Whitefish tip up 101

[Fang]

Grew up ice fishing this way for most fish and with all new fancy rigs, the old standard tip up stick and spreader seems to be getting a back seat.

Best fished inside a hut or on a really calm day with no wind

 

Most guys make their own sticks. This pattern is one of the first I ever tried making. I've tried other designs but come back to this one (got my first one from Hales fish huts). It's light and strong and very nicely balanced. Cut from red or white oak 5/16" thick for strength. Cedar or pine will work but on decent fish you'll end up busting a few sticks each year. I prime and paint mine fl. red or orange to make them super visible inside a dark hut. This one in the picture is almost 20 years old. On the finished stick slice a small line notch in the nose with an Xacto knife

The most important thing in design is the distance between the line winding. Should be 12" so as you lower line down you can count to see depth.

 

A small peice of coat hanger is placed on the shaft and held with elastic bands (I use girl hair bands as they do not rot). There should be some play as the wire is adjusted back and forth to get the proper balance point. Tie on 6-10lb and wrap enough line to fish the bottom. 1 complete wind = 2 ft. Count the windings. I usually wind 75 times or 150 ft. The winding is important so the line comes from under the bottom and then goes on top to the tip with wire shaft on the top side

 

Tie on a spreader to the line. The tip up basically gets placed in the holder as suchm Most hut operators will provide these if you rent a hut.

 

Unwind line and lower baited spreader to the bottom. The idea is to get enough line out to place spreader just on the bottom and have the tip up placed back in the holder level and balanced. Wrap line around the wire shaft to get to the exact depth

 

 

Now adjust the wire shaft back and forth so the tip up balances level

 

 

In this shot the spreader is 1/4" above the table top. If any fish swims by and disturbs the water, the tip up will move. If the tip up nose rises most likely a whitefish has sucked up your minnow. I prefer salted minnows on the spreader and if trout or perch are around I'll add in a seperate hook about 2 ft up from the tip up with a live minnow.

 

On a well balanced tip up you should be able to lightly press down on the back end of the tip up stick and raise the nose. When you let go the tip up nose drops down again slowly dips below level and then balances off again.

 

Hope some found this helpful

[Gerritt]

Some real good useful info! thanks for sharing!

 

G

[TroutnMuskieHunter]

Thanks for the post and pics Fang...I'm going Whitefish huntin next weekend and would like to build a few of those for me and the boys....could you please post another pic of a close-up showing how that wire is held in place with the elastics??....If a Windlass tip-up was balanced correctly, would it work as well as this wooden one??

 

Thanks,

Steve

[Terry]

nice

I have used them for years

 

works best inside a fish hut

[douG]

Great post, Fang, the ultimate story on the subject, explained very well. Thanks. It looks like the tip up holder is made from a piece of metal strapping?

 

I think my Pa used to make these out of old hockey stick shafts, ripped in half or thirds on the table saw.

[Beats]

Thanks for the post. I've seen lots of pics of peoples carved sticks but never a detailed description of how all the parts are installed and balanced. Thanks

[TroutnMuskieHunter]

Thanks for the post and pics Fang...I'm going Whitefish huntin next weekend and would like to build a few of those for me and the boys....could you please post another pic of a close-up showing how that wire is held in place with the elastics??....If a Windlass tip-up was balanced correctly, would it work as well as this wooden one??

 

Thanks,

Steve

 

Forget about that request for "could you please post another pic of a close-up showing how that wire is held in place with the elastics??" ....I figured it out and asked the wife for a hair elastic!!

 

Thanks again!!

[addict]

ive used those before the work great just dont have em to far away pike will steal them lost mine down the hole.

[Mike Pike]

Nice stick Fang!

 

My earliest ice fishing experiences( and best )were in a rental hut out of Big Bay Point fishing a traditional tip-up as you describe. You really can't improve on that design. And you can set it up so sensitively, the tip-up will even transmit the paniced movement of your minnows.

 

Can't wait to get out on the big water, even if the season will be a short one on Simcoe this year.

[skeeter]

those are the best to use

i started with them and i love them

now i have to make some more.

thanks for the post.

 

 

Dann

[Dondorfish]

Skeeter - i am surprised that you didn't post a picture of your tip-ups - very cool tip-ups - so I will

 

 

 

 

 

Don

[Sinker]

The only thing that compares to them for sensitivity is a perfectly set slip bobber. I used to always use the tip ups, but the last few years I've been running slip floats......I like bringing them up with a rod and reel. The floats also work better outside on a windy day.

