Question to all

[dbelanger24]

Hey guys,

I live up in Maine and am an avid ice fisherman. We almost exclusively fish with 5 ice fishing traps (tip ups), when a fish hits your bait a flag goes up. Just curious why I see a lot of other states almost exclusively jig. I mean, I understand that a lot of people enjoy jigging and it helps you target fish like perch and crappie more effectively. Just find it weird that hardly anyone jigs in Maine and if we do we set 4 tip ups and jig. Do most other states have laws banning tip ups or what?

 

[PA Delaware Fisher]

I live in Pennsylvania and I use tip ups and a jig pole. It helps pass time while waiting for a flag to pop up. There is a law about how many tip ups you can have out but not that you cant use em.

 

[dbelanger24]

Yeah I'm getting the feeling the tip-ups is generally more of a North Eastern thing. I Jig to pass the time occasionally too, but most Mainers gear their traps towards trout, which usually don't strike unless it's live bait swimming on it's own.

I live in Pennsylvania and I use tip ups and a jig pole. It helps pass time while waiting for a flag to pop up. There is a law about how many tip ups you can have out but not that you cant use em.

 

[Gotem]

Different places have different regs. NY State is 5 tip-ups and 3 jigging. I believe this is going to change soon to no more than 7 in any combination. More interesting is the NY State law says no more than 5 lures or baits and no more than 15 hook points per line. This was probably set up for trolling with downriggers, but it still applies to ice fishing. This also makes the umbrella rig legal in the summer.

 

[spg]

Any fish can be caught through the ice even trout using a jigging pole and bait or lure. Using only tip-ups is limiting your abaility to catch some extra fish. When you set out tip-ups your restricted to the one hole that it's sitting in. Why not set some tip-ups out and drill some extra holes and jig for active fish. An extra 4 or 5 holes can be used one at a time to check for active fish. With the use of electronics you can see which way the fish want the bait or lure presented. If your catching fish out of one of the holes move a few tip-ups over to that area.

 

[muzikman]

Here in Michigan it's 3 lines in any combination.....been that way a while, I believe.

Don't know if it's the same for the U.P. or not....

(That means Upper Penninsula for you non-yoopers LOL)

 

[Milehisnk]

Colorado law is simplified. You can only have 2 rods in the water at any time (with a second rod stamp). Without the stamp, one rod. Doesn't matter if you're ice fishing or casting or trolling.

 

[lowe1648]

I rarely tip up fish but there are plenty of people here in Minnesota that do. I did make it out this winter once with a fe buddies to chase some flags. We went through 5doz suckers in under 2 hrs. The pike were definitely hungry that day.

 

[icepounder]

Here in norther NJ many people use tip ups. Many of my friends do. I personally haven't used them in years. I find it more productive to move until I find active fish and jig. From another hole I will set up a deadstick in a rod holder and use live bait. If the fishing dies off I can start drilling again until I find them. I've seen days where my friends wouldn't get a flag and I limited out.
It's just my style of fishing. I hope everyone had a good ice fishing season !

If you go on youtube and find the video I made about 5-6 weeks ago you can see how I set up. It shows an active jigging hole using my flasher and about 15 feet away my deadstick.
The video is .. Eskimo 6" Silvertip Hand Auger Review

 

[jethro]

Do you use electronics to fish? Because with a flasher, I can either set up 5 tip ups and catch 10 fish on them all day, or I can use the flasher with my jig stick and catch 10 fish in an hour. The difference is so big it's not even funny.

If I set up tip ups, it's because I am planning on drinking more than fishing. If I'm jigging it's because I actually want to catch fish.

 

[onthewater102]

Do you use electronics to fish? Because with a flasher, I can either set up 5 tip ups and catch 10 fish on them all day, or I can use the flasher with my jig stick and catch 10 fish in an hour. The difference is so big it's not even funny.

If I set up tip ups, it's because I am planning on drinking more than fishing. If I'm jigging it's because I actually want to catch fish.

I'm an accountant - so ice season comes and goes while I'm chained to my desk (except for this miserable year...loose ice sheets floating around on opening day in CT...) but from everyone I know that is big into prospecting for fish they all use flashers and a jigging pole, that way they can follow the fish as they drift around under the ice. The guys that target trout and pike tend to use more tip-ups with live bait, but they still have one rod with a jig.

