Ifish Pro

tmyboy2001 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>tmyboy2001 wrote:</div>
Several times we have lost fish due to the flag not popping (yes, the unit is set up correctly with the correct setting for a lighter bite). Myself, I’ve had over a dozen occasions wherein we happened to look over, and saw the tip of our deadstick bobbing and/or the line below the slip stop is going crazy but it won’t trip the flag. Big fish, small fish, it doesn’t seem to matter.

Well with that level of satisfaction, I’m surprised you kept using it? I suppose it may have been all you brought along to use? Sounds disappointing though since I bought 2 and have yet to use them.
Perhaps they will be giving them away at the IDO GTG on Mille Lacs later this month.

I guess I believe in being thorough I haven’t yet tried it for <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>walleyes since my home lake isn’t really known for having a great population, but the <em class=”ido-tag-em”>panfish can grow quite large. I’ll be trying it on Mille Lacs next weekend, and if there’s no improvement…in the trash it goes. At least it was only $30. But the other night, I conducted a little experiment with both mine, and my buddy’s. Set them up on the bench in the garage, much like James had his in the instructional video. Found that on both of them, you really had to yank on the line from underneath to get the flag to trip. Makes me skeptical that a walleye would even set it off.

Well yea…especially after reading Tim J’s post above! Now I’m curious, mine are still in the box. Tonight when I get home I’ll try the experiment you did to see if anything is different.
Interesting some have posted here claiming no issues. I almost wonder if there might be some kind of manufacturing flaw with some of them??

I think the HT Ice Rigger is a much simpler design and the trigger force can be adjusted easier. Its nice that the ifishpro is designed to fit over the hole but the plastic is so thin its more of a windblock than anything. Bank a little snow and add a foam circle with a slot and you are good to go with the HT.

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

Makes me skeptical that a walleye would even set it off.

I absolutely LOVE fishing with the Ifishpros and I’ve never had any issues with the sensitivity of the trigger when fishing walleye, pike, lakers… even big perch. I spent the time on the front end learning when and how to use them and my regular tipups can be found gathering dust in the corner of my garage.

That said, I’ve never tried the iFishPro for bluegill or crappie. To be honest I don’t see any type of spring-loaded detection system being a great solution for those species. In that scenario a soft-tipped deadstick would be the way to go.

James Holst wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:</div>
Makes me skeptical that a <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>walleye would even set it off.

I absolutely LOVE fishing with the Ifishpros and I’ve never had any issues with the sensitivity of the trigger when fishing walleye, pike, lakers… even big perch. I spent the time on the front end learning when and how to use them and my regular tipups can be found gathering dust in the corner of my garage.

That said, I’ve never tried the iFishPro for bluegill or crappie. To be honest I don’t see any type of spring-loaded detection system being a great solution for those species. In that scenario a soft-tipped deadstick would be the way to go.

Actually that was tmyboy2001 that said that, not my quote but this was mine from earlier in the thread..“One thing I’ve never done or even thought of was using tip-ups for panfish or perch. Usually always setup for pike.”
So yes, I never intended or considered using for panfish. I have always set tip-up only for pike but am looking forward to trying these for walleye…which I have yet to do!

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

Actually that was tmyboy2001 that said that, not my quote but this was mine from earlier in the thread..

Please accept my apology. I didn’t mean to intentionality mix up the source of the quote. There are drawbacks and pitfalls to attempting to keep up with social media on a cell phone.

In follow up, if someone is having concerns about the amount of pressure it takes to release the trigger something’s wrong. When I set the trigger on an ifishpro I place the trigger pin that holds the flag in the set position as close to the outside edge as possible. Doing so…It takes next to nothing to release the flag. Experiment with where you’re setting the release pin and you’ll get very proficient at finding the sweet spot between light enough for even the lightest biters…and enough pressure to keep the minnow from causing false flags.

I’ve used tip-downs for crappie and perch for many years. They worked great because you can balance them to tip with little to no resistance. We used the cheap jigging rods with the plastic spool set tight. What I didn’t like was having to watch them so closely and running to them once the rod started tipping. Here again you are pulling the fish in by hand and then you have to feed 4# test line back down the hole while it’s stuck on every ice particle within 10 ft. of the hole. Also very difficult to use a hole cover, you just don’t have time to remove it. These Finicky Foolers have eliminated all of that. Reel your fish in, feed the line back down the hole, and place your hole-cover over the hole. Much more efficient. I’ve caught a 4 inch perch and a 5 inch walleye on these.

I’m still trying to wear out my jack traps and beaver dams… I think they are only gonna make it another 25 seasons. Lol!

The Ifish pro is for walleye, pike, lake trout. It never was and never will be for panfish. Its a tip up with a rod holder. Who uses tip ups for panfish? If you do your in the minority.

