Tip-ups

[Spartans8989]

Has anyone been doing anything with tip-ups on Muskegon Lake? I had one set up all day yesterday with a bait fish, I changed the depth several times and didnt have a hit. Was hoping for a pike or walleye or anything. Not sure I had the right set up either (new to ice fishing). Had a J hook or whatever you call those big hooks for bass fishing attached to a steel leader, is that even close to what I should be doing? I started at a depth of several feet below the ice and kept working it up closer to the ice thinking that pike swim closer to the ice? Did catch a nice mess of perch that Im about eat for dinner in a little bit here. :fish:

[erowlson]

i do very well with tip ups and i usually set the bait up high. since pikes eyes are on the top so they usually look up. also i set them about half way from the bottom of the lake to the top of the ice. the best place to set a tip up is on the edge of a good weed bed. pike hunt for their food so they "patrol" the edges looking for small fish to chase to water with no cover. good luck. p.s. hint some of the biggest pike ive ever caught has been on dead chubs. i think they are lazier. also the bigger the bait usually the bigger the fish due to the fact that pike use alot of energy to catch the fish so they usually eat up to half their length at a time.

[BeerCamp]

were abouts where you on muskegon?

[RDS-1025]

While weed beds are important, not all weed beds are the same. A good feature to look for is an inside turn in the contour of the lake with close access to deep water and close access to good weeds. Dead bait is killer this time of year but size is not as big an issue. Big pike are opportunistic feeders and will eat anything that is easy to catch right now. I would focus on the 15-20 foot depth now and keep the bait 5' up from the bottom at least. water clarity would play a role in how high above the fish I would go from there. Good Luck.

[Ice pounder]

I would recomend that you lose the steel leader and go to a heavy mono with a treble hook. I think you will get many more fish this way.

[Spartans8989]

I appreciate all the replys, any info. is helpful info. We were near the sand docks on Muskegon catching perch by also trying for whatever on a tip-up.