Frabill, Fish Trap, or Otter?

[lucky7]

I am looking to get a new portable and am curious about people's experience with the three brands listed. Also, stumbled on the Glacier(?) on the HSOforum. Would love to hear your thoughts

[frabillfisher]

I have the frabill ultra-lite and the ranger-xlt I love them both!

[jweitgen]

I am a clam and otter guy myself. One recommendation is don't get one that is too small. I like fishing with some one else and my house is just a shade small for 2. A new one is already on the wish list.

[Ryan_V]

Depends on what your needs and fishing habits are. Otters are quality built and heavy duty, which makes them hard to tote around by hand. I have a trap and love it. went with that over the otter simply because of the weight. The trap is lots lighter. Nothing against any of them, you just have to figure what you need for your style of fishing, wheather or not you move around or not, how much gear you have to go in the sled, wheather you have a 4 wheeler or snowmobile to pull it and how much fishing you do before there is enough ice to get a wheeler or snowmobile out.

[frozen toes]

Last year I finally bought an Otter Magnum. It is one of the best items I have bought for ice fishing. Plenty of room for 2 people or myself and 2 younger kids. It takes a little to load it by myself, but the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

[MLaker2]

Think about the wind when you look. How heavy is the canvas? Can you get it stretched or is it going to flap all day? Will the wind come thru seams and around the sled? I hate flappy, drafty shelters.

[Northlander]

This has been done before many of times. Do a search for Ice Houses and Im sure you will find a ton of info.

My 2 cents are if your going to pull the house at all with a wheeler or snowmobile go with a Otter. If all you do is pull by hand then get something lighter like a Trap Guide. No matter what you get put the Hyfax runners on it. Even pulling your house by hand over a parking lot or gravel can mess up a sled quickly and make it harder to pull at least.

[lucky7]

Thanks!

[MRWALLEYE2005]

Whats hyfax runners?

[Bearfish]

I really like the upgrades to some of the new Fishtraps.

Was putting together my new Yukon this past wknd. Looking forward to using it and very happy with the layout/design. One beef I have is that when I took the blue tent out of the box, it had a LARGE "Gander Mountain" screen printed on it. Little peaved that they are getting free advertising on my dollar. I don't believe it is a Special Edition (no extra features?). Tempted to call Clam and exchange it. It is still in the protective package.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I had a Frabill XLTwin for quite a few years and it treated me very well.. So well I just picked up the New Frabill XLTwin...cant wait to get it on the ice.

[Northlander]

Hyfax is a heavy duty plastic that is simular to what you see on some snowmobiles skis. On icehouses the hyfax is cut in strips and then bolted to the bottom to keep the sled itself from wearing. Well worth the investment. I had a house with hyfax on it for 4 years and it still was in great shape.

[loebs93]

Bearfish, I saw that and couldn't agree with you more. Dont get me wrong, I like Gander, as a matter of fact that's where I choose to do almost all of my shopping. I do think its a little excessive and kind of cheesy. I also think this year clam corp has chosen Gander as their main supplier. Lately all of Ganders advertisements have had the traps on the front pages of the ads.

[gvg_uwec]

The XLTwin is a great shack, I personally think its the best out there for the money. Exudedude,you wont be disapointed with the new XLTwin, i bought mine last year and it has worked flawlessly for me.

[2dalake]

Where do you buy something like Hyfax?

[Sportland_Bait]

Now days I don't know if can go wrong. There are so many nice ones on the market. Just make sure you are selecting one that will meet your needs. Personally I have Otter portables, sometimes they seem a little heavy when I'm going on foot but overall I have been very happy. Just figure out how much space you will need( 1,2,3 person etc.), and how much weight you would like to pull on the ice. Then select from there.

Jason Erlandson

[MRWALLEYE2005]

Will have to look for them at the show on friday. Any specific hyfax runners I should get? Know any shops that have them at the St Paul show?

[LocalGuide]

Hey MRWALLEYE2005, I see your from Winthrop. You could probably cheat and go over to the Arctic Cat dealer and get a set of hyfax for almost 1/2 the price and just put them on there your self. You would probably have to look into it a little more on their prices but it should be much cheaper to do it your self.

[Trouthunter]

Just bought a Fish Trap Voyager...after looking and looking it appeared to be the best quality on the market by far...as for that gander mountain logo, the shelter license holder took care of that...

[Ed Carlson]

For lots of room and convenience, the Frabill Ranger XL-Twin is a sweet unit.

The new Frabill Ice Cruiser 200 & 300 series implemented a bunch of handy improvements that field/pro staff were eager to see. I am leaning to get a 300 for myself this year. Lots of room to stretch out and fish and stand up even if you’re over 6'.

The Frabill Hideout is a handy unit for a sled rig. It does not get that much press but it is a great river and walk in rig. Lightweight, versatile, fast set up all makes it a flexible unit. The price is very good too.

[Scenic]

Don't forget to check out the Polar houses. They have some great units. www.polarsport.com.

[FISHER ED]

MrWalleye2005, I can hook you up with some decent priced hyfax. Drop me a message at edjwendt at juno dot com and let me know what you have for a sled. Maybe I can help you out. Hyfax for a snowmobile would work but most of the ones I have seen have either a groove or a tit milled in them to hold them to the sled rails. Have a good one.

[lucky7]

Jeff:

Does anybody rep Polar in Colorado?

[MDC114]

I have an Otter Large Resort (3 man). It is big and is heavier than a lot of the houses out there. Last year was the best year of ice fishing I have ever had and it is a big reason. Fishes 2 very comfortably and can fit 3 if some one needs to warm up. Durable and design of the sled keep snow out of the inside pretty well (I have some friends with Frabill's that fill up with snow easily behind a snowmobile) I fish a lot for lakers in Canada and on LOTW and it has worked out really well for me.

I did have some trouble with the tent, it tore at the seems and 2 windows broke on a -28 day. I sent it to the factory and they replaced the windows and refurbished the whole thing...looked like new. I recommend the hy-fax slides....if you need to pull a house to any spots it goes over the snow much easier. Good luck. MDC