Tom's Tips

#14) FISHING IN WINDY CONDITIONS

Beware the dreaded wind trip!!

Every tip-up angler has faced blustery winter conditions and been hampered by false flags set off by strong gusts.  But this doesn’t have to be--there are several things you can do to prevent wind trips.

Try…

1. Simply setting the flag wire on the side of the trip the wind is blowing from.  This way, the wind blows the flag toward the tube, rather than away, eliminating false trips.
2. Using the wind trip on the flag wire.  By placing the wind trip bracket on the opposite side of the flag wire beneath the trip, the wind cannot release the flag wire.
3. Bending the flag wire slightly and place it on the side of the trip shaft where the trip must travel up the bend before tripping.  This creates a slightly heavier trip setting.
4. Also, see my tips on “fishing big baits.”  The same methods used for fishing large baits can also be used to eliminate false trips during windy conditions.

Other Tips:

1. KEEP YOUR TIP-UP LINE SPOOLED TIGHTLY AND EVENLY
2. ALWAYS CHECK ICE THICKNESS BEFORE VENTURING OUT
3. SAFETY FIRST, ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY CLEATS!
4. TRY WIND TIP-UPS!
5. TRY MICRO SYSTEMS FOR PANFISH!
6. DON’T BE AFRAID TO EXPERIMENT WITH LIGHTER LINE
7. FISHING BIG BAITS
8. SPOOLING LINE
9. FLAG VISIBILITY
10. WRAPPING UP YOUR TIP-UPS AT THE END OF THE DAY
11. TIP-UP MARKERS
12. HEAVY SNOW CONDITIONS
13. OFF SEASON TIP-UP STORAGE
14. FISHING IN WINDY CONDITIONS