The ice fishing tip up, an essential piece of equipment that you don’t want to leave home without.

However, in order for it to work properly, you need to set it up the right way. In this post, we are going to briefly show you how to set up your ice fishing tip up.

How to set up an ice fishing tip up

What you will need

1. An ice fishing tip up ( learn more here: Best Ice Fishing Tip Ups )
2. Tip up line
3. Ice Fishing line (learn more here: Best Ice Fishing Line )
4. Fishing Hook
5. Swivel
6. Split shot weight

How to set up an ice fishing tip up

(For demonstration purposes, we will be using a Frabill Blackhawk Tip up, but you can use the same principles for setting up your tip up)

1. The first thing you are going to want to do is to attach the tip up line to the tip up. This can be done by tying the line to the spool. Any good fishing knot should work. Be sure to clip off any tag lines to keep things clean and tangle free.
2. After you have tied the line to the spool you can begin to put the tip up line on the spool. It is important to remember that you aren’t spooling a fishing reel, but to prevent future tangles it is important that the line goes on straight and lays down nicely on the spool. So as you reel the spool try to keep the line tight so that it can go on evenly.
3. Now that you have your line attached to your tip up you can begin to tie on your leader material. For leader material you can use just about any ice fishing line of your choice. Our favorite is Sufix Ice Magic, but any ice fishing line will do. To attach the leader to the tip up line we are going to use a swivel. Tie the tip up line to the swivel using an improved clinch knot. One you have done that, you can then tie the other end of the swivel to your leader material.
4. Next, you can begin to measure our your leader to the desired length. Keep in mind that extra is always better as it is easier to shorten the length once on the ice than to tie on a whole new leader. So depending on the depth of water I am going to be fishing, I like to tie on a leader of 6 to 8 feet.
5. After you have your leader ready, you can tie on your hook with an appropriate knot such as a palomar knot.
6. Lastly, you can attach your split shot weight to you line. This will help to keep the bait in the water at the desired depth. I like to put my weight at the 18 inch mark, but much depends on what depth of water you are fishing in and the type of fishing that I am fishing for.
7. Congratulations! At this point, your tip up is ready to go. The last step is to put the spool in the ice fishing hole, set the tip up and wait until it goes off.

To learn more, check out the following video:

There you have it! You have successfully set up your tip up. The only thing you have to do now is get out and catch some fish.