There抯 something satisfying about a well-planned network of tip-ups set across the white expanse of a frozen lake. Strategically placed fish 搕rap-lines,?each rigged with a big frisky baitfish, attract and literally snare freshwater predators like nothing else under ice. Get a bunch of dudes together, stack some 憈raps?into 5-gallon pails, and saturate the ice with baited flags.
When that first signal rises high above the icy horizon, heart rates soar as the rugged race ensues. The winner earns the right to set the hook and proudly hoist a hefty pike, walleye or any other freshwater prize that bites.
The smartest tip-up parties bait the big 憉ns on spacious open flats or along lengthy sections of a drop-off梡laces where fish consistently search for food. With six or more buds along, each empowered to run 2 or more lines apiece, you can put live bait in front of a lot of toothy grins. That抯 trap-line fishing on ice in a nutshell, and it抯 devastatingly effective.
On a long point or drop-off, a wise strategy places one group of anglers at each end of the trap-line, with additional fishermen spaced evenly between. If you抮e going in cold turkey, searching a big area for the first time, perhaps you set one tip-up every 50 to 100 paces. Park a pickup truck or snowmobile every so often along your routes to serve as mobile basecamps. Better yet, set out a large pop-up style portable shelter, such as Frabill抯 cavernous, aptly named Headquarters.
Setting out on foot, groups of trap-line anglers work best in pairs. First run through, one dude drills, while the other follows with a sonar, dipping the transducer in each new hole. Sonar guy keeps driller guy on target with depth, as he also checks for fish with a portable unit, such as a Humminbird 597ci HD Combo. When he sees something that looks like a good fish, sonar guy might also trace an 揊?or 揃F?(big fish) in the snow, which assures they抣l X-mark-the-spot with a tip-up next run through. In addition to sonar, the 597 態ird also has a built-in GPS chartplotter with LakeMaster cartography, keeping you right on target with tip-up sets.
At the end of a bait set run, each fisherman grabs a bucket. If one of your buddies happens to be a tip-up pro the likes of Captain Pat Kalmerton, you抮e in for a good day. 揥hen we抮e tip-up fishing for pike or walleyes,?says the ace ice guide, 搘e use a systematic approach. First, you抳e absolutely got to have good gear, and you抳e got to have a solid plan. For my guides and I, nothing works better than the 慴ucket system.?
揥e can take a single Frabill bucket and fill it with at least six round Pro-Thermal tip-ups. The other bucket, a 1409 Aqua-Life Bait Station, gets used to house our tip-up 憇oldiers挆wild live suckers, big shiners or chubs. We want bait that really kicks; the critters that swim in huge arcs below the ice, pulling in predators like a lab working a field for pheasants. The Bait Station keeps minnows happy. It抯 insulated and aerated. Water won抰 freeze, and the micro-bubbler infuses the tank with energizing oxygen條ike steroids for baitfish.?
Beyond robust bait, which drives his tip-up system, Kalmerton has recently taken his tip-up system to new heights. 搾If it ain抰 broke, don抰 monkey with it,挃 quips the Great Lakes captain. 揥hoever penned this credo must have been referring to ice fishing. The sport抯 the ultimate testing grounds for gear. It抯 why I抳e relied on the same classic tip-ups for years. The contraptions perform a simple task梡resenting bait and indicating strikes梐nd they do it reliably, day after day, winter after winter.
揟ruthfully, never thought I抎 have a need to alter my traps, but I was wrong. When I tested Frabill抯 Calibrator Tip-Up a few winters back, my fishing rose to a whole other level of precision and effectiveness. I can take any existing tip-up and instantly convert it into a digital line-counter system, which also provides additional fish-catching intel.?
Kalmerton says his Calibrator Line Counter kits and complete Calibrator tip-up systems allow him to drop baits to effective depths instantly, thanks to a digital LCD display. 揈very good troller uses a line-counter reel, and I抳e now come to feel the same way about my tip-up fishing. Not only can I instantly measure how much line I have out, the Calibrator also tells me the precise amount of time that抯 elapsed since a strike occurred, and how much line the fish has stripped from the spool梐ll displayed in pinpoint accuracy.?
Adding another layer of fun and efficiency, Kalmerton occasionally mounts a miniature underwater camera, such as an Aqua-Vu Micro 5, to his tip-up, providing a real-life view of what抯 happening with his bait and any fish in the neighborhood. 揅ameras add a dimension of interactivity to tip-up fishing that anglers are just starting to appreciate. Think of it as a real-time trail cam for fishing. And with new wireless technology, camera fishing is more convenient than ever.?
Whether your team抯 tip-up program matches Kalmerton抯 techno heights or remains a simpler affair, it抯 always a race on ice to reach the flag first. Most of the time, especially with larger pike and walleyes, it isn抰 necessary to let fish run for long. Rigged right, quick hooksets tag more fish, and certainly harm far fewer of them. In the meantime, it抯 a game of waiting. Lean on a tailgate. Pour a cup of coffee. Talk a little smack. The winner抯 always the first dude to the flag.
