and many people have copied it. If you ever go to Fleet Farm and see the Sure-Strike Tip Down, it is an exact copy that was introduced about 2 years a go.
As they say imitation is the highest form of flattery!
Where is your patent?
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Not trying to offend anyone, just telling the facts… I don’t sell them to make money that’s why there cheaper. Friends and family thats it. Pretty much pays for the supplies and a circ. saw blade. I was actually giving crappieguy props, great simple design. I just use a different pole. And the original question was what kind of pole do people use for tip downs. Always going to be one person offended on here
Very disappointing, Why would you copy someone’s design and sell it?
My kids and I did the same thing. Made 150 of them for a class project. I’m out of the rods, but selling the tip downs for $10.00. We were out on Cedar last week and couldn’t keep up with the “tips”! Great fun…
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My kids and I did the same thing. Made 150 of them for a class project. I’m out of the rods, but selling the tip downs for $10.00. We were out on Cedar last week and couldn’t keep up with the “tips”! Great fun…
I have no problem taking the design and making a few for yourself or family, but this is a little different. Come up with your own idea. 
Do you have the patent on that item?
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Do you have the patent on that item?
No I do not, a patent costs way too much money for what I would get out of selling them. A 1 year provincial patent costs near $1,000 and a full patent is way more.
It just bothers me a little me when someone takes your exact design, decides to sell them, then comes on here and sticks in your face.
If you want to take my design and make some for yourself and your family, have at it I will help you with any questions.
Common courtesy isn’t that common anymore. Everyone tries to take the shortcut to easy $$$$$ instead of putting the work in to make their own design.
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Common courtesy isn’t that common anymore. Everyone tries to take the shortcut to easy $$$$$ instead of putting the work in to make their own design.
So true, to each their own. People like that have no conscience or just don’t give a damn period.
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Common courtesy isn’t that common anymore. Everyone tries to take the shortcut to easy $$$$$ instead of putting the work in to make their own design.
Patent it our quit whining about.
So true, to each their own. People like that have no conscience or just don’t give a damn period.
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