Snowmobile for Ice Fishing

[CANOPY SAM]

Ha ha ha...Well, you know D, image is everything!

Those Bearcats are the schnitzel though. The ride is amazing. Almost like you're not riding a snowmobile.

[BoxMN]

Some nice sleds above! I love the ones that have a storage rack on the back.

With that said, DTro is right about not NEEDING the best. Basically, look at what you can spend with dictate it. I have a 02 Yammie Venture (2 up 600 triple) that is awesome for pulling a couple (even three) portables behind. But I also have a '88 Indy 400 (that I got on a trade for an old canoe) that works great as well for pulling one or two portables in tandem. Never had an issue with it, even in some fairly heavy slush a couple years ago - slush all year. It does have studs.

Anyway, anything will work as long as it runs. A cheapy will work fine, a couple extra dollars and the 2 up long track is better, But if you have some decent cash those Bearcats look pretty darn nice! Anything is better than nothing, haha!

[toughguy]

Those bearcats are nice. The skis are HUGE!!! The pics don't do it justice. It's got plenty of room for 2 large men and their supplies.

[CANOPY SAM]

We've ridden 3 grown men comfortably on a BearCat, pulling gear as well, but it does look a little "friendly" if you know what I mean?

Again, these things aren't completely out of reach if you take the time to shop around. Of course, I'm pretty lucky to live in TRF, the home of Arctic Cat snowmobiles, so I probably have access to more used machines than most, and I'm probably just a tad bit biased toward AC sleds!

I'm really planning to find a good lightly used BearCat for somewhere between $5500 and $6500 this fall. Again, for my wife, of course . I might not necessarily find it here in TRF either.

To the original poster, there are several really good on-line outlets for used and new snowmobiles. Just do a Go-gle search for Used Snowmobiles and you'll find thousands of sleds on-line. Right now most of those sites are pretty quiet, but as the season approaches, and folks are getting pumped up about re-upping for newer sleds, the action will heat up exponentially.

I appreciate what folks are saying about buying older, cheaper sleds, but be careful about this. A lot of older sleds have seen a LOT of rough miles, and you can spend a ton of money chasing problems around in circles with these machines. Sled parts are now selling at a premium, and it can be shocking how expensive a reasonably simple repair can be. Just like any other used machine nowadays, you really get what you pay for.

I've got a couple "older" machines that have run into problems. The cost of repair parts alone exceed the actual value of the machine! For ice-fishing, you really need a sled you can count on to consistently start in really cold weather, and run smoothly when you need it to. If you don't have this you can find yourself in a tough spot in a hurry. Stranded alone way out in the middle of a frozen lake with a blizzard rolling in and no one around for miles...not good.

[CaptainMusky]

We've ridden 3 grown men comfortably on a BearCat, pulling gear as well, but it does look a little "friendly" if you know what I mean?

Brokeback Icefishing? :-)

I had my eye on a brand new leftover bearcat that was a total bargain. Checked this morning and its SOLD!! Darnit.

I have found a couple others. A couple years old, but brand new for good prices.

I was thinking of just going with the 570 standard model. I know its not the widetrack, but it has the other features. The XT is a bit more money, like a couple thousand.

[CANOPY SAM]

Hey now, CM. Don't take this to Silly Town.

The 570 is really a good, strong machine. Not as big or powerful as the widetrack 900's or 1000's, but they'll do everything you need, and talk about an amazingly comfortable ride! They're so smooth trail-riding you can go all day and hardly get tired at all.

I'll tell ya', if you are riding a 900-1000 cc BearCat, and by some twist of misfortune you do bury it, you'll need a whole team of people to get it unstuck. They're fantastic machines, but they weigh about the same as a VW Bug. Pretty much the same size as well!

[JoeMX1825]

I opted to sell my snowmobile and go with a Yamaha Grizzly setup instead. I have a single place 10' Floe trailer that I can get the Quad and an Otter Pro Cabin all on at once, makes trailering a breeze..I just didn't like all the limitations a sled has outside of the cold winter months...unless you have a fan model it will overheat or dmaga eht eslides in the march/april months, and if the mood strikes me, I can take the quad on some trails in the summer months too...to each their own, but i got sick of the extra work that comes with a snowmobile..

[Dock Boy]

[Dock Boy]

Here is my rig. 570 Bear Cat, studded, brush guard with digger auger holder, HDS Lowrance on the dash with ram mount, Diamond plate aluminum box. I had a place in Iowa make it turned out great. It doesn't let water in and it's lockable. I also put ice scratchers on it for late ice. I can't think of doing anything else to this sled to make it any better for ice fishing. If you guys think of something please let me know!!

Another thing to keep in mind having a box of some sort is great when you run into lots of snow and slush. It makes it difficult to tow an Otter ice shack along. I can put all my fishing equipment in that box and not have to tow anything. I fish remote area lakes in Northern Minnesota and Canada and do it a lot by myself. It's no fun to be stuck by your self. I've have been there.

