Gear...
 

I'll start with tip ups ... I' own about 50 give or take... the ones i use the most are home made...made from rock maple, I have two styles, cross arm, which are my standard and two parellel arm deep snow traps i use exclusivly on Lake Winnipisauki when I'm not jigging laker and am fishing for rainbows...

The spools were original 40 ups... I took them appart, and drilled them out to take a 3/8 brass plated lamp pipe... they are bolted together and run on plastic bushings( drinking straws) that ride on a 1/4 -20 bolt, spool tension is adjusted with a self locking nut... they hold 300 yards of line( 250 backing 50 dacron)... it makes them heavy and very smoothe.. they trip easily .. but are adjustable for large bait because of the self locking nut... I originaly made my own triggers.. but keeping them lubed and working in cold weather proved to be problematic, so I bought triggers from jack trap...it mightbe the smartest thing I ever did...

I have fitted all the spools with cork that now comes standard on Heritage laker traps... I started glueing cork to my spools 30 years ago... I used to cut rounds from the rolled gasket material... and glue it with weather strip adhesive.. now you can buy them cut to size with adhesive backing... I could have been rich!...
you will also otice ( when I post picutes of the tip ups) that I tape the bottom... it is a trick I learned as a youngster from an old timer long since departed... what it does is attrack the sun... so they dont freeze in...not even on the coldest day as long as there is sun... even at night or on cloudy days, ice knocks off of the tape alot eaiser than it does painted or bare wood...

why so many spools one might ask... it makes it aot eaiser to target differant species on the same outing... and it sure beats tieing anew leader when you cut off a hoook or have to untngle a mess made by a slime dart that decided to run to the flemish cap!

picutred left to right.. first a pair of two differant style of Polar tip up,made by Frabil.. I'm not in love with them.. I own 5 of each.. they serve their purpose on days when it's blowing a gale and you HAVE to fish( derby time)... some like them..as I said.. not a fan...

Next from left to right, aformentioned polar tip up...this particular one covers the hole... they do a good job of keeping blowing snow out of the hole.. and are virtualy impossible to trip by accident ( wind)

next is a home made deep snow parrell bar tip up... besides that is the old stand by 40 up... I've modified them to take my re-built spools and added blocks to the feet so they do not rock ( normaly you wold shim one crss bar with ice or snow) these live in my pack basket and are only called upon during deep snow missions...

to the right of the 40 up is a home made cross bar style trap ( the ones in the rocket launcher from the gear thread)... these are the ones I use the most.... next to that is a cusk devise... these are a fixed line that rests on the bottom... they contian no revolving spool and are set out for burbot ( also called cusk or eel pout) a fresh water cousin of the cod...

Ice cutting devises and scoops
 

I've used many different methods in the 50 years I have been icefishng ( my dad started me @ 5)... an axe and home made spud fashoned from a rake handle.. hose clamps and a tire iron being the first.... I've used chain saws ( mainly when netting bait)... I had a wonderfull spud tha I made by welding a section of truck spring to a solid length of iron pipe.. it was heavy but took little effort to cut as long as it was kept sharp.. I've had the old cup type augers... a 10" "T" handle" "man killer" hand auger and an old 8" Mora hand auger.. all have been passed along to the junk man or some one younger and stronger...

I bought my first power Auger when I turned 40... it was a 3 hp jiffy ..it was a loud, heavy lumbering beast that could blast a 10" hole through 30" of ice in just a few short minutes... after a little more than a decade of dragging that 33lb hulk onto the ice ( along with 100lb of other gear) I decided that I needed to once agian go lighter... I bought a 21lb 2 HP model that hogs out an 8" hole... more than enough for just about anything I ( or most people ) will catch through the ice.. If I lived in Vermont,and still fished Champlain regualrly I'd opt for the 10" 3 HP... around here .. it's more auger than I'll eve need and it's QUIET....

I also own a mills lac ( made by Jiffy) spud.. seeing as my beautiful home made one ended up on the bottom of the exeter river during a smelt shack rescue mission...

I curruntly own two hand augers... two piece strike master that lives in the deep snow basket... and i recently bought a Nils master.. both are 8"... I heard all kinds of good things about the nils... truthfully it isnt much eaiser than the strike master.. and it's alot more money... I just happend to buy mine at a reduced price that will never be offered again...the blades on the strike master are replaceable and can be sharpened or bought localy... you have to ship the Nils away to get it sharpend..

pictured with them are a pair of slush scoops.. both have an ice chipping devise on the ends.. very handy for clearing ice from the rims of the hole on very cold days... also pictured is a small plastic shovel... i find this a great aid in clearing around the hole to keep frozen slush and snow form possible snagging a line and costing me a fish..

