Recomendations on portables

[jake125]

Geeting new to ice fishing and was wondering what u guys recomend as far as portables go. I will usually be by myself but will have a buddie with me at times. thanks for al the help

jake125

[nluchau]

I own a Clam 5600. It's an oversized 1 person but a perfect 2 person. Very easy to setup, very light, you can pull it out on the lake easily with the rope it comes with. If you wait until the end of the season I bet you could get it for around 200 bucks. Right now they are I believe in most places 379. The dimensions are 5x6 by 6' 6" tall.

I like a floor in my house, keeps warmer. Others like the sled flip over style. Good luck in you house hunt.

[gspman]

Well I recommend you get a sled style flip over 2-man. If you don't have a snowmobile or an ATV then pay very close attention to the total weight of the tub and "nose" design as light weight and "pull-ability" will be at a premium. If the angle of the nose is too upright you will plow a lot of snow while pulling it which will make it extremely difficult to be mobile. Mobility is the whole point of a sled style portable. A heavy sled will also make it harder to be mobile. If you are not a hardcore ice fisherman then plenty of brands will meet your needs. If you are hardcore and will tow this behind a machine for many miles and do so frequently then you will need a more rugged and heavier built sled. There are couple brands IMHO that seem to sit at the top of the heap in the ruggedness department, Otter and Polar Sport.

With a 2 man sled you can load these things up with equipment and gear until it weighs more than a small car. Avoid that temptation like the plague. Go as light as possible at first and figure out what you really need. Then go from there as to what to add.

Good luck and stay safe on the ice.

gspman

[gonefishin11]

I have a Frabill SpeedShak Cub and love it. It pulls easy with one person and even easier with two people. It sets up in no time and you don't have to have your feet on the ice all day like you would with a pull-over house. Another important thing is that I can fit it easily in the back of my explorer without having to fold seats. My buddy has one that fits in the backseat of his stratus.

[caseymcq]

I own a Clam 5600 and an Eskimo Quick Flip II. They are both great portables. The Eskimo is a sled/flip-over style. It is great for early season, mobility and quick set-up and take down. The Clam is great for driving out and spending all day in. Very roomy. Both have plenty of room for two people.

I was in Gander a couple of weeks ago and sat in a Frabil sled/flip-oer style. They have the most comfortable seats of any of the manufactures IMO.

You can go into any of the sporting goods stores that sell them and they should have them out on the floor so you can sit in them and check them out yourself.

Good luck.

[gonefishin11]

I have a Frabill SpeedShak Cub and love it. It pulls easy with one person and even easier with two people. It sets up in no time and you don't have to have your feet on the ice all day like you would with a pull-over house. The canvas is thick and black with keeps the house really warm. Fishing two people in there is easy.

Another important thing is that I can fit it easily in the back of my explorer without having to fold seats. My buddy has one that fits in the backseat of his stratus.

[Ryan_V]

2 words....FISH TRAP. any size you decide you will be happy with. I have the voyager, which is a large 2 person, but I'm often alone and have absolutely no problem loading/unloading from my truck and pulling it by hand across the lake loaded with my gear. lightweight yet durable and relatively inexpensive when compared with the higher quality Otters. I'd probably recommend the guide or yukon for what you have described.

[Captain B.R.K]

I to would recommend a 2 person flip over fish house as well. There are quiet a few on the market and here are a few I'd recommend you take a look at:

- Otter Outdoor's Cabin

- Clam FishtrapGuide

- Frabill XL

- Eskiom Quickflip II

I'm not sure what kind of vehicle you drive, so your first objective is to figure out if one of the above is going to fit into your vehicle. If not, then you might be stuck buying a suitcase style house (as mentioned above Clam 5600). Hoping that you have a vehicle or sport utility that holds one of these sled type houses.

You'll find that when not weighted down to much, these sleds are easy to pull and are very portable to move from one hole to the next. I have been in all except the Frabill and they are all comfortable.

Good Luck.

[Bushwacker]

After fishing out of almost every brand of portable, my personal favorite are Otters. I have an Otter Lodge and it works great for two people, and is light enough that I can get it around and fish out of it by myself also. They are built sturdy and set up easy and take down easy.

[beartoo]

I just got a Frabill triple, two of us went out yesterday and we love it. Lots of room for everything.