Tip Up Leader & Hook Question?

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eyeofhorus
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2009/01/09 10:12:18 (permalink)

Tip Up Leader & Hook Question?

What leaders and lengths do you guys use on tip ups? I usually use a few feet of 6 or 8 pound flouru with a stout hook like a mustad 3366. Sometimes I use a split shot (depending on how big the minnow is) to keep the minnow from swimming vertical. When I sent my depth I usually put the bait about a foot or two off the bottom. Is this the norm?
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    RhnstnCowboy
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    RE: Tip Up Leader & Hook Question? 2009/01/09 10:28:51 (permalink)
    I have always had the best luck keeping my bait a good distance above any weeds or structure, so the fish can see it, and it doesn't get snagged.  I used to fish right down on top of the weeds and I was really surprised how many more hits I started getting when I moved my bait up higher above the weeds or structure.  Pike will come right up the hole!  However, I have heard walleye fisherman say that sometimes you need to be right on the bottom to catch them through the ice.  I don't ice fish for walleye, so I can't attest to this.  In my opinion, for trout through the ice, they can be at virtually any depth in the winter and tend to roam a lot, so I like to spread my tip ups out over a large area with varying depths.  I also have found that schools of perch are pretty good predictors of where the larger predators are going to be...  As for split shot, I like to put it no more than 4-6 inches above the minnow, to keep it at the right depth and keep the minnow from swimming up... 
     

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    jon_e_si
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    RE: Tip Up Leader & Hook Question? 2009/01/12 09:59:12 (permalink)
    I've never done it, but heard you can take a styrofoam packing bead and insert it into the cavity of a large dead minnow to keep it floating near the ice where the pike etc. cruise looking for winter killed fish!
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    RhnstnCowboy
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    RE: Tip Up Leader & Hook Question? 2009/01/12 14:57:34 (permalink)
    That sounds like an interesting idea.  One time I saw a guy inflate minnows' air bladders with a syringe so they floated....
    post edited by RhnstnCowboy - 2009/01/12 15:00:57

    "Part of being a Leftist is the smug conviction that you and people like you are smart, while everyone else is stupid and/or evil"
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    Over the Hill
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    RE: Tip Up Leader & Hook Question? 2009/01/12 17:57:38 (permalink)
    eye, what are you fishing for?

    OVER THE HILL

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    eyeofhorus
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    RE: Tip Up Leader & Hook Question? 2009/01/13 10:49:17 (permalink)
    Small pike on Eaton and for anything that swims in PI bay.
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    Over the Hill
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    RE: Tip Up Leader & Hook Question? 2009/01/13 14:16:41 (permalink)
    Pike, I strongly recommend a good steel leader. I have titaniums and are happy with them. use a treble as suggested above, but a bigger size. i like to use #4. the pike/pickeral seem to swallow them less. more mouth hookups. smaller fish, smaller hooks IE: crappie, pelletheads, perch etc...
     
    start out about a foot off the bottom. 30# should do you fine for smaller fish. if you go to an area with big pike/musky, 50#. I prefer medium size shiners. hook them just in back of the dorsal. 1 or 2 med. size split shot just above the steel leader to keep the bait down.
     
    I put an alligator clip on the line by the spool as it is set up. sometimes some tips can freeze and not trigger. if you see the clip way off the spool, you know something was / is on the line so be prepared. best of luck. hope this helps.
     
    PS: Always be careful with the tip up flag when it is set. point it in a safe direction. Many times lowering bait down I've had fish hit the bait and trip the flag having the wire hit my sunglasses.

    OVER THE HILL

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