Never used one, don’t know anything about them. Saw a picture of one that looked like it had the ‘Schooley’? rod mounted on it.
Can someone explain the what is, why, when, how, and where of such a rig?
thanks
Got a picture?
x2
All they are is a stand ruffly 36′ tall extended to hold a dead stick balanced and when you get a hit they either drop down or lift pending which way the fish travels once it takes the bait.Comes in orange and green.
http://www.iceskimmer.com/
I know one person that uses one and he said it works well.
There also is one that will fit your own rod but I couldnt locate a picture of it,unless thease will fit your own also .
I saw quite a few guys starting to use them last year on Menomonin. I didn’t see if they were helping to catch fish because I am always locked away in my dark shack drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes 
The concepts seems to be a good one though.
Paging IceNutz…paging IceNutz…
There was a thread here a bit ago that had some pics.
[url=http://www.idofishing.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=ice&Number=842947
I’ve had very good luck using the homemade models for crappies and perch. Plus it lets you put out a couple more lines while you are jigging.
Russ…If you’ve seen them on Menomin, it’s likely myself or a couple of friends. Stop by and say hi and I’ll show them to you.
Wow! Thanks. Don’t know how I might have missed that.
Will do Stretch.
Cool! Might have to check that out myself. Just what I need, some more stuff to drag around the ice with me! 
OK Here you go guys, I have been making Tip Downs for years and this is the latest and greatest. Lots of people using the PVC ones but personally I like the wooden ones much better. The poles sit closer to the ice so the wind affects the line less, they are cheap to make from scrap lumber. We use oak so that they last a long time. Here are the instructions and a link to pics on Photobucket. If you have any questions feel free to email me at [email protected] or call me at 715-379-2376
http://s947.photobucket.com/albums/ad317/cmherrmann/Tip%20downs/
Tips:
1. Clean the holes regularly when it is cold enough to freeze them shut.
2. When you clean the holes either lift the line up about a foot real slow and then back down or tip the pole into the down position slowly and back up. This will quite often be just enough movement to trigger a fish to bite. I catch 50% of my fish right after cleaning the holes and doing this. If it is warm enough that the holes do not freeze still go around every 10 minutes or so and move the minnow.
3. When setting the depth hook a depth weight on the line and lower it to the bottom, when it is on the bottom and the pole tip is roughly even with the ice this is the correct depth to put the pin in the reel. Reel up the line and remove the depth weight, hook on a minnow and lower it back down. When the pole is in the stand this should keep the minnow about 1.5 to 2 feet off the bottom.
4. When a fish starts tipping the pole down get there as quickly as possible, once the pole hits the bottom they will spit the minnow if they feel too much resistance. Lift the pole off the stand and put the rod tip right down to the water. This is where it is difficult to figure out when to set the hook. If I get there before it gets tipped all the way down I will lift the pole and put the tip down to the water and wait a couple of seconds and then lift the pole real slow. If you get to pole after it is all way down lift the pole right away and feel for the fish by lifting real slow. You will feel the fish as you lift, now set the hook but do not give it a big jerk use more of a little jerk or just a nice lift. If you set it too hard it will rip the Crappies mouth. Once you set the hook lightly set the pole down and hand line the fish in. If it is a big Crappie get down on your knees and slip one hand under the fish and lift it out of the water with the line and your free hand. Once the weight of a big Crappie comes out of the water it will rip the hook out of it’s mouth. When you get to the pole and lifting there is nothing there set it back in the stand, a lot of times the fish will bite again right away. Also check your minnows every once in a while sometimes they will get off or get stolen. After using the tip downs for a while you will be able to tell if the minnow is still on the line or not just by lifting it and feeling the weight.
5. Try to keep fresh lively minnows on, if a minnow has been on for a long time without a bite it might need to be replaced or maybe move that tip down to a new hole. Sometimes moving a tip down 5 or 10 feet will make a big difference.
6. If it is windy you may need to face the tip down into the wind so that it has to tip toward the wind or you could get false tips. Tip downs will generally out fish jigging 4 or more to 1. If you have any questions feel free to email or call me, if there is fishable ice and it’s a weekend I will be on the ice so feel free to call.
715-379-2376 Cell
Charlie Herrmann
One of the key things that we found was where to screw the top brace that is just below the pole. This brace actually holds the pole at the desired angle according to it’s height on the upright, we found about 1″ from the top worked for us. You can also tilt the upright at any angle to fine tune how easy the rod will tip down. You want it to tip down with very little resistance. Sometimes if it is windy you will need to pack ice shavings or snow on the base and point the pole into the wind or you will be chasing false tipdowns. We also glued our braces once we figured out the best placement, they are as solid as a rock. Almost forgot, you need to cut grooves in the top of the upright for the pole to rest in, I use aluminum ties for chain link fence for the rod that goes through the fish pole handle. Drill a hole in the handle of the pole so that the aluminum rod fits snug in it. The aluminum is easy to bend if needed for fine adjustments.
