What do you all use? For me it depends on if I want the minnow swimming around or stay stationary. Thinking shiner minnows if we have some this winter.

If I want an active presentation I'll just use a bare circle hook and a split shot or two/maybe a bead.

If I want stationary I'll use a Fireball jig.

And somewhere in between I'll use a Gem n eye.

What's everyone else doing? Just wondering

Ooops - edit - I see you were talking eyes, I mainly use tipups for pike. On the walleye tipup I have just the gemneye, white.

I have set up my two main tip ups with a simple glowing jig head on one, and a swedish pimple on the other. I will see how it goes these first few weeks and then decide if I need to do something different. I am just trying to find something that both Walleyes and Pike might take...but a big enough presentation to keep smaller perch, sunnies etc. off my flag!

Pike or eyes - I go after both. I like big gemneyes for pike. Pink or orange, but I don't the pike really care.

most of the time i just use a red treble hook and a split shot up a foot or foot and a half with a 5 in sucker minnow. Set it about 6-12" of the bottom. For the walleyes. Pike set it 5-6 feet off the bottom. Works great around here.

Keeping the small eye's off is the key. Caught a 10" sauger on woods that wasn't big enough to trip the flag. Swallowed the hook hardcore.

For 'eyes I will usually just go with a glowing or or gemneyes. Use big enough jigs/hooks/minnows and set the flag to the lighter setting.

For pike with big 5"+ minnows its home tied quick strikes rigs. I miss very few flags with the rigs and I can set the hook right away without waiting. On some of the metro lakes, I'll use smaller suckers and shiners and go with a 2/0 worm hook.

A key on some of these metro lakes that are loaded with bass: If that spool is going like there's no tomorrow, set that hook sooner. I've had many times, when that spools is 1/2 to 3/4 striped off by the time I get to the flag. And I dont wait to check it once the flag pops. Its usually some fat bass heading for the deep weeds. If you wait as long as you would with a pike, that hook will be buried in their gut.

I put a snap swivel on the end of my braided line,then clip on a 4 to 6 foot lindy rig with the beeds and even the spinners of various colors.......works great

I use a lot of the gamakatsu colored octopus hooks for eyes under tip ups and on rattle reels. They are very sharp and some days color really makes a difference.

I will always use wire to my hooks whenever fishing for pike. For walleyes I'll put a 12-24" leader of fluorocarbon.

Yup I do that to for my walleye tipup. Pike I use a wire leader.

My walleye tip-up is almost always a natural presentation. Simple hook and split shot, sometimes a small bead above the hook. If I want it more active, the split shot are farther from the hook. Less active and they are closer to the hook.

I use the tip-up when the 'eyes are reluctant to hit my jigging lures, so it's a very natural presentation I'm looking for. Sometimes, if I want things even easier for the 'eyes, I'll use one small split shot and clip the tail fin off the minnow so it wiggles but can't really swim around much. When the 'eye takes that setup, there's pretty much no weight or resistance for it to feel.

Since my 'eye tip-up is always a low-light/nighttime presentation, I never bother with a fluoro leader. Any standard 12-lb mono works just great.

All my tip-ups have a set of small jingle bells attached to the flag/shaft so I don't have to keep looking out the window of my shelter or shining light to see if a flag is up.

Thanks Steve

for pike U use a leader of 40-50 lb mono. so long as you don't set the hook too hard you don't get bit off.( I use a jerk of the wrist, thats all) I have outfished people using steel 2-1 many times doing this.