Max Wilson covers how he likes to rig his tip ups to easily switch between walleye and pike fishing while he’s out on the hardwater.
To save money and customize his own setup, Wilson makes his own tip ups rigs. There are many different options available to store rigs, but Wilson simply uses a trimmed down pool noodle. You can wrap your rigs into them easily and grab and go when you’re out the ice. If you break off a rig on fish, you can just unwind a new one from the noodle to change it out and get that line back in the water without much of a hassle.
For the rig setup, Wilson opts for a slightly lighter line when he’s targeting walleye. During the winter, walleye can get a little bit more finicky when it comes to line visibility, especially during early ice when you have a lot of light penetration. His go-to line is Seaguar Abrazx for it’s added abrasion resistance to handle the rough edges of the ice hole and the occasional pike. Wilson takes about 4′ to 4.5′ of line and ties on a VMC number 6 treble hook (you can go down to an 8, but keeping a slightly larger profile helps when you’re targeting trophy sized fish) with a Trilene knot (see video above for knot tying information). Then, he adds on an attractor with colored beads. Chartreuse or bright yellows can work really well. Blood red with blood red hooks can also be great because it can look like blood trailing your minnow. At the top of the rig, Wilson places a barrel swivel (a size zero) and adds a clevis to make a snap swivel. This allows him to make a quick change between rigs.
Just like tying your own spinner harnesses in the summer, tying your own tip up rigs is a great way to customize your presentations and also save money. Wrap them on a pool noodle and throw it in your tip up bucket and you’ll be ready to put a lot more fish on the top of the ice.
