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Portable fish house?

walleyemaster08

By walleyemaster08
in Ice Fishing

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Rippinlip Veteran

Rippinlip

Posted
Posted

Clam, Otter, Frabill, Eskimo......

Like posted above what's your budget?

Are you pulling it behind a wheeler/snowmobile?

Hauling it in a truck/car?

Are you looking to a run-n-gunner or set-up and fish for long periods of time?

You really can't go wrong with any of the above mentioned houses.

Some are better made, some more budget minded.

All will hold heat and keep you out of the elements.

I am sure every kind of house has seen fish caught inside of it....

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Get'n Jiggy Mentor

Get'n Jiggy

Posted
Posted

I studied this subject for quite a while and bought a Canvas Craft insulated flipover. They have an extensive thread in the sponsers area on this HSOforum. Good price, good people, "Made in MN" works for me! I've had a few different portables but wouldn't be without an insulated porty

after fishing one. 2c

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tsande00 Experienced

tsande00

Posted
Posted

My first portable that I owned was a $130 Menards "special". Fished two people OK, one person comfortably. Only weighed 35#. Very low quality. sled was brittle in cold elements, zippers worked intermittently, bolts would come loose from frame causing support brackets to fall off. Lasted 2 seasons...could have lasted more with better care and maint. That sled was not meant for pulling behind an ATV...learned that the hard way.

My current house is a Eskimo QF3. Probably mid to lower end of flip over houses but the price was right and it suits my needs well. Going on my third season.

I decided I didn't need a top of the line $800+ shack to keep me comfortable. I think I spent $300 and have been very satisfied.

I guess what I'm getting at is weigh your options, budget, etc and go to a few big box stores to check them out in person. Sit in them, feel the fabric, quality of windows, quality of sled, comfort of seats/bench, etc. You really need to check them out in order to get a feel for what you'll be buying.

Check them out in person so you can directly compare quality to price, vise/versa.

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tsande00 Experienced

tsande00

Posted
Posted

how much it takes to have a nice portable grin. pull behind sled and wheeler

You can get into a pretty decent flip over style portable for a few hundred bucks and up. If you plan to pull with sled and wheeler I would go the route of a flip over style. If you plan to pull a lot I would pay close attention to the quality of the sleds/tubs. Some are much more Rigid than others. For instance my Eskimo sled is fairly flimsy. It's fine for towing some, but if I was going to tow exclusively I would look for a tougher sled like my Otter. The Otter is twice as thick (but also twice as heavy).

Seriously though, if you live near a Gander, Cabelas, Sheels, etc go take a walk around and see what they offer. There are so many different brands and types. You can get a pretty good feel by sitting in them and examining in person.

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Chris Barlage Community Regular

Chris Barlage

Posted
Posted

Its all about what the pocket book can handle. Personally I like otters. Nice stong sled. Maybe the best ones out there. I see a lot of clams crack up after awhile. I had a clam and the sled broke pritty easy. Going to be running an otter lodge myself. Otter has a great canvis and the sled to match to hold up to a lot of abuse and cold weather. They are very roomie. They are not the cheapest out there though. So it all depends on the checkbook. They all will keep you out of the cold it just depends on the features and durability you want and how ofen you use itwill tell you how much to spend on one.

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Northlander Grand Master

Northlander

Posted
Posted

Its all about how you fish. If you walk out and pull the house by hand a lot go with a small light house. If you pull with any motorized unit get the best quality and most roomy you can afford.

Im a Otter guy as well. Best tubs on the market and the 900 denier canvas doesnt let air in and the windows stay flexible even in sub zero weather. Zippers, seats etc. all of the best quality.

If you dont want to spend the $ on the Pro Series you can go with the Wild Series wich is a great unit at a bit easier price to swallow.

I suggest you go to the Ice Show or a retailer with a bunch of houses to choose from and compare and price shop. Get what fits your needs and wallet.

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Nordern Community Regular

Nordern

Posted
Posted

Like Acemac said anything is better than nothing. I currently am fishing out of an Otter Lodge II which IMO is great for 2 guys with more than enough space and lots of head room. Of course I went through about 5 other less expensive and lower quality shacks before I arrived at the Otter. Regardless I caught fish and had fun. Get what you can afford and hit the ice.

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muc33 Mentor

muc33

Posted
Posted

As you stated, if you are pulling it, NOTHING beats an OTTER! My Otter sleds are tried and true proven durability! Nothing can beat them. I pull mine on all of my LOTW, Rainy, Red and other big trips and have yet to encounter a tub problem! The canvas is tough and keeps out all elements and you may never have to buy another.... till you want more!!!

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Borch Grand Master

Borch

Posted
Posted

A have a few others and have used several others. I keep coming back to the Otter houses. Their canvas and sleds just can't be beat. It you haul it behind a sled or atv thier tow bar is rock solid and the best in the industry as far and I'm concerned. You'll be hard pressed to wear it out.

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      Just Food and Drink

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    • rundrave
      Problems with Yetti

      By rundrave · Posted

      we had some nice weather yesterday and this conundrum was driving me crazy  so I drove up to the house to take another look. I got a bunch of goodies via ups yesterday (cables,  winch ratchet parts, handles, leaf springs etc).   I wanted to make sure the new leaf springs I got fit. I got everything laid out and ready to go. Will be busy this weekend with kids stuff and too cold to fish anyway, but I will try to get back up there again next weekend and get it done. I don't think it will be bad once I get it lifted up.    For anyone in the google verse, the leaf springs are 4 leafs and measure 25 1/4" eye  to eye per Yetti. I didnt want to pay their markup so just got something else comparable rated for the same weight.   I am a first time wheel house owner, this is all new to me. My house didn't come with any handles for the rear cables? I was told this week by someone in the industry that cordless drills do not have enough brake to lower it slow enough and it can damage the cables and the ratchets in the winches.  I put on a handle last night and it is 100% better than using a drill, unfortatenly I found out the hard way lol and will only use the ICNutz to raise the house now.
    • Wanderer
      Problems with Yetti

      By Wanderer · Posted

      I haven’t done any leaf springs for a long time and I can’t completely see the connections in your pics BUT I I’d be rounding up: PB Blaster, torch, 3 lb hammer, chisel, cut off tool, breaker bar, Jack stands or blocks.   This kind of stuff usually isn’t the easiest.   I would think you would be able to get at what you need by keeping the house up with Jack stands and getting the pressure off that suspension, then attack the hardware.  But again, I don’t feel like I can see everything going on there.
    • rundrave
      Problems with Yetti

      By rundrave · Posted

      reviving an old thread due to running into the same issue with the same year of house. not expecting anything from yetti and I already have replacement parts ordered and on the way.   I am looking for some input or feedback on how to replace the leaf springs themselves.    If I jack the house up and remove the tire, is it possible to pivot the axel assembly low enough to get to the other end of the leaf spring and remove that one bolt?   Or do I have to remove the entire pivot arm to get to it? Then I also have to factor in brake wire as well then. What a mess   My house is currently an hour away from my home at a relatives, going to go back up and look it over again and try to figure out a game plan.           Above pic is with house lowered on ice, the other end of that leaf is what I need to get to.   above pic is side that middle bolt broke and bottom 2 leafs fell out here is other side that didnt break but you can see bottom half of leaf already did but atleast bolt is still in there here is hub assembly in my garage with house lowered and tires off when I put new tires on it a couple months ago. hopefully I can raise house high enough that it can drop down far enough and not snap brake cable there so I can get to that other end of the leaf spring.

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