Fishing In A Portable Or Out In The Open

[Thorney]

Hi All - Being pretty new to ice fishing and new to this site, I am wondering what you think about fishing in a portable vs. out in the open. I have never been in a portable and think it might get a little clostraphobic(???). I really enjoy being outside even on cold days and spreading out with a few buddies. Are there any fishing advantages to being inside a portable besides being out of the wind/weather? Are there any people that refuse to fish "indoors"? I am excluding permanent houses in my questions because that is not in the cards for me.

Thorney

[shizzy]

the cold, the wind...

I do find myself stepping out of the shack randomly on sunny days and hole hopping.

[ducker]

Eyes of your fishing rods don't freeze up in the portable if you have a little heat.

[nofishfisherman]

Its all about staying out of the cold. Rod eyes don't freeze, you don't get ice building up on your line, your holes don't freeze over, and most importantly you stay warm.

The other added advantage is if you catch something no one else can see so you can hopefully minimize getting crowded if you start catching fish.

[coombia21]

In the open you can hole hop and find the fish. But if you are in a portable you are most likely not going to move around. What I do it bring a portable and use it as a warming shack, or when I find the fish I put the portable up over the fish.

[cavalierowner]

I tolerate the cold better than anyone I know even at 63 years old. BUT, I still like being comfortable. I especially like my hands to be warm and thats tough if you're catching fish and have the gloves off a lot. I have a 3'x4' portable that I use when I'm alone and have no issues with claustrophobia, but then I have no issues with claustrophobia anywhere. I do, however, like to get out of the house once in a while to stretch my legs. And I sometimes will fish out in the open if the fish aren't biting where my portable is set up. I have no qualms about moving my 1 person portable if I need to or my larger 4'x8' portable either, for that matter. I figure there's a reason they call them portables.

[goosemafia]

its nice in the portable when your not having holes freezed up and reels. if you are on a clear lake you have the option of sight fishing in the portable also. there are also advantages to being outside(especially with this winter weather) because you are way more mobile that way.

[reinhard1]

when i'm up north in the arrowhead i try to be outside as much as possible. just to absorb the beauty around me and hear as much of nature as i can. even if its only a crow. yes, the portable is there if i need it. cant handle the cold as much as i used to. here in the cities i'm inside of the portable more often. got my worst sunburn ever on mille lacs years ago. no wind, beautifull blue bird skies, and out on the flats on a great winter day. from that point on i put on sunscreen if i'm out for a long period of time. good luck.

[fishersofmen]

If you are a very social person and find a spot where the fish are biting leave the porty at home. Before long you will be at the center of a very large city. I always prefer to be in the portable until the warmer temps in March come around. Really enjoy hanging out on the ice on a warm, sunny March day.

[hamms-scooter]

I enjoying being outside more... I do like the house when it is really windy.

[amateurfishing]

cover can be useful for keeping spring bobber rods out of wind and creating false bite alarms

[muskE]

If you're on the fish a proty can help keep prying eyes at bay and your spot to yourself.

[BobT]

Before I owned a portable I fished outside. Once I got my first portable, I rarely fish outside anymore. I've become spoiled but that's how I like it. A friend and I were reminiscing about the good old days the last time we went out. Talked about the time I was fishing for crappie with the air temp at -20 and wind chill somewhere near -60. The darn fish started biting and we couldn't do anything but watch our bobbers disappear because our hands were too cold to bring 'em in. I don't know if those are fond memories or not.

[reinhard1]

i remember the same thing. up north somewhere 20 below. just the chisel in those days. funny how a wide hole turned into a narrow opening when you finaly broke through the ice. during that time we didn't have portables or shelters. were we "tougher" then or just loved to be out. just loved to be out, is my guess. good luck.

[RiverFish]

I like to do both, weather permitting. Bite detection is a lot better in the portable when it is cold out.

A lot of times I will start in the portable early in the morning when it is cold. Then as it warms up I will move outside.

Portables are also good for kids.

[blackdog1101]

I also prefer fishing outside, but as other mentioned the wind is a nuiscance. Not only does it make us colder, it makes detecting light bites more difficult. So on windy days I will set up the shelter.

[Cyberfish]

Outside almost always! I do have a fishtrap, 19 years old, with the old green canvas, still in mint condition, since I only use it two or three times a year! With the mild weather this year, it has yet to come out of the basement!

[Al.Wichman]

I always have mine porty along I, like most stated I like the option of going in to warm up. I use a Wild 3 which is a big house so you can stand and strecth right inside. I mostly hop around and have that as a base camp. Kind of a side note to this. One reason I bring it out everytime and run my buddy heater, is when I was about 13 me and some freinds went out in some wicked cold and were dying out there. We were dropped off by my mom and were being picked up later, a couple fellas saw us freezing and let us warm up in their portable so I kinda repay that favor now if I see younger people out there that maybe need some holes popped instead of the tag team approach with a hand auger thats dull as h#ll or out with no shack. I feel that the old timers that helped us would want me to do the same.

[mainbutter]

I "refuse" to fish indoors because I refuse to purchase a portable and refuse to purchase a new vehicle to transport it with.. but that doesn't mean I wish I could afford it

Another advantage of a portable is that (especially if it's a dark color inside) you can see down the holes better for sight fishing.

I bundle up big time, but I get too cold to stay out after about 4 or 5 hours unless it's 25F+ with low wind.

[Deitz Dittrich]

If you're on the fish a proty can help keep prying eyes at bay and your spot to yourself.

If I am in my portable.... its usually for this reason.. or its cold out.

[Wanderer]

Some days I wouldn't want to fish with out a portable and some days I'd rather not be in it at all so I don't even flip it up, but it carries all my ice gear so it comes with me no matter what.

Sure a guy can do O.K. without it but as our saying goes: Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

[griff321]

I own a hub and it often comes out with me, but rarely goes up.

[BDiss]

I personally like fishing outside a lot more than inside a shelter. The only time that I have set the pop up is first time out or fishing with someone who wanted to it out. I find that I have better success outside of the hut than I do inside it. Usually when inside the hut, the other person catches the fish because they are fishing with a deadstick or bobber while I am jigging and trying to attract the fish.

[pathogen]

I'm an 'out in the open' guy, but I'll retire to the Otter cottage (if I brought it along) if I get a chill or am tired of ice on the eyelets/reel.

[laportian]

Outside almost all the time here. If it is 10 degrees or colder I will set my porty up. I have three and have one with in case it gets cold. I have frabill suitcase styles and I absolutley detest putting them away at the end of the day. It would be a different story if I had a pullover. I usually set up right next to my truck and use that as my base. I fan out and drill 10 to 15 holes in my general area and work them. If I get nothing i'm off to a new spot.