Leaving hub out overnight. Asking for trouble?

[Liftbridge1]

Hello everyone , I’ve been reading the forum this season and have found it to be a great place for all the information that you could possibly need to make your ice fishing experience better in all ways.

Tons of really knowledgeable fishermen on this forum. Thanks for all the good information.

My question is, do you or have you ever left your hub/portable on the ice overnight or for that matter a few days (all license and lettering on it) and if so, with what results? What precautions do you take to make sure you can get it off without having it freeze in or breaking loose?

We have a lake home north of Little Falls and I just got back into ice fishing in the last couple of years.

I get up there 2-3 times a winter and when I do, I have left the hub out on the ice for 2-3 days.

I’m the type of guy that likes to get out at around 4-4:30am and fish till around 9am. Then go back out at around 3pm till dark. It’s just a lot easier to go back out and start fishing.

I know I have probably been playing with fire but, I have not had it freeze in (to bad) or had any problems with wind.

I do not pack snow around the base; just let the wind blow under it.It's a thermal, so the flaps are heavy enough that they lay pretty flat on the ice and stay there.

Any thoughts? Have I just been lucky? If it gets frozen in, are there ways to loosen the flaps without ripping the heck out of it?

[BeenACrappieDay]

If I can reel my lines up and be starting a fully packed truck in under 5 minutes, your hub could be gone in 60 seconds. It would never be me taking it, but I can't speak for the thousand other yahoos out there roaming the lake for such an easy score. they won't care about ice anchors, would likely click the releases and be on their way. Could get away with it all season long, but it takes one afternoon in mid march, and you are out a few hundred bucks. just my two cents. best of luck.

[JeffB]

I would say just avoid banking with wet sloppy snow, and don't bank it right after drilling your holes when the ice is wet. Use good judgement on what your banking it with and what the temps are doing and you won't have any problems. Be careful where you leave it or the whole thing may dissapear.

[brian6715]

Yeah the point of having a "portable" is that it is just that, portable. I think you are asking for way more trouble than what it is worth for a 5 minute setup/take-down operation.

[Vlasin]

Considering how easy HUB are to put up and take down, I personally wouldn’t want to take the chance of someone walking away with it….Like BeenACrappieDay said, it takes less than a minute. Just my 2 cents.

You know the lake and the area more than anyone else on HSO I’m sure…

[Stick in Mud]

It's up to you. I know a few guys who leave their portables out on the lake all year, and they've been doing so without any problems thus far. That being said, I wouldn't do it.

[McGurk]

Asking for trouble? Yes, but to what level I am not sure. You said you live in the area, and that you fish early AM and late PM, and for a weekend. I'd consider it if I was on a low-pressure lake for a single night. If you had an ATV parked by it and a light on at night, I doubt anyone would mess with it whether you were there or not. But, as stated, they are so easy to tear down and set up that it might make for an easier sleep if you brought it with you. That being said: it sure does make it nice to go out that early when all you have to do is open a door, turn on the heater, and chip open a hole.

We have become so jaded and fearful due to the instant coverage of stolen gear via different media, this being one of them. I will say that for every 1) story I hear about a house being stolen, I hear 5) with gear stolen out of their truck in some fashion. Take that as you will.

[Lusid]

If you figure 1-200 dollars is a low cost investment and you have no attachments to the said hub. Then no issue imo. I would setup a solar light that turns on when it gets dark which should help minimize issues.

[thatoneguy]

It takes all of two minutes to set up my QF3...I sure wouldn't risk having it stolen (or blown away) just to save a few minutes. Just my .02

[TruthWalleyes]

Check the rules on leaving a house unattended overnight. I'm not sure when the date is to have them removed, but if it hasn't already passed, it'll be very soon.

I would not leave mine sit in my back yard overnight let alone a lake

[Lusid]

If you leave it overnight does that classify it as a permanent? Since you are leaving the shack unattended which means an additional fee?

[dan z]

I'm with truth on this. I dont like mine in the yard overnight. Let alone on a lake. But if it was a rural lake were no ones around or a hard to get to spot I prolly wouldn't mind living it out one night. I prolly wouldn't sleep very well though.

[DTro]

Left unattended, it will default to perm shelter rules.

No matter if its a pop up, flip over, or a piece of tarp propped up with a stick.

[Liftbridge1]

Thanks for all the feedback; it really does not make a lot of sense taking the risk of the hub being stole.

I do have all the licence and signage that a perm has, so I'm good on that.

I’m 61 years old and maybe cutting corners more then I use to.

Just to be a little clearer about where I have the hub. I do not fish close to where the majority of the houses are. In fact I’m about as far away from the beaten path as you can get. I do a lot of open water fishing and in the winter I go where I catch fish in the summer (seems to work really well) and I really don’t like being on top of each other.

The other thing that I factor in is that I’m on the ice way before sunrise and off the ice way after sunset and generally a person would really have to look at night to see the house out there by itself on less your lights hit the reflector tape.

During the daytime I can see my house from the cabin and do keep an eye on it.

Anyhow, Thanks for the replies. I really think that I’m trying to convince myself that it’s ok to leave it out for a few days, knowing in my heart that I’m asking for trouble.

[luckydog25]

Liftbridge, I am in a similar situation. I fish close enough to my cabin that I can see my portable. I have yet to leave it out over night, but I plan to next year. You do have to buy a permanant ice house license to leave it unattended over night. I am working on building a small hard side house, but think I might just stick to the portable. All the snow slush ect. seems like alot more work with a hard side, than just pulling the flip over out and leaving it out for the weekend...weather permitting of course. I was up last weekend and it was not fun pulling it to and from the cabin every night through the snow and slush without a snowmobile. I have several springs right in front of the cabin, so I wouldn't feel real safe running a snowmobile close to shore. It's really shallow, but would be a pain in the rear end trying to get it out alone.

[otterman91105]

Leaveing it out is just asking for trouble. It would probally be fine but you would have to buy a shelter license for it and then you have to worry about someone stealing it. They are so quick to set up i would not take the chance.

[Scott M]

I've left a registered and tagged portable out overnight on a private lake where I knew everyone on the lake and was nervous. If you've got a pop up, its easy enough to take up and down.

If you are on a lake where you feel comfortable doing it, just make sure you are banking with snow that won't freeze you down.

Good luck.