Tip Up Set Up

Guys if you would share you typical set up for tip ups for either walleye or crappie I would greatly appreciate it.
I have started to tip up fish this year and have not had much success. I know that does depend on the fish LOL but still just want to make sure I have every best chance of hooking up.

I typically fish for walleye on tip ups and have been using frabill thermals but have access to beaver dams as well. Have been using standard tip up line with 6 pound mono in the blue color with red sure set treble from VMC in size 6 i think or four can’t remember. I use shiners or small sucker minnows in that 4-5 inch range.

If you think that using single hooks or colored hooks or whatever throw it over my way I will try anything.

Thanks in advance.

I did read the post on tip ups below too but that pertained more to kind of tip up I am looking for specific set ups. Thanks again.

I recommend going with vinyl coated line as your main line which IMO is a huge benefit to avoid water retention resulting freeze up of your spool if you’re fishing in especially single digit temps. It will also help to avoid tangles especially while fighting large fish where you might need to feed them line during the fight. Suffix makes a great coated line.
http://www.rapala.com/sufix/tip-up/performance-v-coat-tip-up-line/Performance+V+Coat+Tip+Up.html?start=3&cgid=sufix-tipUp

For my leader line I like to use a 4-6′ section of 100% fluorocarbon versus mono because it’s less visible in the water. Since I usually target larger fish with tip ups and there is less margin for error with the benefit of a rod/reel combo for giving drag I always go with heavier 12-14# line versus the 6 lb that I use on my walleye jigging rods. I attach my leaders using a small swivel rated for at least 30#.

If pike are in the area I add a secondary leader consisting of 8″ of 20-30# fluorocarbon attached using a swivel or simple snap. For minnows bigger than 5-6″ I go with a quick strike rig. For medium to large size minnows (typically shinners or little suckers) I go with a single treble hook. For all of my treble and quick strikes I use VMC sure-set hooks with the largest hook for the minnow. For small minnows such as fatheads I go with a single, wide gap hook. It is important to make sure the width of the hook gap is at least 1.5 times as wide as the width at the back of the minnow… This will help to avoid your hook tip burying itself in the minnow’s back on hood set.

It is also important to make sure your tip-up spools spin very easily. After a few years the grease can lose some of it’s lubrication so I will re-grease the shafts with something like HT blue lube or Frabil sub zero.

For panfish such as crappies I actually prefer using tip-downs versus tip-ups.

Will

Will this great! Thanks for the detailed description on what you use for what fish you are targeting.

Here is a tip-up show that James and I filmed on Mille Lacs a couple winters ago… They are set up exactly as I described above.

http://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/fishing/videos/tip-up-tips-for-early-ice-eyes-2/

I like the sounds of Will’s setup. If I’m fishing where I’m pretty sure I won’t encounter northerns I usually run 6# test clear mono. If pike are mixed in, I run about 12-15# fluoro and if you’re careful, that will usually keep pike from cutting through the leader like it isn’t there.

I fish some pretty clear water in NW WI, and when I’ve set out tip ups mixed with both types of leaders, the heavier fluoro doesn’t seem to hurt my walleye bites, so I find myself using that more and more. I run smaller trebles, #8’s I think. I’ve tried singles before and seemed to miss more, but I used what I had on hand and probably needed something with a bigger gap. I experimented with circle hooks once and they didn’t work very well for me. Always crimp a couple split shot about 15″ above the hook to keep the minnow down.

I’ve always used regular old style braided tip up line too. It will freeze in cold weather but thaws back out after putting the spool back in the water. I’m sure there have been major advances in coated lines though. I haven’t used them for probably over 20 years. At that time they coiled up so bad in cold weather they were unmanageable. Probably about time I should give a coated line a shot again…

Will Roseberg wrote:

Here is a tip-up show that James and I filmed on Mille Lacs a couple winters ago… They are set up exactly as I described above.
http://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/fishing/videos/tip-up-tips-for-early-ice-eyes-2/

Will’s slender spoon is sexy, and it knows it! Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle.

Will hey thanks for taking the time to respond I know your a tip up guru so was good info for sure. I did not take time to switch over my main line yet but did buy some of that line your talking about and will give it a try later this winter. Not too many pike in my area so I am going with leader of 8pd Pline and will see how it goes. I did use swivel to attach leader they are not as long as what your suggesting (didn’t read post until I retied) but will change after next trip or maybe sooner we will see.

Do you ever use beads above your hooks I have a couple set up with chartreuse beads just to see if that helps. (disregard spelling)

Thanks everyone for all the insight.

I saw in that video some of their set-ups included a spinner blade set high up on the leader…I have a few pike leaders this way. Was wondering what the thoughts are rigging a blade the way they did? Seems like a good thought-an attractor above the bait to get attention?
Beads: I run with and without. Some days it seems to make a difference, some not so much. I haven’t been very scientific about it though, could be as simple as where each tip-up is set…though I have a secret confidence in a chartreuse or sometimes red or glow bead, even rigging live bait under a slip bobber in open water.
Thoughts anybody?

Something I didn’t mention that will really help to avoid missed flags is to pull out an extra 10-15′ feet of tip up line past the depth you will be set up at… This will allow you to “clear” the spool of any ice and allow the spool to spin freely. I always do this the first time I set the tip up out and on the very cold days I do it between every fish I catch.

I usually don’t add any beads for pike or walleyes but I do for perch. I find that biggest thing you can do to attract fish is what we call flushing the tip up which is to lift the tip-up 4-5′ up every time you walk by it and then let the bait settle back down. Using this lift/drop technique every 10-15 mins will probably double or triple your catch rate.

Will

JD Winston wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Will Roseberg wrote:</div>

Here is a tip-up show that James and I filmed on Mille Lacs a couple winters ago… They are set up exactly as I described above.

http://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/fishing/videos/tip-up-tips-for-early-ice-eyes-2//quote

Will’s slender spoon is sexy, and it knows it! Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle.

Slender and flashy… How can you not find it sexy!