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Benefiting from Tip-Ups
Ice anglers are known for using tip-ups for northern pike . But , they work just as well for winter walleye .
by Jon Mitzel
When I was just a little tyke I remember seeing orange objects scattered across the ice close to occupied fish houses . In those days I didn ’ t have any interest in using one of those weird fish-catching tools and knew practictlly nothing about them . I would simple ask Dad or Grandpa what those orange objects were as we drove past them on our the way to our fish house . As I grew older I began noticing more anglers using tip-ups , but still didn ’ t pay any attention as I walked past them in tackle shops where I headed straight for the “ good stuff ”. I believed that ice fishing was productive when you were sitting in an ice house with a depthfinder and jigging rod and another set line in an adjacent hole . That ’ s a very effective way to fish . But at times it can become very cold and moving around a lot takes a lot of effort . Sometimes it ’ s preferable to sit and wait in one spot than fight the elements . It wasn ’ t until the winter of ‘ 98 that I got exposed to the benefits of the mighty orange tip-ups . We set our lines inside the house first , using one line with each of our depthfinders in those holes . We bought a box of orange colored tip-ups and sorted them across the fish house table . I had no previous experience on how to rig , set depth and even place a tip-up . I was about to be educated . “ Flag up !” someone shouted as they ran outside the door and came back with a healthy 17 inch walleye . There ’ s a trick when picking up the tip-up from the ice . If the fish is swimming or running you ’ ll see the pin that sets the flag spinning . Grab the line knob and give it a few quick short spins forward . That creates slack in the line which allows you to get a good hook set into the fish using just your hands . We had noticed that two of our five tip-ups were actively catching fish , just about all the fish , and eventually realized that the depth of the tips-ups were set in the bottom of a small channel while the outer tip-ups were just too shallow at the time . Without moving our tip-ups around we wouldn ’ t have only caught a few fish from inside the fish house . It ’ s great to fish inside a fish house with a rod and reel in your warm , comfortable hand . But the use of tip-ups that particular day drastically changed the number of walleyes we caught . At days end after dark we estimated catching some 40 plus walleyes through the ice . And nearly all of them were caught from tip-ups .
East Bay Campground
Located on the east shores of Devils Lake !
• SnoBear Fishing Trips
• Cabins available for rent
• Winter lake access / minimal fee
Interestingly , the following day we moved the location of the fish house slightly and put the house over our most productive holes . We did put out tips that day , but managed to stay busy with walleyes cruising beneath the house . It ’ s an exciting moment when you peak out the window of the fish house and you see a flag up . Walking ( or running ) to the tip-up and seeing the spool spinning as the fish makes a run provides excitement . Tip-ups continue to be commonly used among northern pike anglers . However , they ’ re also great fish catching tools for locating and catching winter walleyes . Flag up ! •
Bait shop & C-Store for all your winter ice fishing needs
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