To answer your question - for all the idiotic laws that CT has on the books they are actually pretty relaxed about ice fishing - you're allowed 6 lines total. Personally I think it's excessive, but I'll never suggest they regulate anything more than they already do, but you can tell the small lakes that are hit by the prospectors (drillers for fish) as they tend not to have as many quality bass in them come summer time.

I don't know if it's increased mortality from gut-hooking fish all winter 6 lines at a time, or from their weakness due to their hibernating state under the ice, or if it's just because if you're standing out in the cold trying to pull a fish from the ground you're probably out there because you want to eat it. The cold water fish like pike and trout don't seem to be as affected, but the bass and perch in small lakes where ice fishing are popular all seem to be much smaller. I'm basing that comparison between the fish I catch out of bodies of water that are listed as contaminated and not suitable for eating (where there are no ice-fishermen) vs. similarly sized lakes where consumption is safe and assuming everything else (forage base, ecology etc.) are for the most part similar.

 

[bassin_da_U.P.]

Here in Michigan it's 3 lines in any combination.....been that way a while, I believe.

Don't know if it's the same for the U.P. or not....

(That means Upper Penninsula for you non-yoopers LOL)

It's the same rules up here as it is for you down below the bridge eh. We usually set two tip ups and jig one.

 

[muzikman]

Hey, Gladstone! Good to hear from ya up there!

Fished in the Little Bay many times past out of Escanaba...

...always a good time.

Well, except for the one time in April years ago - cold, rainy, windy....wind & waves almost laid our boat on its side out there! Got too far out into the big lake, it seems. Scared the **** outta me for a minute or two....LOL

Gotta get back up there soon to see how Fayette is coming along, also! Been quite a few years since.

 

[bassin_da_U.P.]

Hey, Gladstone! Good to hear from ya up there!

Fished in the Little Bay many times past out of Escanaba...

...always a good time.

Well, except for the one time in April years ago - cold, rainy, windy....wind & waves almost laid our boat on its side out there! Got too far out into the big lake, it seems. Scared the **** outta me for a minute or two....LOL

Gotta get back up there soon to see how Fayette is coming along, also! Been quite a few years since.

Yep the weather changes quickly that's for sure. It's funny you mention boating in April, heck there is still ice across the bay in Gladstone. I still see some people going out Ice fishing.

 

[muzikman]

Yeah - definitely been a cold one this winter for us...taking a L-O-N-G time for things to finally thaw out.

 

[WiskeyJaR]

Here in Oregon its one line, (2 with stamp), and you have to be actively fishing said line(s), can not be more then arms reach from pole or the State police will make your wallet a lot less heavy.

 

[-CN-]

Here in Michigan it's 3 lines in any combination.....been that way a while, I believe.

We do the same in Wisconsin.
2 tip-ups and one jigging pole per person is how we generally meet the restriction.

 

[paper]

Here in Michigan it's 3 lines in any combination.....been that way a while, I believe.

We do the same in Wisconsin.
2 tip-ups and one jigging pole per person is how we generally meet the restriction.

When I fish in WI (which is where I'm normally fishing) I actually go the other direction and use one tip-up and two jig poles.. Mostly because it's hard to use three jig poles and I'd rather eat panfish than anything else.. I'll drill a couple holes and then one out in front of my shanty to watch through the window.

IL regulations are the same, three poles, any combo.. Limit of two hooks per line.

 

[Wallijig]

Here in South Dakota we are allowed 4 lines icefishing. I primarily jig, but when setting up for evening on cold nights in fish house I use 3 tip ups with Blue Tipz. Being dark & windows usually fog up and I am focusing on Vexilar, so not looking at tipups and these tell me when have fish on. I use tip ups more as locators, meaning if I get bite on tipup I will go to that hole pull fish out and then jig that hole to see if had any friends swimming down there.
Here's video of what they are:
https://youtu.be/9NJOWSQbqHM

 

[gnappi]

I know this is an old post, but even without going on the Florida FWC state site to check regs, I can say for certain we do not have not one single law regarding ice fishing. C'mon down!!!