Ice Fishing
Ice Shacks!
11/10/05 @ 9:07 PM
Displaying 1 to 15 of 47 posts
I have a 4 person Easton Ice Cube portable shanty. Fits 3 people comfortably and a 4th if needed. The thing sets up in 45 seconds and resists wind pretty well as long as you position it correctly. Very durable black material that absorbs heat and keeps the cold out. Along with the Cube i have a Mr. Buddy Heater that takes care of the rest. It is a blast fishing with this shelter and gives me more fishing time instead of spending a load of time on setting up. Wal Mart in Baraboo, WI has it for $150....cheapest ive ever seen it. Good luck fishing.....ZEP 
I've got a question for you all. Some buddies and I have a 8'x24' duel axle camper that we want to make a shanty out of. we're planning on shorting it up, taking an axle off, and lightening up the inside as much as possible. in the end we hope to make it 16'-20' long, and much lighter. I'm wondering what you guys think of this situation, if it's possible, if it's going to stay on top of the ice, and or any ideas of ways to lighten it.
Thanks, -Mike
I built my own and saved a ton of money. Didn't think I could do such a good job, but it turned out awesome! I got all my stuff from the MN based company Fish House Supply that Dodger talked about. http://www.fishhousesupply.com/ They are great people to work with and know what there doing! Great Customer Service!
Looks as if everyone is pleased with their shanty. Add me to that list. This year I bought a Fish Trap Guide. Sold this year at Cabela's for $299 but has an MRSP of $359. It is supposed to be the largest selling brand and model. I can understand why. Room for two average-sized guys. Has padded, swivel boat-type seats mounted on the the molded sled. Pops up in 60 seconds (no kidding). Putting it together took a couple of days but was worth it. Has about 6" of extra fabric at the bottom to prevent wind from coming in. Works best if you push snow onto that extra fabric. Front and back window allow adequate light. A small Mr. Buddy heater keeps it very comfortable. Even a propane lantern would probably work on most days.
Bigfish, I have the Frabill Speed Shak Cub. I'm not sure if they make it anymore. Anyway, it sets up in about 30 seconds, there is room for 2 fishermen and you have a floor so your feet aren't on the ice. I keep a longer rope on one of the handles for moving it from spot to spot. It isn't made to be towed a lot but if you put the hole covers in place and lock them it works pretty well. I've towed it with the ATV and the truck.
After the shelter is set up you need to mark your hole spots, then move the shack and drill your holes and put it back in place. That part is really easy. To me it is the perfect one man shelter but it easily fishes two.
I've only seen a couple of flip over shacks but I am convinced that mine is a lot less work than those I've seen. There may well be other flip overs that are as easy and quick to set up as my Frabill so I can't draw any hard and fast conclusions.
when and if I am ever in need of another shack I will check out the flip over shacks again to compare them to the regular shelters.
Bigfishbill, I have an old two or three person clam, drag it out, flip it open, set up the tent poles, fight the tent canvas into to place (I mean FIGHT especially in the wind) figure out where to drill your holes to match the holes in the floor, drill your holes, move the shack over, shovel it in, open the floor, and start fishin. Its alot of work to get started but once it is in position its very comfy, blocks the wind and has a plastic floor so your not sitting with your feet on the ice or in slop or snow. I recently bought a pack shack, its a folding chair with a flip over cover. It probably wont last long, but after useing it a couple times my clam sits in the shed. Once it becomes unuseable I will most likely sell the clam and buy a flip over based on a sled. Bottom line, the clam is nice, but it takes quite a bit of work to set up, if you find your spot and stay there its good but if you are like me and move around alot you cant beat a flipover.
I bought my first portable flip over its a team wild I hate to say it but what a pain in the rear putting it together. I had to email otter just for directions on how to install the bench seat. I love the way it looks and the windows and the price was very reasonable. It just dont look to good in the living room set up. I guess I'll go sit in it and watch the pro bowl. tight lines
I bought an Eskimo QuickFish III this year. I like it a lot. The whole bottom is open and I like sitting on a bucket inside. It's plenty spacious for 1-2 people, and can fit 3 if you really need too. I like the way it folds up and stores in the backpack style bag. Great if I don't feel like pulling out my sled and all my gear out. It also holds heat very well. I have one of those Mr. Heater Buddy portable heaters and I often have to turn it off after a while because it gets too warm inside and that's on the low setting. I also like that the windows are removable. My buddy said that you could probably use it as a hunting blind too and just shoot out one of the 4 windows. Too bad it wasn't camoflauged though. Then it would be perfect. Overall I like it a lot. Seems very durable. Hopefully it lasts a long time. Time will tell.
Displaying 1 to 15 of 47 posts
