Tip-up Vs. Tip-down

I've been using tip-ups for years, but have never tried a tip-down. Do tip-downs serve a similar purpose to tip-ups? Basically, I want to know if I should give tip-downs a shot, or if I should stick to my usual ice fishing plan of tip-ups and hand-held rods. I appreciate any thoughts.

Thanks for all of the input. I'm going to go ahead and make a tip-down and give it a shot. Thanks again.

Neither. I probably said this last year, but a lot of people I know have made their own box tip ups. Mine work like a tip down, but I can adjust the sensitivity for crappies to pike. Instead of being out in the open they are enclosed, so no light goes down the hole. Plus you can heat them with candles or charcoal so your hole never freezes. I keep leaders pre-made so that I can snap them on and off depending on what I fish for. You can actually see the crappies mouthing the bait before they actually take it, the flag will bob up and down, and usually is up by the time you get to it. The flag teeters like a tip down, but has a slide weight so I can adjust the sensitivity. Set it just so it doesn't go up for crappies/perch/walleyes, or heavy for pike. There are a few threads on them if you search, you pretty much have to be able to make a box.

Tip downs are also fun for walleyes. Place a rubber band on the handle of the rod above the reel. Open the bail on your reel. Make a loop in the line and slide it under the rubberband. Line pulls out when the rod tip hits the hole. Has some drawbacks but works great for walleye. Can't be to cold or hole freezes and northerns hit too hard otherwise a good option.

I use home-made tip downs for finnicky walleyes. On lakes with picky light-biting walleyes they will out fish a beaver dam at least 2-1. They maybe only have a slight advantage on lakes with more aggressive 'eyes.

The only time I don't like using them is when the temps don't get above 0 for an extended period of time bc even with insulated hole covers the line freezes in the hole so you have to skim them every hour.

A major difference between the two is that a tip-down needs to be gotten to very quickly before the fish runs out of slack line, feels resistance, and spits the bait.

A well-lubed tip-up will keep paying out line until it is spooled.

Tip-downs are used mostly for panfish because larger minnows could tip them over.

When I am hole hopping for perch and crappies, I am usually set up with a marcum, jig pole, and two tip-downs. Set the two tip-downs in areas you want to monitor and hole hope with your flasher and jig pole.

Foolery

I too use both tip up and tip downs, tip ups for walleye and pike, and tip downs mostly for crappies. Tip down fishing is a blast and they are very easy to make at home, i highly suggest giving them a try.

Tip downs are excellent for perch and crappies. Most guys using tip downs are pan fishing. Give them a try, they are a blast to use.

I have both, but use them for different purposes. I use my tip ups for pike and tip downs for pan fish. Tip downs show the whole bite happening, so as a perch, gill, crappie is first messing with the bait, you see flag rod start to go. Where as a tip up strike is all or nothing. Just how I use em.