01-09-2020, 08:27 PM
[#0000FF]Tip ups were originally designed for fishing live bait in fairly shallow waters...for large fish like walleyes and northern pike. They rely on the fish taking the bait firmly and moving off...with the tipup allowing the release of line to the fish. When the huffing and puffing angler...after running to the tipup...finds the fish still pulling line they set the hook and handline it in. Doesn't sound like a lot of sport...compared to fly fishing or pitching lures...but it can be. And it is a good way to catch some large fish that you might not score with bitty bite jigs being fished for panfish.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Can't use live bait in Utah. But we can fish whole dead minnows and large chunks of cut bait. So there are potential applications here. Burbot have been mentioned. They are great candidates and they are fished with tipups in other parts of the country. But we also have some northern pike and tiger muskies in Utah, and they will take dead baits. Ditto for big catfish. They feed under the ice, but more slowly. Letting them slow-munch a big bait and then move off with it can be more productive than working a baited jig. Although that will catch a lot of smaller cats.
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[#0000FF]Tipups can and do work for trout...especially when you fish big baits for big fish...like macks. But even rainbows, tigers, cutts and browns will slurp up cut bait, minnows or whole crawlers and make the flag pop up. Never a bad idea to make a tipup your "second rod" while you are playing around with "standard" ice fishing stuff. You might catch only one or two fish...or nothing. But the fish you catch may well be the biggest of the trip.
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[#0000FF]If you are fishing small jigs or other downsized offerings you will be happier using Jaw Jackers or some other hook-setting release device.
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[#0000FF]Can't use live bait in Utah. But we can fish whole dead minnows and large chunks of cut bait. So there are potential applications here. Burbot have been mentioned. They are great candidates and they are fished with tipups in other parts of the country. But we also have some northern pike and tiger muskies in Utah, and they will take dead baits. Ditto for big catfish. They feed under the ice, but more slowly. Letting them slow-munch a big bait and then move off with it can be more productive than working a baited jig. Although that will catch a lot of smaller cats.
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[#0000FF]Tipups can and do work for trout...especially when you fish big baits for big fish...like macks. But even rainbows, tigers, cutts and browns will slurp up cut bait, minnows or whole crawlers and make the flag pop up. Never a bad idea to make a tipup your "second rod" while you are playing around with "standard" ice fishing stuff. You might catch only one or two fish...or nothing. But the fish you catch may well be the biggest of the trip.
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[#0000FF]If you are fishing small jigs or other downsized offerings you will be happier using Jaw Jackers or some other hook-setting release device.
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