MAINELY OUTDOORS
by Bill Graves
There are a mind boggling number of styles, sizes and types of ice fishing traps currently on the shelves of area sporting good stores. Selecting a half dozen new tip-ups can be a daunting task considering the selection, especially for rookies to the sport of hard water angling. Perhaps a discussion of beneficial features and a few reference tips might help the purchase process.
Contributed photo
Sam Delano of Robinson uses Heritage Lakers tip ups like the one in the foreground and swears they help catch fish like this beauty of a brook trout.
First off, before a sportsman ever goes to a store to check out the array of tip-ups, price needs to be considered. Inexpensive often really is a synonym for cheap! Which makes more sense to you; buying $15 traps that will last four or five years or spending $30 apiece for tip-ups that your son or even your grandson will be using 25 years or more down the road. As with most outdoor gear, you get what you pay for.
For the most part, lightweight wood or plastic traps just won’t withstand long term use in freezing temperatures or bouncing around in pick-up beds or on tote sleds. Nor do flimsy reels and flag mechanisms endure the abuse of being frozen into fishing holes then roughly chipped out of the ice a dozen times a trip.
Also, I’ve learned the hard way (read as frustrating and expensive) that outfits promising never-fail flags, non-tangling reels and special covers that prevent ice holes from freezing generally don’t deliver during sub-zero outings on Aroostook lakes.
Having said this, a trap promising longevity and dependability must be sturdily constructed with solid, heavy wooden cross bars and upright flag stand. If the wood is painted or varnished for added protection from water and ice, that’s a big plus. Flag poles and reels constructed of metal withstand the cold and hard use better than outfits with plastic components. I also prefer the flag to be fairly large, colored bright orange or black and cut from a heavyweight, durable material.
In regard to size, a good tip-up will have at least 12- to 15-inch long fold out legs to assure stability. An easy to use mechanism for leg deployment and flag setting, and a good- size reel that can all be operated while wearing gloves are also good selling points. Since tip-ups may be used for perch one day and big togue the next, a dependable, easily adjustable drag system is crucial.
A tall trap that can easily be seen a good distance away despite deep snow cover is a must. At least 24- to 36-inches of mast should extend above the ice surface and that’s before the flag flips up. With so much recreational snowmobiling going on, as well as the numerous anglers using snow sleds to check flags and explore the lakes, tall, easy-to-spot tip-ups are much less likely to get accidentally run over and ruined than low profile models.
Without exaggeration I’ve personally used a dozen styles and models of ice fishing traps over the last 30 winters, and I’ve checked out a dozen other types used by fishing buddies. For the last five years my favorite rig, one that has all the features I’ve mentioned and a few more, is the Heritage Laker made right here in Maine.
Built by hand in an Eddington shop, Heritage Lakers cost between $25 and $40 each depending on model. Most are 36 inches tall, except the new rugged Ice Bear which is a towering 45-inch brute. Some traps even come rigged with 100 yards of green, waxed 30-pound test line, fluorocarbon leader, swivel, sinker and hook and the tip-up has a cork hook keeper.
Most Heritage traps have a natural finish, although a few are stained and varnished, but this season a new black trap is an addition to the lineup, and even a hot pink tip-up for the lady ice drillers, both come fully rigged and ready to fish.
Heritage also offers a full line of replacement parts in case of damage or loss and extra reels are available for quick switch over from one line type and strength to another for various species. Being ice anglers themselves, the gang at Heritage also invented a small 36” ice chisel for keeping holes clear, it comes with a leather guard and fits perfectly into your pack basket with all the tip-ups.
Ice fishing in the Crown of Maine is a demanding sport, hard on the sportsmen and the gear, the last thing you need is to waste fishing time and freeze fingers dealing with second rate equipment. Select top quality tip-ups, rig them well, and maintain them between outings for trouble-free trips.
