tipup tip

[WayneChristie]

not really my favourite way to fish but I did catch my personal best pike on one so I cant complain. my ten inch auger tends to open the holes even more at the top so I came up with a solution that also blocks wind and snow. The tipup fits perfectly in the 5 gallon pail indent too.

[Bushleague]

Good tip, I find that wind jigging tip-ups are generally more productive. And although keeping the holes ice free and the tip-ups bobbing can be time consuming, it generally seems to be well worth the effort.

Most days it seems like the wind Tip-ups out fish me, so over the years I have slowly warmed up to them. Bring a book and a thermos of coffee, if I'm driving on I might get a game of cards going in the truck, on a good day we don't even get dealt up though due to all the flags going off.

[WayneChristie]

since Ive hooked most of my pike in the past three weeks on moving bait wind jiggers would be great. around here it can get pretty windy. I prefer a rod 99% if the time tho I find the drag bleeds a lot less than my fingers

[mlee]

I do the same thing but I use old semi mud flaps. One flap will make 2 12" square covers easily....cut the slot the same and the black rubber keeps the hole ice free for quite some time. We usually set up one windlass and one round thermo....and I'll agree the windlass will usually out fish the the other everything else being equal.

[Who Da Fisherman]

Originally Posted by WayneChristie

since Ive hooked most of my pike in the past three weeks on moving bait wind jiggers would be great. around here it can get pretty windy. I prefer a rod 99% if the time tho I find the drag bleeds a lot less than my fingers

I once tried to set the hook and forgot that I had spider line on, man that line just about cut through to the bone.
Now I use a heavy bandage or hockey tape around my setting finger works great
WDF

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by WayneChristie

since Ive hooked most of my pike in the past three weeks on moving bait wind jiggers would be great. around here it can get pretty windy. I prefer a rod 99% if the time tho I find the drag bleeds a lot less than my fingers

Not to brag, but I've invented exactly the device you seek, it jigs the hook, lets fish run with the bait, and you fight your fish off of the rod... plus it is super cheap and easy to make. I also make one that folds up nice and small, has its own spool, and pops a flag. I'll try and take some pics of the flag popping model on Monday when I'm out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETsIn9mYYVQ

Some more tip-action with the strapping/ bucket setup, if you're interested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wLX3m1iVmo&t=399s

[HuyFishin]

nice contraptions haha

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by HuyFishin

nice contraptions haha

Not pretty, but they work well. I'll take a picture of the "improved model", looks a lot more slick and you can fit a half dozen of them in a pail, but you do need to handline your fish.

The last day of last season I fished Slave Lake after work, when I showed up some guys were packing up, they told me they'd been getting bites but were having trouble hooking up. I set out my tip ups, and I think because the take felt more natural to the fish I had an excellent evening, no trouble hooking up at all. I kept two nice walleye and when I filleted them, both fish had shiners in their stomachs that had obviously been stripped off of other fishermen's hooks. I found it ironic that a chunk of scrap wood with a spool, a flag, and a piece of lumber strapping nailed to it worked so well where sensitive modern ice rods had failed.

[WayneChristie]

Originally Posted by Bushleague

Not to brag, but I've invented exactly the device you seek, it jigs the hook, lets fish run with the bait, and you fight your fish off of the rod... plus it is super cheap and easy to make. I also make one that folds up nice and small, has its own spool, and pops a flag. I'll try and take some pics of the flag popping model on Monday when I'm out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETsIn9mYYVQ

Some more tip-action with the strapping/ bucket setup, if you're interested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wLX3m1iVmo&t=399s

those look good, Ive made something like that with the wide pipe straps but nowadays since I turned 90 YO I like to fish in my tent out of the wind and the weather, while watching the fish on the camera so I can figure out their interests that day. Only problem I can see with the pail model is the lakes I fish all have very big girls in them, the rod would be long gone before you could take a couple steps, I know Ive lost a few now I prefer mine locked in so I dont have to replace yet another.

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by WayneChristie

those look good, Ive made something like that with the wide pipe straps but nowadays since I turned 90 YO I like to fish in my tent out of the wind and the weather, while watching the fish on the camera so I can figure out their interests that day. Only problem I can see with the pail model is the lakes I fish all have very big girls in them, the rod would be long gone before you could take a couple steps, I know Ive lost a few now I prefer mine locked in so I dont have to replace yet another.

You leave the bail open! I did not explain that, but yes, the bail is left open so the fish can run with the bait. Its not usually necessary with walleye, but with pike of any size its absolutely vital. The ones I make with the spool and the flag are better if you are fishing in a tent, because a bell can be put on the flag.

For pike, I just bank on them wanting an anchovy under a jigging tip-up, 99 percent of the time that jiggling anchovy will catch more pike than whatever I'm doing with my jigging rod. With walleye its not quite as consistent, but the tip-ups still pick up more fish in a season than the rods do. YMMV obviously.