Best snowmobile for ice fishing?

[mnhunter2]

I am tired of fighting the snow and decided to get a snowmobile set up for ice fishing so I need ideas on what really works the best?

[Fred_Bear]

Utility or touring style fan cooled is the way to go.

I used a Polaris Indy 500 liquid for years, very reliable and plenty of power but simply not designed for low speed and hauling gear so there was always problems with it. This style of snowmobile likes to go fast so they aren't happy when used for ice fishing.

Finally got rid of the Indy and now I have an AC Bearcat 340 fan. Older machine and half the horsepower of the Indy but twice the fishing machine! It's designed for putting around pulling a load and 2 people. It tops out right around 50 MPH but I will never need to go faster since it's just an ice fishing machine.

Find yourself a fan cooled sled geared for pulling with a long track and 2 up seat. Do yourself a big favor and get REVERSE!

[Walleyehooker]

When it comes to ice fishing sleds the utility sleds like Bear cat, Tundra and expedition are top picks. But a lot of guys use 2 up touring sleds to. A lot comes down to what you want to spend on a sled and how new of a rig you want. A few more details in your post would help narrow things down.

[mnhunter2]

I want it to have electric start, rev, start always, used for pulling fishouses, very little trail riding mostly for fishing hunting and hauling, light and easy to load.

[Fred_Bear]

What are you looking to spend?

[mnhunter2]

Looking for an used machine, like to stay in the 2k-4k range depending on whats on it and miles.

[Fred_Bear]

You should be able to get in the early to mid 2000 models at that price. Start scouring C_List as now is the time to buy snowmobiles.

Touring snowmobiles are 2-up and designed for cruising trails at slow speed and non-aggressive driving usually with a passenger. They have a long track and will do just fine for almost all ice fishing conditions in MN. For touring models look at AC Panther, Ski Doo Grand Touring, and Polaris Sport Touring.

Utility snowmobiles are tough machines made for work; these are the snowmobiles you see at ski resorts. They have really long and wide tracks and are geared really low, usually even having high and low range. They are for extreme conditions like deep slush or powder snow and can haul heavy loads like a hardsided shelter. For utility models look at AC Bearcat, Ski Doo Skandic or Tundra, and Polaris WideTrak.

I recommend fan cooled for ice fishing. They will have less HP per CC but are simpler and tend to have less problems. Also they can be run in low/no snow conditions where liquid cooled sled will over heat. 440 would be plenty big for pulling a portable. I have a 340 and I pull 2 one man houses and have a passenger riding with me.

[NoWiser]

While I agree with a lot of what Fred Bear has to say, I personally prefer liquid cooled machines for ice fishing. Especially when there is the chance to hit slush. We've had a few times where we hit giant slush fields and the fan cooled sleds just couldn't muster up the power to get through them. Those of us on the liquids ended up walking back and pulling them out. The other benefit is the heat exchangers in the tunnel will help melt the ice and keep it from building up too much. For me, a 600 liquid is about the perfect size. You don't need to use all that horsepower, but it is there if you need it.

For a fishing sled I'd probably go 2-up. It's nice having the extra track length and ability to carry a passenger. That said, with a bit of imagination you can turn any reliable snowmobile into a good ice fishing sled. My 2002 MXZ 600 works awesome for me. The big utility sleds are great, but if you get them stuck, watch out. We had one get burried in slush and had to walk a mile off the lake at night, and buy a chainsaw and cut it out the next day. They are heavy!!

If I were you I'd look for a liquid cooled touring model in the mid 2000's.

[Fred_Bear]

I have to agree with NoWiser.

There is no doubt a liquid is going to have way more power than a comparable size fanner.

And the utility sleds are tanks; if you do manage to get one stuck then good luck. But the stuff I've seen them go through is just unreal, I can't imagine what it would take to get one stuck.

Liquid vs. Fan is always personal preference. I took my little 340 fan w/ longtrack through some of the worst slush conditions I've seen just a couple weekends ago so it is possible.

[bigblue]

We run a Skandic WT (XU ) wide track with 1.5 " paddles , low and high trans with reverse . Two up 550 fan it's a 4x4 tank for ice fishing . Won't overheat like the liquids on sheet ice just run scratchers and you are good to go .

[MN Mike]

Looking for an used machine, like to stay in the 2k-4k range depending on whats on it and miles.

With that price range you'll find a pretty nice touring / utility sled from the late 90's thru the mid 2000's and you should be able to keep the miles down between 1000 - 3000 pretty easy. Bearcats are hard to beat, if you can find them, they sell quick unless they are priced too high.