James Holst wrote:

In follow up, if someone is having concerns about the amount of pressure it takes to release the trigger something’s wrong. When I set the trigger on an ifishpro I place the trigger pin that holds the flag in the set position as close to the outside edge as possible. Doing so…It takes next to nothing to release the flag. Experiment with where you’re setting the release pin and you’ll get very proficient at finding the sweet spot between light enough for even the lightest biters…and enough pressure to keep the minnow from causing false flags.

James, I can say that I have not payed much attention to where the flag is set. I will give it one more go this weekend and play around with the flag arm positioning to see if it yields better results for me.

Obviously Quinn Rhoda not you, and that’s ok therefore you made a comment on something you know nothing about, those if us in the minority will continue to use them if it’s ok with you

fishhuntguy wrote:

The Ifish pro is for walleye, pike, lake trout. It never was and never will be for panfish. Its a tip up with a rod holder. Who uses tip ups for panfish? If you do your in the minority.

Well yes, exactly! Whether it’s an old school tradition or not but always considered tip-up fishing for the big fish…particularly pike. Was also common to use “dead bait” or big frozen shiners. If panfishing I have always held the delicate little rod concentrating on that almost indistinguishable tiny movement on the end of the rod tip. Sometimes you miss, but when hit and feel the weight and the wet spaghetti rod bends down to the hole!
No, doubt I’ll ever set tip-ups for panfish. Might just as well set out a “trot-line”!

fishhuntguy wrote:

The Ifish pro is for walleye, pike, lake trout. It never was and never will be for panfish. Its a tip up with a rod holder. Who uses tip ups for panfish? If you do your in the minority.

I guess I’ll just leave this here, then…

I think that most of us who purchased an I Fish Pro, by and large, were doing so hoping that it would live up to its claim that it truly was useful for all species of fish. To James’s point, I’m sure that it works much better for bigger fish, and I have been setting the pin right at the edge so as to detect even moderately light bites. I’ll continue to experiment, which is why I made the declaration earlier that we had been using them nearly all season. Again, Quinn, most of us in the “minority” were, I’m assuming, trying to put the “fight” back into fishing and improve our chances of hooking into some of our favorite panfish.

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Use it however you want guys. I’m just saying its not ideal for panfish as James stated earlier. Dont get your panties all tied up in a bunch. Tight lines!

fishhuntguy wrote:

Use it however you want guys. I’m just saying its not ideal for <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>panfish as James stated earlier. Dont get your panties all tied up in a bunch. Tight lines!

My feelings are personally hurt. I am going to start a movement. Ribbons, bracelets, protests in the parking lots and on the ice. The butt hurt alone makes me cry. I have no focus or objective in mind, but I will start the movement anyway!

Just to clarify, the position of the flag really doesn’t matter. The position of the pin that holds the flag in the “set” position is what you want to experiment with. For example, the photo attached shows the pin pushed to the back of the trigger mechanism. A fish would have to get a running start and be swimming downhill prior to impact with the bait to trigger the flag set in this manner.

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Now, for comparison sake, here’s how I set the pin on my iFISHPro 99% of the time. I’ll include two photos. One from an angle similar to the photo above showing how NOT to do it. Another from an overhead angle showing how far out to the edge you can set the pin. When set up like this the amount of pressure needed to set off the flag is minuscule. The only time I’ve ever set the pin further back into the trigger mechanism is when I was fishing big, live sucker minnows and the suckers were causing false flags. Even then I only went back in about an 1/8th of an inch.

I hope this helps guys. As for using the iFishPros for panfish… you’re entitled to use them any way you want but I just don’t see that as being a primary use. I’m used to fishing gills and crappie that will barely move the tip of a noodle rod or spring bobber. Of course there’s going to be days when the fish are smacking baits and you’d be able to put some fishing on the ice. But when the fish are doing the “mouth the bait – spit” routine… you’re going to want to take a different approach or accept the poor hooking percentage you’re almost guaranteed to experience. My recommendation for a solution to this particular scenario would be to fish a good noodle rod for the panfish and throw a sucker minnow out under the iFishPro to target the pike that are almost always hanging around schools of panfish. That, in my experience, is a recipe for success and where the iFishPro absolutely shines!

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Way to kill the movement James! I was gonna make a difference. I guess I’ll go back down in mommy’s basement and wait for dinner! Awesome follow up and info. This site is an amazing resource.

Exactly James. It is not my primary set up for crappies its more of just and xtra line to help in covering an area, the perch have no trouble tripping the flag. I use mine mainly for northerns but have no problem using them for perch or eyes

I ordered one today (in spite of this thread)and look forward to using it. As far as panfish go I think a tip down would scratch the itch you’re looking for in the I Fishpro.

They’re insulated now as well.

Any recent reviews?

I’m going to be buying an ifishpro for a walleye trip before next weekend. Without mentioning a TUCR, what type of rod, reel, and line combination works best for this rigs? Probably a longer, medium pole with heavier mono? I’d prefer a braid to flouro leader, but are there any ice braids people actually like?