I'l get into terminal tackel tomorrow night... it's time to hit the rack..... if I was bass fishing..I'd be thinking one more drift....it's only November and I've allready turned into a wuss!

You are slightly insane!!!!! Great info....I just started last year, that info would have been useful...I had no idea what to buy. Thanks for taking the time to post all that.

I've been called worse... there is ALOT more to come.. stay tuned..

Thanks for doing this Joe, looks like I got a few new things to try this year. What kind of tape do you use for the bottom of the tip-ups?

3 M brand electical .. buy the good stuff. the chaeper vinal tends to get brittle in the cold... the adhesive is not as good either...

Dumb question but what is the Electrical tape for on the Tip ups

you didnt read.... I told youuuuuu .. the black attracks heat from the sun( ever notice how a leave melts into the ice.. same principle)... thus the trap does not freeze in even if there is a filtered sun( uv rays)... and even at night or on cloudy days.. the ice breaks away freely.. unlike bare wood that builds thick layers of ice each time you clear the hole...

DOH!!!!Thats what I get for doing the Evelyn Wood speed reading thing on the thread.

That will be going on my tipups this week :kewl:

not an issue.. been guilty of that more times than I want to admit.... I'm sure the question will be posed a dozen more time... and I'll answer it... a dozen more times..

Why is there tape on the tipups?

:smash::smash::smash::smash::wall::wall::wall::wal l::wall::wall::lurk:

One in every crowd

Sometimes two. :rotf2:

Sometimes there is no end in sight :hihi:

In that case... all those wannabe wise guys.. kindly note the misseltoe pinned to my backside...:uhuh:

C'mon, I had to!

Great idea though. One thing I do with my flags is add a few flyers of black electrical tape to them. I feel like it contrasts much better when there's snow on the ice, easier to spot.

I have day glow orange flags and red and white reflective tape on the top of the tip ups... cant miss em snow or darkness..

cant blame ya for tryin' someone had to be first!:biglaugh:

Terminal gear
 

shown here are a variaty of hooks and use regularly.. note that they are labeled lead free.. I do the majority of my fishing in New Hampshire, whcih has had a ban on lead sinkers for years... also shown is a few things that can make life a little eaiser...one being a clipper with a snarl detangler... Normark made that one.. i've had it for years.. it works great for picking out frozen ( or knots stowed to be dealt with latter) as well as clipping off leader tage ends...I have sets of bells for my tip ups.... I;ll use them whrn I have a lrge spread or I'm fishing with a large group of guy's... the attack eaisily to the flag and leaves no doubt on whos flag just went up.... also with the bells. is a tip up light... these work good for night fishing and one switched on are activated by a mercury switch once the flag goes up...
also pictured is a sounder... these are used to find the bottom.... these weigh over an ounce so are legal by law..

Leader material..jarred bait and bait keeping devices
 

here is a display of leader marterial I carry in that blue soft sided tackle box( with the hooks and asorted fishing "tools")... for most trout fishing for rainbows, which is usualyin 6' of water or less ( usualy ALOT less) I use a short leader ( length of the trap) of 4lb test.. a size 12 hook for single salmon eggs.. a size 10 for power bait or combo power bait egg or multiple eggs...

for fishing the big pond( Winni) I use 6lb leader double the length of the trap with a #10 hook...

for browns and lakers I use 8lb test.. agian the leader is double the length of the trap...

also shown in the pictire is a devise called a minnow dip... I've had it over 20 years.. I'mnot even sure wher you can find them... the spring steel releases any formed ice that would destroy a fabric net.. it is small enough to leave in the insulated bucket if I so desire.
Where I plan on catching bass and pickerel I usualy use a #2 circle hook 10 lb leader double the length of the trap...

My main spool is rigged with a very small button for marking the depth... I splice a 30lb swivel to the main dacron line ( keeping as few knots as possible on the line for snagging puposes) I then tie my leader to the swivel and hook of choice... I usual do not use sinkers on my line, unless zI'm fishing very deep water (over 20') I prefer to have the shiner (or sucke or smelt) swimming a lrge free area.. ocasionaly a bait will keep swimming to the top towards the light in the hole.. if you put the hook lighly through the cartilage on one of the pectoral fins, the bait will swim down... I dont know why.. I onlt know it works...

pictured here is a selection of jarred baits.. mainly power bait and Salmon eggs...on real cold days keep thesein you pocket or they will freeze... thee too are stashed in that blue utility bag..

the last pictureis an array of bait keepers... most run on D sized batteries and will run a whole day on these... I use them to hep transfer bait to and from my fishing area so I can load the bucket wiht bait that might otherwise die due to over crowding on the way to their demise ( being served as breakfast)... you will notice one areator has a 12 volt cord around it.. that can be run to an outlet in the bed of my truck.. it has duel air outlets and is what I use when keeping bait over night in a large cooler when I'm away from home.. it also comes in handy when i am trapping bait...