[CaptainMusky]

Dockboy that rocks! Awesome machine and love the diamond plate box.

Regarding engine choices in the bearcat the only options the last 3 or 4 years have been the 570 2 stroke and an 1100 4 stroke. They used to have a 660 4 stroke prior to twin spar chassis. Before that it was 2 different 440 2 strokes and a 550.

I am not aware of any 900 or 1000 engines. I have been wrong before but its rarely anything pertaining to arctic cat. Kind of a fanatic.

[Dock Boy]

The 570 Bear cat motor has been around a long time. It's pretty much bullet proof. I preferred the fan sled for late season trips. I have buddies with that big 4 stroke bear cat I have seen them over heat.

[BoxMN]

Dockboy that is COOL! Any change you could find a pic of the front end straight on and closer? Interested to see how you have it mounted.

[Dock Boy]

Sorry no other close up pics. The brush guard Arctic Cat makes for an accessory. The Digger Auger holder just sandwiches down with a few bolts and tightens to the brush guard.

[CANOPY SAM]

I'm sure you're right on the cc specs CM. I wasn't certain on the exact specs, just eyeballing it. I thought there was another mid-range machine though? Between the 570 and the 1100?

I have seen that big liquid cooled 1100 overheat as well. Nice thing is it gives you an audible, and visual warning when you're approaching critical temps. There's a process you follow when this happens to cool it down fairly quickly, and apparently there's no long-term damage to the system.

Nice rig, Dock Boy! Love the diamond plate.

[CaptainMusky]

There was a 550 liquid 2 stroke and the 660 4 stroke. I don't know if they ever had a turbo in there. That would be impressive

[PurpleFloyd]

After I bought mine I discovered reverse would be really nice.

Yeah, Reverse is the only way to go.

[walleye 4 me]

dock boy, are you happy with that digger auger holder? I want one to put across the back of my snowmobile. Does it go on and off fairly easily? Would be nice to take it off when I am trail riding. did you order it online?

[BoxMN]

dock boy, are you happy with that digger auger holder? I want one to put across the back of my snowmobile. Does it go on and off fairly easily? Would be nice to take it off when I am trail riding. did you order it online?

I have been looking more at this since I saw some of the pictures here. I have found that it won't likely work on the rear of my Edge sled, as the bumper is angled too much. It likely would on my old Indy, and on my Venture I found an old pic (don't have them here) and it looks like my rear handle/bumper should work perfect for it.

I think from pics I saw close up (online) it looks like two bolts sandwhich it onto the bumper, so two bolts would be all it takes to remove it, I would think...

I also was looking to see if it might be able to attach to front bumber, but I am not sure that would allow the hood to be opened, since most of us won't have a brush guard like the Bearcat does, but that would be ideal. I also found that newer Digger's have an angle attached that helps support the motor, and keep it from spinning.

Sorry to hijack thread but any more info that yous guys could give on the Digger would be appreciated, though I know it is posted other places too. Thanks, it looks like a good project. Best I have seen is $9x online TTD. Does any sponsor here sell them?

[CaptainMusky]

I dont have the digger carrier myself, but a couple buddies do and they work VERY well. Very easy on and off. Some of the molded plastic rear bumpers may be troublesome though because of the tapered sizes making it hard to clamp on.

If at all possible, I would figure out a way to mount it to the front instead or make sure you have an auger cover for the motor.

They get absolutely caked with snow dust on the back and that makes for some difficulty starting in super cold temps.

[toughguy]

I've got a digger auger mount and I like it. Goes off and on ok. I wouldn't want to move it off and on every day. Holds the auger great. They have a booth at the end of the stairs at the St. Paul ice show every year. Good customer service.

[Dock Boy]

I love my Digger Auger holder. I was working a sport show in St Cloud and purchased it straight from the guy who makes them. It never comes off my sled. My sled is strictly for fishing and I do not trail ride unless the trail is taking me to a lake some where. It would be a pain in the silly-me to take on and off if a guy wanted to do that. If I had a Bear Cat XT I would weld it to a receiver hitch, so one pin and it would slid out. The Holder works best on the front of the sled as mentioned earlier about snow caking the auger when it's on the back. I have put 100's and 100's of miles with the auger on front of the sled and have never had a problem with the Digger Auger holder. It works wonderful on my set up.

[nolte]

I've got a 98 Skidoo Tundra and it can get darn near anywhere. You won't get there fast and it's not comfortable to ride, but if you're truly interested in getting places that others can't it's top notch. I would assume a Yamaha bravo would be the same. Those type of sleds are so light that they float on top of deep snow. I've had many times trapping where I'd fall through if I stepped off the sled but stayed up when on the sled with the bigger footprint. They are fantastic on gas and so narrow that you can snake through tight spots that big sleds just can't. You can also put through slow if you are pulling something. I agree with the choices above though if you've got a wide open lake or a great trail getting there. Put the auger up front and lift the shack off the ground for long hauls.