All that is needed is the listed below. We used scrap wood, so it only cost us about $1.00 for the nuts, bolts, and glue for each one, the jig pole is the most expensive part which you can buy from sportsmansguide.com or most sporting goods shops for $9.00
2 – 1″ square by 18″ long pieces of hardwood This will make up the base
2 – 1″ square by 16″ long pieces of hardwood This will make up the upright portion
3 – 5 1/2″ by 2″ by 1/4″ thick pieces of pressed board used to hold the base and the upright together, 2 go on the base and one on the upright.
2 – 2 1/4 ” by 3/16 carriage bolts and 2 – 3/16 wing nuts, these are used to bolt the base and upright together, Wing nuts go on the inside to make them more compact.
12 – small wood screws to screw the pressed board to the base and uprights.
1 – piece of 4-5 ft. nylon string to tie the pole to the base so the pole doesn’t get pulled down the hole by a Walleye or Northern.
1 – 4″ piece of aluminum chain link fence tie for the rod that goes through the handle.
here’s a tip down that my wife found at gander mountain in wausau. works well and made well too! the pole locks inside of it and it folds up for easy storage. solid cedar, pretty cool. my kids love theirs too.
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here’s a tip down that my wife found at gander mountain in wausau. works well and made well too! the pole locks inside of it and it folds up for easy storage. solid cedar, pretty cool. my kids love theirs too.
They sell those at Gander? Looks like someone changed my design a little. How much?
Well it didn’t take long for someone to copy my tip downs and start selling them to stores!!! Should of gotten a patent HAHA. This is an exact copy, wonder if I can get some residuals?
http://www.fleetfarm.com/company/weeklyAdDetail.jsp?contentId=4574&rez=hi
If you go to about page 15 or 16 in the Fleet Farm weekly flyer it will be on the left hand side with a blue background. you can zoom in on it and see it is the an exact copy of the one that my cousin and I have been building for over 5 years. Maybe the guy will buy me a beer?
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If you go to about page 15 or 16 in the Fleet Farm weekly flyer it will be on the left hand side with a blue background. you can zoom in on it and see it is the an exact copy of the one that my cousin and I have been building for over 5 years. Maybe the guy will buy me a beer?
A good idea doesn’t go unnoticed for long. But hey, you know what they say, imitation is the sincerest forum of flattery. 
I hope he sells a million of them, maybe he will buy me a cold one or two!
Good time to bring this post back up since these where shown on this mornings IDO show.
the tip downs that I use I bought in Hayward at Hayward Bait and Tackle. I know all across northern wisconsin there are people who make there own and sell them at the local shops too.
good luck,
Tanner Wildes
We’ve been using the tip downs for quit a few years already. I’ve rigged mine up to fish at night. I tie a lenght of string to the handle and then to a Strike Sensor. I also use the old hard plastic tip up hole covers with the slot in them to keep the line from freezing. Put the slot towards the pole and and when you get a bite the line goes right down the slot.I also use yellow 6lb. line so it can be seen on the ice and then a leader of vannish with beads and a small blade. The crappies and Perch love this set up.
Building one is out of the question for me due to shoulder surgery so I ordered one from http://www.tipdown.com, can’t wait to try something new.
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Building one is out of the question for me due to shoulder surgery so I ordered one from http://www.tipdown.com, can’t wait to try something new.
Those are fancy.
Sorry to hear about the shoulder. How long you have before you’re back to full strength?
It’s going to be 6-9 months. Fortunately I have some good friends that will help me out such as drilling holes and lugging shacks. My doc said that should be ok just no heavy overhead lifting.
Season 5 – Episode 2. Ice Fishing. Crappies. In-Depth Outdoors host James Holst & Tanner Wildes fish a heavily pressured Hayward WI area lake where sight fishing and finesse techniques are a must to consistently ice slabs accustomed to relentless fishing pressure.
In-Depth Outdoors episodes air on FSN every sunday at 8 AM. If you can’t be in front of the TV be sure to set your DVR!
For our web viewers, if you want to go directly to this latest show, just click on the video player below.
Direct Link >>> Finesse Techniques for Heavily Pressured Crappies
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It’s going to be 6-9 months. Fortunately I have some good friends that will help me out such as drilling holes and lugging shacks. My doc said that should be ok just no heavy overhead lifting.
I hope your rehab goes smoothly. Its not a lot of fun to be on the mend.
Thanks James 
I’ll even reel in your fish for you Shane
Cold is on the way bring on the ice 
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It’s going to be 6-9 months. Fortunately I have some good friends that will help me out such as drilling holes and lugging shacks. My doc said that should be ok just no heavy overhead lifting.
Jerking crappies sounds like the perfect rehab for a bum shoulder.
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It’s going to be 6-9 months. Fortunately I have some good friends that will help me out such as drilling holes and lugging shacks. My doc said that should be ok just no heavy overhead lifting.
Jerking crappies sounds like the perfect rehab for a bum shoulder.
Yup thats the plan! Pat, i’ll let you real in the stinkin cats
DEAL ! !
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