Ice fishing is a pastime that requires relatively specialized equipment beyond the right type of rod and reel for your target fish. You need cold-weather clothes, an auger for drilling your fishing hole, a sled for hauling both your gear and your catch, and possibly a shelter to protect you from the cold while you wait. You might also want to bring some ice fishing traps.
An ice fishing trap, more commonly known as a “tip-up,” works by holding your bait suspended in the water without you having to be there holding the fishing rod. The tip-up is attached to a signaling device. When a fish takes the bait, the flag “tips up” so that you can return to reel the fish in.
The rest of this article will go in-depth on the subject of ice fishing traps or tip-ups. You’ll learn how they work and why you might want to use one, and you’ll also learn about the four main types of tip-ups.
Why Use a Tip-Up?
Ice fishers like including tip-ups with their gear. The biggest reason is that using tip-ups generally means an increased catch. Local laws and ordinances generally govern the number of tip-ups you can use at any given time, but you may be able to set up half a dozen tip-ups, or perhaps even more.
The use of tip-ups lets you cover a much wider area than fishing with just a regular rod. Because you’ve got a much wider overall area baited, you’ll almost certainly catch more fish. Tip-ups also make ice fishing more fun by picking up the pace. Instead of waiting for one fish to come to your one rod, you get to go from trap to trap as the bait is taken.
By using multiple tip-ups, you can also experiment with using different types of bait in the same area and by suspending the bait at various heights to determine where the most fish are hanging out. This also increases your overall productivity since you’ll get a much better feel for what the fish are hungry for and where to find them than you would if you were using a single fishing rod and line.
Finally, the use of tip-ups makes ice fishing more comfortable, especially on slower days. You can set up your traps in view of your ice fishing shelter and then hang out where it’s warmer while you wait for the fish to come.
How Does a Tip-Up Function?
There are four main types of tip-ups. Even though they have different sizes and shapes, especially between manufacturers, all function in the same basic manner.
The trap is designed to rest across the top of your fishing hole. It consists of a rod suspended underwater, which holds the bait at a specific depth. The bait is attached to a line, which is then threaded up to the top of the tip-up, where it is attached to a spool. When a fish takes the bait, the spool rotates, which triggers a trip bar. This causes a flag or other indicator to “tip-up,” telling you you’ve got a catch.
After that, it’s time to set the hook and then reel in the fish, usually by hand. Once you have your catch in hand, you can reset the trap for the next fish.
Types of Tip-Ups
While all four types of tip-ups function in the same general manner, it’s a good idea to experiment with each type to get a feel for how they work and which ones you prefer to have as part of your gear.
1) Flat Board Tip-Up
A flat board tip-up generally consists of a flat base with a shaft arm, a fishing line spool, and a trip bar. The line is threaded through a hole on one side of the board and down into the water, where it awaits a fish.
The device is generally rectangular. When in use, it rests over the top of your ice fishing hole but doesn’t cover it completely.
Flat board-style tip-ups can either be made of hardwood or plastic. Hardwood is strong and sturdy and lasts pretty much forever, being able to withstand the snow and water they’re constantly being exposed to. Plastic tip-ups are much cheaper, but lower-quality materials make them more likely to malfunction or outright break after being exposed to too much bad weather and cold temperatures.
Flat board tip-ups take up a fair amount of space when in use, but many manufacturers design them to be able to fold up compactly for easier storage.
2) Cross-Stick Tip-Up
This tip-up style is generally made of three sticks: two crossed sticks for the base and a third stick that both holds the signal flag and keeps the line spool and bait submerged underwater.
One nice thing about cross-stick tip-ups is that they are usually much taller than any other style. This means you can see it from further away or even set it up on the part of the ice that is covered with snow without having to clear as much away. Better visibility gives you more options.
Cross-stick tip-ups take up a fair amount of room when set up but fold up quite compactly for easy storage and transport.
3) Thermal Tip-Up
A thermal tip-up is designed to insulate your fishing hole by covering it completely. They are generally round and constructed with a foam insert that significantly slows down the rate at which the exposed water will freeze back over (which renders your tip-up useless). They also block sunlight, which can potentially scare any fish that might otherwise be attracted to your bait.
Most thermal tip-ups are circular, although some are built to resemble mini ice shelter tents. Like other tip-up styles, a thermal tip-up consists of a shaft arm attached to both a spool of fishing line and a trip bar.
Thermal tip-ups may seem big and bulky, but they stack quite neatly on top of one another. A stack of these can easily fit into a 5-gallon bucket, making for easy transport. However, their low profiles can make them hard to see from a distance, so you may want to mark their locations after they are placed so that you can find them more easily later.
4) Wind or Windlass Tip-Up
This tip-up style includes an additional “arm” with a plate or sail that catches the wind, which provides a bit of erratic movement to the bait submerged in the water below. This provides a slight advantage over other types of tip-ups, especially when circumstances or preferences necessitate the use of dead bait. Sometimes that little bit of movement attracts in a fish the way completely still bait would not.
5) Other Tip-Up Variations
While these are the four main types of tip-ups out there, there are some variations between manufacturers. Some tip-ups include an auto-set feature, which sets the hook for you once the fish takes the bait. Others might feature different indicators than the classic flag or different trigger set-ups that are less likely to be falsely set off by an errant wind.
Conclusion
Using ice fishing traps can greatly increase the amount of fish you catch, and they are relatively simple to use. Just attach your bait, submerge it, and set up the trigger flag. Once a fish takes the bait, it’s time to reel it in! Experiment with different types to get a sense of which ones you like best, and consider including traps in your future ice fishing adventures.
