Ice fishing in some snow-belt regions can get downright daunting. Thick snow blankets the hoarfrost, making hole to hole travel an adventure in itself, let alone finding the right fishing equipment to handle the knee-deep bog of white frozen fun.
Still today, in places where schools don抰 close except during the most severe sub-zero blizzard conditions, snowshoes are standard issue. These webbed strapped-to-a-boot抯-underbelly devices梩hought to have gotten their start in Asia 6000-plus years ago梜eep trekkers 揻loating?on top of deep snows rather than dropping crotch deep.
Anglers who ice fish in these realms face additional challenges as much of today抯 gear, the tip-up included, surrender to such snowfall. But the designers at Frabill條eader in ice-fishing gear and apparel梥aw the need for deep-snow specificity and created the Snow Shoe Tip-Up.
揊rabill抯 done a great job crafting this tip-up for anglers who have to deal with deep snow,?says Ice-Fishing Guide Brian 揃ro?Brosdahl, who抯 based out of Minnesota抯 near snowfall record-holding Grand Rapids area. 揟he Snow Shoe Tip-Up stays put, even when sitting on top of fresh and fluffy snow, making it easy to see when a fish has grabbed the bait and tripped the flag.?
Molded into a heavy-duty composite snowshoe-like shape, the 搘ebbing?pattern formed within the Snow Shoe抯 base allows it to nearly levitate over deep snow or slush surrounding a freshly drilled or chiseled hole. This allows easy visibility of the flag when a fish inhales the bait and also prevents the apparatus from freezing in ?a chore to remove when it抯 dark and time to head for home.
The Snow Shoe抯 base is also perfect for large predator fish, as it cannot teeter and slip down a hole, even massive 10-inch borings. Likewise, the extra-large 200-yard capacity spool makes it doubly effective on the quick 100-yard dashes of big toothy critters. But it抯 also great for light biters, as the device抯 duel trip settings and Ultra Glide super-smooth shaft system and friction-free spool won抰 alert picky eaters that they抳e been nabbed. Further insurance for real-world ice conditions, the shaft system comes pre-filled with Frabill抯 exclusive Sub-Zero lube.
Like an armada flagship, the Snow Shoe flies an extra-large flag atop the longer-than-the-norm 17.5-inch flag arm, which allows anglers to see when it抯 tripped from afar. And when day抯 done, the Snow Shoe folds up simply and neatly, its unique compact shape allowing for several to be placed in a Sit-N-Fish bucket and carried back to shore tangle-free.
Up to the challenge of ice-fishing in snow country? The Snow Shoe Tip-Up will stay atop the snow so you can stay on top of your game.