# Watching Tip Ups Through Glass



## fishandhunt (Dec 14, 2000)

A few weekends ago I was staying at a buddies cabin on an inland lake. The neighbors a few doors down set tip ups out all night and would periodically check them through the night. Obviously they were inside the cabin, but only 75 yards away. Is this method of fishing legal?

I know the term unattended, but what exactly does that mean in terms of time, and or distance. When a flag went off, they were there within five minutes. 

My buddy is thinking of trying it, but I told him I'd wait until I find out how legal it is.


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

If they can observe the flag and tend the tip ups when the flag goes off, that's fine. There is no distance, just that you have to tend them.

All night? Man, I would fall alseep for sure.


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## fishandhunt (Dec 14, 2000)

Thanks for the speedy reply!

Mike


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## Tattoo Mike (Jan 7, 2002)

I always thought the law was you had to be in immediate control of the rod or tip up. 

If you can leave it, is it then possible for 3 people to fish 2 rods apiece and one of them go 300 yrds to shore to the car and leave their bait in the water until they return?


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

I doubt a person is going to be able to see the rod tip jerking up and down at 300 yards. Like I said, if the flag goes up on a tip up you better come out to check it in short order. Officers coming across tip-ups where there is nobody around will often set off a flag and see if anyone shows up. If nobody does then the line is unattended, if the fishermen shows up within a few minutes then the line is being attended.

"Immediate control of rod or tip-up", no such law. Page 22 in the Fish Guide, "Line must be attended at all times".

In your senerio, the two left there with the six lines one person better never touch 3 different lines.


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## Tattoo Mike (Jan 7, 2002)

Yeah I agree with what your saying, however attended leaves a lot to be interpreted. Which by defination means to be present. Can you really be present 75 yrds away indoors at night. I know I would never attempt that. It just leaves too much to be interpreted, and not to say bad things about co's cause I'm not but you know there are always bad seeds, better to be safe than sorry. Plus if you let 10 mins go by there might be a pike cruising around with 100 yrds of line hooked to its mouth.

Secondly, just currious what typical rules would be for seting off a tip-up. Would there have to be nobody witthin 100 yrds for example or it not near anyone at all. It would just seem kinda poopy if a co would set off someones tip-up within 50 ft of them.

Seriously not trying to ofend you. I am the first guy to help a co, realy would like to be one some day, I'm just currious.

Mike


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## burbotman (Feb 20, 2001)

My input on this:Like Boehr said, that the CO's will set off a flag if there is no one in the vicinity, and if no one comes to tend the flag in a few minutes,they will usually wait until the person comes to retrieve the tip-up and issue a ticket OR leave a ticket on the tip-up.All lines MUST be attended; that is be observed at all times and be answered quickly.


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

You need to think about it. A CO is not going to set someone tip-up off if the fishermen is only 50 feet from it. Many tip ups are farther than 50 feet from a fishermens ice shanty that they are in.

If there are fishermen around, a CO would check the licenses and if there was any question about what line belonged to what fishermen the CO, and I have hundreds of times, would ask the fishermen while chatting with him/her, "what lines belong to you"? That way the CO is finding out if someone has too many lines. If there is 2 fishermen and 5 lines, one of those lines are not going to be claimed by one of the two fisheremen. The lines that nobody claims is going to be set off.

I am not going to make a judgement that a fishermen could not see their flag go off at night. Some pretty reasonable night vision scopes out there that many people have bought, including CO's.


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

For a few years I lived on St. Marys Lake south of Scottville in Mason County. All of us put out our tipups in front of our picture windows and went back inside to watch the football game or whatever. The cottage was only 50' from shore and the dropoff was 20' off shore. We had our tipups out most of every day and only took them in when we left home. The local CO would check us from his vehicle with binoculars and the only fishers freezing their butts were the tourist out in the open. There were never any problems. We also had a cage live box set into the ice to keep the fish live fresh a few days until somebody wanted one for supper. Bait was also free using small perch. This was a great system.


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## Eastern Yooper (Nov 12, 2000)

There are tip-ups for night fishing that light-up once the flag trips.

One can see those from quite far.


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## StumpJumper (Nov 13, 2001)

Here all these times I could've been sitting in my truck!


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

Then that big one would have gotten away because you wern't there to set the hook and we would have to listen to even bigger fish stories from ya.


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

StumpJumper have I got a club for you.

I have a calling card from a group in our White Lake area, Muskegon County. White Lake has "the narrows" and this truck group takes care of the property next to the narrows to have a great spot to sit in their warm trucks. They also travel around as a truck convoy to fish other sites. Here are some of the detatils on the calling card. The card has a truck with rod off the bumper and the line over to a fish at the other end of the card.

World Wide Association of Truck Fishermen L.L.C.
World Wide Head Quarters
6714 Blank Road, Whitehall, MI 49461
Phone 231-894-9840
President Robert Schultz, Jr., 231-893-8287

Motto: "The only thing a goodsportsman leaves behind are his foot prints and tire tracks."

WWAofTF Mission: The mission of World Wide Association of Truck Fishermen is to promote fishing as an individual and family sport. As members we have an obligation, to maintain and improve the quality of fishing, public access to fishing and our environment. This is our investment, which we give for the benefit of future generations.


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## StumpJumper (Nov 13, 2001)

Good point Boehr! Ya know,I've been sparing you guys the "ones that got away" stories for awhile now. I thinks it's about time for a few whopper stories! 

I'll pass on the Truck fishing club. That sounds a little too lazy for me.  There's been a few times when I'd of went to the truck to warm up instead of packing up and leaving though!


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