Frabill pro ice thermal tipup

[jnpcook]

Anyone use on of these? I just bought one from Gander mountain for 50% off. Trying to figure out how to adjust the tension. Seems like if I am placing the line in the correct area, the rubber stopper doesn't affect the tension when the line is pulled. The directions that came with the tip up are not really clear. I wound the line on turning the handle counter clockwise. I then placed the line in the bottom of the U shaped metal part. When I pull the line, the reel just spins and sets off the tipup. By pushing the rubber stopper down harder against the metal spring the reel still turns at the same rate. I tried the large bait clip also and do not see how this thing is supposed to work. Any help would be appreciated. It can't be this hard I know, I must have overlooked something.

John

[Tattoo Mike]

The tensions is just for the metal anti snag line guide. The spool spins freely because thats what you want. I used mine a few times this year with minimal sucess, but the hole dosn't freeze over like it says.

[jnpcook]

Mike:

What about if you use a large pike sucker? Seems like you would get a lot of false flags caused by the sucker swimming around. Also what do you mean by anti-snag line guide? What is the purpose of that and how does it work? Are you supposed to adjust it at all?

Thanks

John

[Tattoo Mike]

The metal thing that sticks out from the spool is the anti snag thing. By pushing the rubber washer hard against it it becomes hard to spin. Insert the line into it and it stops the false flags.

[jnpcook]

Thanks Mike. Then if a large fish bites, does it pull the line out of the metal clip and spin the reel?

John

[wild bill]

if you have problems with large suckers giving false trips take a pair of scissors or a knife and trim the tail fin. i do this a lot if the pike seem to be lazy or i get false flags.

[Tattoo Mike]

Yep thats exactly what happens.

[RichP]

You might want to test out how much tension it requires to pull the line out of that metal clip. I believe I lost a couple pikes this season by using it. I pulled up my tipup at the end of the day and I noticed my line was cut yet up top it was still in the metal "bait clip". Some of those "lazy pike" probably never tugged hard enough to get it out, hence I never got a flag so after a while it probably just bit through. So now I don't use those clips I just do what Wild Bill says and clip the fin a bit...

[jnpcook]

Thanks all for the info. I never thought about clipping the fins. That is a good idea. I think I am now ready to try this out. Going out Sunday and will post under "coldwater" what the results were.

John

[Garret]

Here's a hint: If you lightly wind the last 6' of line toward the top of the spool (closest to the tip-up) it will build up there a little. Then, hold the spool and slightly burry the line in the very edge where the line is built up.

Do this once or twice to test the tension and insure that it's not in there too tight. This will help with false flags especially when using bigger live bait. :)

[Jeff_03]

I have quite a few of them and never had any problems... I always use the line clip to prevent falsies but I never insert the dacron to the tightest point in the clip, I just ease it in there a bit... Also (not that you would use it for pike) at the top, the notched part will trip easier than the flat part (the little twirler do jobber that you put the flag under)...

Heck jnpcook, if a 7 year old can figure it out I am sure you can...hehehe...:D

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/527/955s-P2210010.jpg

[jnpcook]

Thanks for the help guys. Jeff, next trip out, send that 7year old over to help me out. :D

Have a good weekend,

John

[Jeff_03]

hahaha... you got it John ;)

Good luck this weekend.

[jnpcook]

Jeff:

When I replied the first time, I couldn't see your photo but I knew it was a joke though. Now that I have seen the photo I just wanted to say, that is a very nice fish and the grin on your son (I assume) is great. Looks like he had a great day. Congratulations. You can still send him over to show me the ropes :D

John

[Jeff_03]

Yeah, the Mods moved it to another gallery so it didn't show up... It was a great day! He's been ice fishing for 3 years now. This year he hasn't wanted to go so I quickly learned a lesson that was brought up here a while back... Just go and play, if you get fish it's a bonus! The other weekend I decided to take him out on wamplers where I have been getting a decent amount of pike... I pointed him in the direction and told him to pick some spots out. We set 4 flags up all where he wanted. After that I said, "your flag man buddy"... We played on the ice and sure enough within 20 minutes we had a flag. He set the hook and pulled in a 18-19", it was his first on a tip-up... He was so excited that I didn't care if he got another one. He called mamma to tell her the news... 20-30 minutes later he got this one which was just over 24". GREAT DAY!

Thanks for the Congrats! If your ever in the Irish Hills let me know, I'm on the lakes every weekend (except this weekend, I got some honeydo's)...

[Bolo]

I havn't seen any of those work to good on the 'eyes but they work great for pike. They don't seem to trip as easy as the polars. My buddy had on and he caught alot of fish on it, only they didn't trip the flag. He had to check it all the time. The holes didn't freeze up usually, that is good. You can never have enough fishing stuff, right? ...................Good Luck