Rattle Reel Setup/Tip-up Setup

Heading to Mille Lacs Jan. 17-20th and looking for advice on rattle reel setups and tip-up setups. Staying out of a sleeper shack so will utilize both. Have done research (mostly via this forum) and have come up with the general conclusion that a red octopus hook with a sinker for rattle reels and then I typically run a size 8 red treble with a sinker on my tip-ups. Run these about a foot off the bottom? I have also read that guys verify minnow depth with a camera. Is this necessary or extra effort? Would love to hear others’ opinions and if people change setups during the day vs. at night. Thanks in advance.

Red or plain bronze hook. I prefer a kale hook. 4-18” off bottom. 3-5” sucker minnow. Day, night, most likely peak feeding windows you will get bit. I’m sure of it. Have fun!

Sure-Set Treble, couple bigger split shots 4-6 inches above that. I usally set them 12-16″ off the bottom. Rig with a 4-6″ sucker minnow. If they are really lively, I usually clip the tail fin off. I always use colored fly line as well as the main line then about a 2′ floro leader. I use this on all my tip up/rattle reel rigs.

I like to stagger depths. Fish usually feed up so I like to set my depths 18-36” off the bottom. Sometimes even higher depending on where I’ve marked fish.

4-8 size treble depending on bait size and try both shiners and suckers.

Sometimes a spoon with a treble or single hook can be deadly. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

MNdrifter wrote:

Red or plain bronze hook. I prefer a kale hook. 4-18” off bottom. 3-5” sucker minnow. Day, night, most likely peak feeding windows you will get bit. I’m sure of it. Have fun!

You must’ve been there before.

Same advice from me, not even sure how much hook color matters as the night bites are complete blackness down there. I’ll even use a jig at times instead of plain hook and split shot, tail hooked 3-5″ sucker. Seems to work just as good.

Same protocol, always keep your 2 lines down all day and night. Obviously pull one up if you plan to do some jigging.

I tend not to use treble hooks on Mille Lacs with the one walleye limit and narrow slot, you’ll be releasing more than you can keep and a treble can cause problems removing if it gets down their throat a ways.

Yes, good luck