Our Story

Welcome! In 1960, my dad started taking me ice-fishing with him. Right from the start, I was hooked. When I turned 13 or so, I bought my first set of ice-fishing traps (ice-fishing tip-ups). They were great. After a couple of seasons though, the wear and tear really began to show. The tripper would not stay in place and it would also freeze up. The reels would bend and some would even come off. Another problem would be wind flags.

Back in those days, the fishing was a little better, but the mishaps with the traps were all too frequent. I often wonder what I might have caught if the traps were better quality. So in 1979, I decided to build a set of ice-fishing traps. Since then I've made a few improvements. Every part (reel, flag-holder, and end sections) is manufactured from heavy gauge aluminum. There are at least five tripper-holders on each trap. This keeps the tripper in place. The tripper rod is made of stainless steel and will not bend. All Jack Traps have an easy trip system: the tripper is packed with all weather white lithium grease and can be repacked easily. (the grease fitting is under the center tripper-holder.) This virtually eliminates tripper freeze-ups.

The 2-coat polyurethane finish is a hard, slick finish which makes ice removal easy. Trappers have been coating their snow-shoes with similar finishes for a century, it only makes sense. All Jack Traps are assembled using screws, not nails. There are no wind flags. The wood is kiln-dried ash or oak, and is molded especially for Jack Traps.

With the cost of bait and new ice-fishing regulations, your equipment performance becomes more important if you are to be successful. How many times have you gone to a flag only to find there's nothing there, not even the bait? At least half of the time this is due to equipment failure. Jack Traps are offered in a variety of styles and sizes. There is one just right for every condition. The same high quality and experience is built into each trap. Jack Traps have been a proven winner for over 20 years. Good luck, and be safe.


Tim Jackson
Owner and Manufacturer