The one on the bucket is a tri voltage areator... it will run on 120 AC I via a transformer plugged into anoutlet) it also will run with the flip of a switch on the 12 volt current of my truck when the adapter is plugged in... or it will run on two D sized batteries...

Tools and toys...
 

here are a few important items that reside in that little blue bag..

most of these items are familure to most of you, except maybe the jaw spreader... it is a godsend when tring to remove a hook from a large pickerel( or even a small one) or pike..

pictured here are a few under water "toys" the blue flash light looking device is a depth sounder.. it will give a digital depth read out when placed in a hole or, if the ice is clear and new... placed in a puddle it will read the bottom...

the fish TV can be a fun and aggrivating devise... it "see's" well down to 60'.. the problem is... watching a fish sit and laugh at your bait or lure ..it can drive you nuts... my fondest memory of this devise was while palying with a bunch of smallish yellow perch on Champlain and seeing a 12lb pike come in scatter the perch and grab my jig.. coolest thing I ever saw... yes i landed the fish( that's how I knew it was 12 lbs)

What I did not picture here is my hand held GPS ..Garmin 765... I let afriend borrow it over the summer ( this reminds me to get it back)

safety and survival
 

This sounds worse than it is... everyone is aware that any sport on or around water is/can be dangerous... Ice fishing has it's own dangers.. Early and late season falling in is a distinct possibility in these pictures I show a pair of spkies that when fit together can hang around your neck,or kept sepperated and brought out each sleeve in a jacket ... these babies can save your life... even if you cannot pull yourself to safety. you can hold yourself in place until help arrives... with out them. you have little chance... I've gotten myself out of a pickle twice with them .. trust me they WORK.. which leads me to the next devise.. the storm whistle... these things are LOUD.. and wrok even when full of water... clip it to your jacket... they could save you from being the victim of a hypothermia after a bad fall.. which leads me to the creepers... they come in all styles and forms... when i bought these ( I think they are called sta-bils.. just like the fuel treatment) they were the best on the market... I;ve seen some that are even better since then... not pictured here is a 50' length of poly rope tied to a floating seat cushion... that one is self explatory... I once rescued a skater on a pond by using my spare tier and the cable from my power winch... a floating devise of any kind is welcome in an emergency...

to the right of the safty equipment is the contents of an electricians bag it include is a box of water proof matches hand warmers and lip balm.. the lip balm is great for chapped- wind burned lips but being a petrolium product.. it can help light a fire when there is no viable tinder to be had... a candle packed in the kit doesnt take up much space and also can be a fire starting aid... also included are a few tools for changing auger blades ( as well as spare blades) a spare spark plug a few other goodies...such as hand warmers and spare tip up flags...

Wow... this is all adding up quickly! Might be cheaper for me to just get this and come watch... I'll pull your sleds:rotf2:

Yamaha classic fun sled

That covers what i have prepared for now... I'm going to do a section on clothing... and cooking... stay tuned...

it dont have to be Ross... it can be as simple as a spud ( ice chiselz) and broken rod tip inserted into a wooden dowel. a 5 gallon bucket a few hooks and a can of worms ... you know me wel enough that I do all or nothing... I dont know any middle road.

That's true.... And is how I go about things over time, be it tools, surf, boat, and plugmaking. Still have a few items to add for plugmaking and rod wrapping. They all add up when you always get the best you can afford. Going to keep reading and join you guys for a few outings before I dive in. I did get the new inserts for the Sorels though!

Still cheaper than one Tiagra 130!!!

I'm right there with ya.. I've been doing all "this" salt water, fresh water, ice fishing and plug building a long... long time.. amazing what you can colllect in 30 or 40 years.. some of this stuff I've been collecting since I was a "little shaver".. alot I've built myself and maintained to keep it in good or new condition... you can tag along anytime... all you need is a fresh water license.. I've got more than enough "stuff" to allow you to fish for a day...

Great Post Joe!!

Reminds me of my youth growing up on lake champlain. My first ice rod was a tip off an old diawa rod, a dowel, and a few screws to wrap the line around and I modified it by running a guitar string at the tip, sort of like a built it strike indicator. I got to get back up there, and grab my hand auger and gear from my dad.