I’m wondering about rod and reel with the ifishpro? Not brand specific but if I was out targeting perch/ walleye/ and pike what kind of action and length rod you suggest? I was just using a Berkeley amp 32inch I believe medium? With a 20series Abu Garcia reel 17#nanofil to a flouro leader? I would love to dial this rig in better!

The rod doesn’t have to be anything special as it’s a dead stick but a bait feeding reel is the key,I use okuma bf, the wind will not blow the line off of these types of reels as the bail is not open, good luck you’ll like em

James hit the nail on the head. I tried all last year to land a walleye (or pike) on the ifishpro and with all kind of bad trips, not having the flag trip or other malfunctions. I gave up on it.

Fast forward to last weekend I was up on Mille Lacs and figured if there was ever a time to use it it was now. So I went over a few videos and posts to make sure I was doing it correctly and found that there is one more setting (as James showed above) on the very outside of the latch for the pin. I was using the one before that and had actually caught a walleye that was on my line but hadn’t tripped the flag. I use that last setting for the pin this weekend and it performed flawlessly, even though the fishing was slow. Landed a beautiful 26.5 incher on it and the combination of my ifishpro, TUCR Deadstick and Avenger baitfeeder reel was an absolute blast.

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tbro16 wrote:

I’m going to be buying an ifishpro for a walleye trip before next weekend. Without mentioning a TUCR, what type of rod, reel, and line combination works best for this rigs? Probably a longer, medium pole with heavier mono? I’d prefer a braid to flouro leader, but are there any ice braids people actually like?

Tbro, I would say something medium light to medium powered with a softer tip and a solid backbone about halfway down the blank. You can see the bend in my picture above for reference (sorry it’s a TUCR Deadstick ). I use 8lb mono with an 8 lb fluoro leader with a swivel in between. Just don’t buy an Abu Veritas. That was my first rod I used as a deadstick. Set the hook and the rod would bend over all the way to the handle. Missed so many fish with that stupid rod.

I tried the I fish pro 2.0 up on red this weekend. Dissapointed. I walked past it on my way to my portable and the trigger was bouncing around so I grabbed the rod and set the hook…fish on. Never tripped the flag on the sensitive setting. Nice 21″ walleye tho. Only fish I caught on it.

I have the version 1 of the I Fish Pro. I have never had any issues with the set up not firing and pulling up an empty hook. I would say that for panfish yes it is hit and miss but for walleye I think it is a good set up. Never heard of filing down the trigger but I guess that would help. I typically still use my beaver dams outside and I use the I fish pro more in my big pop up shack as a secondary line. But on low wind days I still use the I fish pro a bit. I have heard good things on the fooler as well and I may try them but I still think the I fish Pro is a good product.

Tip-downs are such a better option for panfish in my opinion (unless you’re fishing extremely deep water). The IFish Pro is fun on pike and other large species. We’ve tossed a few out on backwater perch flats and had mixed results. Some aggressive perch will trigger them with ease while others routinely nab the minnow with no flag. They are not something I’d use when the weather is extremely cold. The thin plastic doesn’t do a lot to keep holes open and they seem pretty brittle to the point if they were dropped they’d break. In the coldest weather, a beaver dam tip up is more reliable when set on it’s lightest setting.

Me and my buddies have been using the first strike rod mounted tip ups for two winters now. We love them with a bait feeder reel. Whats so nice is you can just decide to take it off or put it on. You dont need a trigger thing in the line and can keep the whole system in your pocket and just clip it on your rod. We can set them super light for panfish or heavy when you have suckers on for bait. The only reason I still have tip ups is because I only have two bait feeder reels and when we tip up fish we usually get quite a few people out.

Alex Roers wrote:

Me and my buddies have been using the first strike rod mounted tip ups for two winters now

I haven’t seen this product before. Does it work pretty well? Ingeniously simple and small. I like that you can carry it in your pocket

I’ve never had any issues with my DIY insulated IFP. The flag seems to trip with any walleye bites and rarely do I get stripped of a minnow. The only two issues that bothers me with an IFP is that it’s a little bulky and the line can freeze into the surface of the hole, unlike a tip-up, so I only use it when it’s a bit warmer.

I did pick up a Finicky Fooler to try this season. I haven’t had it on the ice yet. One issue I can see right off the bat is that I like to add a jingle bell to the flag of my IFP and Beaver Dam tip ups. It allows me to hear the flags go up more easily, although you can hear an IFP pretty well because the flag arm often smacks the plastic body. The FF has that flimsy plastic arm that won’t tolerate the weight of a bell.

As far as panfish tip-ups, I don’t see how that’s effective, unless you’re using it to locate were a school of crappies are roaming. It would drive me nuts to try and deal with a bluegill set line every two minutes.