 

Can't beat them in a hut though.....just breath the wrong way and it will move!!

 

Sinker

[tonyb]

Nice...the classic tipup!

 

I have to say though...I have lost more Whitefish than I have landed using spreaders...I don't know why...but I think the fish is able to use the weight and akward shape of the spreader wire to help free itself. I've seen them headshaking 10-15' below the hut while fighting them and they always seem to be able to to get free from the spreader...I know they wouldn't have the same luck with just a fine wire hook for example...no weight or leverage for the fish to shake free.

 

I am going to experiment more with sliding sinker rigs and jigs this winter...

[fishindevil]

Home made tip-ups like yours are great,i have made prob 20 of them over the years and like yours look great,and work even better, thanks for all the info,im sure some guys are making them right now,from your instructions !!!!!...nice design as well...cheers

[Fang]

Tony, you're dead on. Spreaders do tend to pull out when fighting a Whitefish by hand. Their soft mouths don't stand up to well when hand lining

 

The guys that taught me to fish tip ups use a really neat rig for whitefish

 

Take 2 long light elastic bands joined together and use like a dipsey snubber just above the spreader. You attached then as a shock absorber so they stretch out when whities head shake. Your main line still is directly attached to the spreader. Tie in a swivel and then onto that the elastic about a foot up from the spreader not to spook fish. Stretch the elastic away from the spreader to get maximun strech. Tie in another swivel and attacth other end of elastic to that. Then tie rig direct to main line

 

I'll try and rig one up tonight and post. It really works well and cuts down on lost fish.

 

Another thing that adds to lost fish is the hooks on store bought spreaders. I replace all mine with small (10-12) steelhead hooks. The black nickel Raven ones work great. I also do my own spreaders on solid light wire. You'd be amazed how a whitefish can take a bait off a hook that is attached to mono without moving the stick.

[tonyb]

Ok...you didn't mention you are using modified gear lol! Some good infor there for sure...thanks for sharing!

 

I figure a light egg sinker to a short lead and small hook and the fish can inhale the whole minnow and then move away with it without feeling any resistance.

[mistyriver1]

Great post.

[LeXXington]

cool, thanks for sharing.

[highdrifter]

Excellent! Very thorough.

 

cheers

HD

[buckster]

Ok...you didn't mention you are using modified gear lol! Some good infor there for sure...thanks for sharing!

 

I figure a light egg sinker to a short lead and small hook and the fish can inhale the whole minnow and then move away with it without feeling any resistance.

ive been doing that for years and i have found that it makes for a better landed fish ratio. use 6lb florocarbon and red hooks cheers

[TroutnMuskieHunter]

I was going to make my own Whitefish tip-up until I discovered this one at Wal-Mart....$7.97 ...it's made out of hardwood.... all I had to do was give it a quick painting and replace the crappy line that it came with!!

[Fang]

Wow at Walmart? I might buy a few just for the stands - nice and compact.

 

Get some line on it and tie on a spreader. Check the balance before going out. You want to keep the wire soemwhere around mid point. With the weight of the spreader you might have to move the wire forward quite a bit.

 

One trick is to back weight the end of the tip up with a washer or 2 and a bit of tape.

 

If you have any glow in the dark paint try it on the tips. Makes it even more visible in a dark hut.

Edited January 24, 2008 by Fang

[wuchikubo]

Thanks Fang and TMH for the info, definitely a reason for me to make the trip to wallymart.

[TroutnMuskieHunter]

Wow at Walmart?

 

I like the stand nice and compact. Get some line on it and tie on a spreader. Check the balance before going out. You want to keep the wire soemwhere around mid point. With the weight of the spreader you might have to move the wire forward quite a bit.

 

One trick is to back weight the end of the tip up with a washer or 2 and a bit of tape.

 

If you have any glow in the dark paint try it on the tips. Makes it even more visible in a dark hut.

 

I'm going to put the line on shortly and test it.....we're heading out tomorrow morning..thanks for the tips!! It's very compact....the stand comes apart as well so you can put it in your tote bag without worrying that it will break!!

[irishfield]

Have a great trip Steve ! Say hello to Rick for me... and probably for Fang as well ! Remember..stay on the plowed paths with your truck...'till they tell you otherwise.