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I grew up using tip ups for pike on east coast. I use them out here in the west a few times. Never fished them that deep. Caught some nice bows at Otter with them, 20ft deep. I use octopus hooks. The problem using as deep as you are planning to that is alot of line to be pulling up laying on the ice to deal with. Braid freezes fast wet and laying on the ice. Fish lake Lakers and splake will run for a bit before you get to the tip up and could have bunch line out. I use automatic fisherman more these days when I want an extra line out.
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I use them a lot on the Gorge, mostly for burbot but I also catch the occasional lake trout. Originally I used braid, but I definitely recommend "tip up line". It won't freeze as easy, doesn't cut into your hands as much when pulling in fish, and is pretty cheap and rarely has to be replaced. It's available mostly in white or black. I use white being it's easier to see at night in a dark hole or on polished ice, but black would be nice on the snow. When you hand line a fish in, all that line will end up on the ice so it's nice to be able to see it. I also tie a barrel swivel to the end, and about 4 ft of flourocarbon leader from there to the hook or lure. Consider adding reflective tape to the flag, if you fish it at night, and some small bells for day or nighttime use. You'll hear the flag flip, which is nice. Also they are usually used for my shallow presentations so I don't have to hand or spool as much line, and prefer a deadstick or jigging for the deep water presentations.
Hope that helps and good luck, Ryno
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Thank you for taking the time to offer some advice. Maybe a jawjacker or another pole set up and deadstick might be a better option for trout.
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[#0000FF]Tip ups were originally designed for fishing live bait in fairly shallow waters...for large fish like walleyes and northern pike. They rely on the fish taking the bait firmly and moving off...with the tipup allowing the release of line to the fish. When the huffing and puffing angler...after running to the tipup...finds the fish still pulling line they set the hook and handline it in. Doesn't sound like a lot of sport...compared to fly fishing or pitching lures...but it can be. And it is a good way to catch some large fish that you might not score with bitty bite jigs being fished for panfish.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Can't use live bait in Utah. But we can fish whole dead minnows and large chunks of cut bait. So there are potential applications here. Burbot have been mentioned. They are great candidates and they are fished with tipups in other parts of the country. But we also have some northern pike and tiger muskies in Utah, and they will take dead baits. Ditto for big catfish. They feed under the ice, but more slowly. Letting them slow-munch a big bait and then move off with it can be more productive than working a baited jig. Although that will catch a lot of smaller cats.
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[#0000FF]Tipups can and do work for trout...especially when you fish big baits for big fish...like macks. But even rainbows, tigers, cutts and browns will slurp up cut bait, minnows or whole crawlers and make the flag pop up. Never a bad idea to make a tipup your "second rod" while you are playing around with "standard" ice fishing stuff. You might catch only one or two fish...or nothing. But the fish you catch may well be the biggest of the trip.
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[#0000FF]If you are fishing small jigs or other downsized offerings you will be happier using Jaw Jackers or some other hook-setting release device.
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