2 up tourings like the Panther, Pantera and T660 4 strokes ( I'm and Arctic Cat guy if you can't tell ) will work pretty darn good too, you've got just about every power plant available when you look at these 2 up tourings, track lengths will be 136 inches. The Pantera and T660 4 strokes come with some pretty nice luggage racks, you can fit a couple of flashers side by side in those, some of those sleds have removable 2 up seats to provide even more storage, most of the Panthers have a different rack that doesn't hold as much and aren't as handy.

If you get a liquid, plan on getting some ice scrathers, this time of year when the snow starts to thaw, it freezes pretty hard at night and in the morning can be setup like concrete, that's where a little agitation from scratchers can make or break your day, should be able to find them for about $50

Nothing wrong with fan cooled engines either but I probably wouldn't get one smaller than a 440 for ice fishing.

Now is the time to buy if you find what you're looking for, people are willing to wheel and deal.

Good luck!

Mike

[leech~~]

Posted this 10 times already but a long track fan is good to have because it will work in late or early season when there may not be much cooling snow-slush for a Liq machine. I have been out on warm days on glare ice. Not sure I would do that with a Liq cooled machine. Mine is a 2000 550 fan and has worked great on bare ice or deep snow-slush! Lots of them for sale right now on the auction sites!

[LakeDocktor]

I will agree with MN Mike. I currently am searching for a Bearcat and they are almost impossible to find. I have found a couple, but the pricing on those particular used sled was in the same price point as a new one. If I am unable to find one by the fall, I will be purchasing a new one.

I have had my sights set on a Bearcat for some time. I fish numerous tournaments throughout the hardwater season. My ATV has served me well, but with the way the last couple months have been, I have been even more motivated to begin my search early.

[walleye 4 me]

I have a 1997 polaris indy trail touring. 488 cc fan cooled, electric start, reverse, mirrors to watch the sleds behind you and make sure you dont loose anything. Added a ram mount on the dash for my H2OC gps, auger mount, and a bigger rear spring so when my buddy and I (550 lbs total) are riding double we dont bottom out. Also works great for pulling the kids around the yard and some light trail riding. been pretty happy with it. What do you guys do when there is no snow left on the ice to lube the hyfax?

[Fred_Bear]

What do you guys do when there is no snow left on the ice to lube the hyfax?

Squirt dish soap on them. I haven't done it but have seen it work for others.

[Rod Woten]

I will agree with MN Mike. I currently am searching for a Bearcat and they are almost impossible to find. I have found a couple, but the pricing on those particular used sled was in the same price point as a new one. If I am unable to find one by the fall, I will be purchasing a new one.

I have had my sights set on a Bearcat for some time. I fish numerous tournaments throughout the hardwater season. My ATV has served me well, but with the way the last couple months have been, I have been even more motivated to begin my search early.

That's exactly what I did, and trust me you won't regret it even a single bit. The newer Bearcats are nice because they can be spec'ed out with 2" receiver on the front and rear. Having those makes it a snap to outfit these workhorses with a Fish Trap rack on the rear, an auger rack on the front and a SECOND Trap rack on the front.

-Rod

[leech~~]

Spray bottle with some veggy cooking oil thinned out with a little alcohol. All biodegradable!

[Shack]

From what I had found the next best thing to an AC BearCat is the AC T660 Touring. It is a superior machine and being 4 stroke uses almost no gas and makes very little noise. I love the remote start feature and even in 30 below you can set the remote start feature on sentinel mode and it starts every hour for 5 minutes to keep the oil warm. You can also plug in the block heater.

An example video of the remote start in action I made to razz some of the HSO snowmobile forum guys a couple years back:

[BigFish1]

I was in the same position as you were a couple of months ago. I love my atv, but I would go up to Ontario fishing lake trout and borrow my buddies 2 up sled. After getting tired of pulling it out of the slush all the time, I decided to research and try to figure out what would be the best sled. I was initially looking at bear cats, since I am a kitty guy, but the biggest thing for me was that I didnt want to get stuck in slush on some remote lake 11 miles from camp by myself. The problem with the bear cats is the lugs arent deep enough to paddle thru heavy slush. I bought a ski doo tundra lt. It has a long track, 1.5" lugs, and is fan cooled. The problem with liquid cooled is bare ice. It also has reverse and starts with no problems. I used it on Easter weekend in Ontario and had no problems with slush. The nice thing also about the Tundra is that it is not extremely heavy, and was surprising how easily it handled in the narrow trails getting to remote lakes. Whatever you buy, try to get 1.5" lugs. Good Luck!