How to Bait a Tip-Up for Trout

Tip-ups are ice fishing tools that fit over top of a drilled hole in the ice. Fish biting the bait on the tip-up will cause a flag to pop up. The fisherman can then pull it up and out to catch the fish. Baiting for trout on the tip-up is no different than baiting for other types of fish. You simply must select a bait that a trout will enjoy and place it on the hook.

Things You'll Need

  • Ice auger
  • Tip up
  • Trout bait
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place your ice auger on the ice where you want to fish. Turn the handle to dig if you are using a manual auger. Flip the power switch to turn on a gas-powered auger. Drill all the way through the ice.

    • 2

      Pick up your tip-up, and rotate the bar with the fishing reel downward. Rotate it until it is perpendicular to the ice. Screw the holding screw on connecting the two bars of your tip-up to hold the bars in place, with one laying on the ice and the other pointing straight up and down.

    • 3

      Grab the fishing reel near where the two bars intersect on your tip-up. Reel it counterclockwise to let out line on the bottom of your tip-up. Let out 2 to 3 feet of line, and tie a hook to the end.

    • 4

      Take out your bait from its storage container. Avoid using live baits while ice fishing as they are likely to die before becoming useful. Use dough baits or large red jigs, spinners or spoons.

    • 5

      Put your bait on the hook at the end of the hook. Slide the hook through the dough bait until the dough is on the bottom. Remove your hook if you are using a lure, and instead tie the lure directly to the bottom of the line.

    • 6

      Place your horizontal tip-up bar on the ice, and place your line and vertical bar into the hole. Balance the tip-up on the ice around the hole. Bend the flag downward toward the fishing reel and slide it into the groove on top to set the line and bait.

    • 7

      Sit down and watch the flag on your tip-up. Wait until the flag releases from the reel and stands straight up. Go to your tip-up and grab the line. Pull it out of the water to catch the fish.