Eskimo Quick Fish

[Ishmel]

I just saw the Eskimo Quick fish for the first time and I'm sorely tempted to buy one for fishing this winter. Has anyone used one? I am not sure what to think about having the floor open, but I'm not sure that will cause a problem. Plus, for the cost, I can buy a big buddy to go in it and still have less in it than a Quick Flip.

Thanks!

[Swimmer]

I went to Harbor Freight this weekend to pick up a camera and found cheep fatigue mats. Four 1'x 1' waterproof foam interlocking panels on sale for $7.99. These seemed ideal, so I bought two packages. We will see if they are slippery on the ice or not...I already have an idea of a coating I can apply to make them tight if there is a problem. Good luck.

[Ishmel]

Good find Swimmer. I am sure those are the same tiles I was looking at. Let me know how they work out, will ya? Good luck and be safe out there.

d

[Maverick]

Hello fellow fisherman. My first time on here. I was looking for info on the Quick Fish and I sure found the right spot. I saw one at Cabela's and was really impressed. I will have one soon. As for the hole drilling, it looked to me that the best place to put the holes would be on the sides not in the corners. The house billows out there and two guys could each fish two holes. Just a thought. This is a great site.

[Ishmel]

I managed to make my first outing yesterday. I was very satisfied with the performance of the Quick Fish. It actually set up faster than I thought it would. One thing I learned is that you want to stake down the upwind side before you pop out the roof. It was very roomy for one man, and I think will be enough space for two men and gear. It sealed to the ice well, and held heat from the big buddy very well. Downsides were that there was considerable condensation, even with the vents open. I unpacked it and stood it in a corner to dry when I got home. I had some difficulty getting it into the bag properly when I took it down, there is definitely a right way to put it in the bag and it took me three attempts to get it right. Although hopefully I won't make that mistake again. Of course anything sitting on the ice got wet, I'll have to try some sort of mat, at least to keep the heater level.

Other than those issues, setup and take down was less than 10 minutes, includeing unpacking my gear. Overall I'm very pleased with the Quick Fish.

[Swimmer]

Quote:

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I managed to make my first outing yesterday. I was very satisfied with the performance of the Quick Fish. It actually set up faster than I thought it would. One thing I learned is that you want to stake down the upwind side before you pop out the roof. It was very roomy for one man, and I think will be enough space for two men and gear. It sealed to the ice well, and held heat from the big buddy very well. Downsides were that there was considerable condensation, even with the vents open. I unpacked it and stood it in a corner to dry when I got home. I had some difficulty getting it into the bag properly when I took it down, there is definitely a right way to put it in the bag and it took me three attempts to get it right. Although hopefully I won't make that mistake again. Of course anything sitting on the ice got wet, I'll have to try some sort of mat, at least to keep the heater level.

Other than those issues, setup and take down was less than 10 minutes, includeing unpacking my gear. Overall I'm very pleased with the Quick Fish.

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First, welcome to FM Maverick1951. I agree, this is a great site.

Ismel, where did you place your holes? I don't think condensation would be any better/worse with any other portable. If it is bad, the windows themselves open fully on velcro hold downs. I set mine up at the office and at home and it seemed like the first time it went back in the bag was kind of tight, the second/third time it went in very easily. One thing I am concerned with is the door zipper. When set up, the fabric is very tight around the door and using the top zipper, I had the zip seperate on me. Using the bottom zipper, this did not seem to be a problem. Once I get it out on the ice, we will see if I got one with a bad zipper.? Good luck...and I will let you know how it and the "flooring" work out on the ice (if it ever dips below 32 degrees again). I was looking for a sled to put all the stuff into and the Gander' Otter II sleds are around $70 for a medium! Anybody know of a less expensive alternative?? PS, the Harbor Freight fatigue mats are 2'x2' (four interlocking to a package) not 1'x1' as I stated earlier.

[Ron Vroom]

I find the corners to be the best place for the holes because putting the seats or chairs in the bump outs gives you more elbow room. To stow the shelter it helps to put 2 bungees around it to compress the fabric and the exposed steel rod ends go in the bag first because the bottom of the bag is reinforced to protect against wear through. I have never had any worse condensation than I've had in a standard pop up, probably less because of the increased headroom. But always try to dry it out between trips. I suspected that the new curved zipper was going to be a problem, can't figure out why they did that because last year's model with the straight zipper works fine and you simply fold up 1 corner for access to get gear in and out.

[Ishmel]

I put the holes in a corner and it worked out well, but with one guy, you could put the holes anywhere and not have a problem. I don't think the condensation was worse than with a flip-over, but you don't stow a flip-over compressed into a sack, so I thought it would be a good idea to let it dry out. The top zipper is tight on mine too, but I've found that if I pull down lightly on the top corner, it loosens up the zipper so that I can open and close it. If it does seperate, I'm sure it's covered by the warrantee.

Let me know how everything works out when you get out there!

[Ishmel]

For those of you who are following this tread and considering buying the quick fish, I made my second trip out with the the QFIII and wanted to post some results. The set-up and take-down went much smoother the second time. Although getting the bag closed was still a bit of a challange. I didn't attempt to bungie up a corner for moving gear because the curved zipper works pretty well. I drilled holes after I had it set up this time, and it was a bit messier than drilling the holes before set up. The issue with doing it first is spacing and placement, so I might have to work on ideas for that. Last night confirmed that the only downside to not having a floor is keeping stuff dry. My feet weren't cold at all, and I wore tennis shoes. I may end up getting a 11lb propane tank and a distribution tree so I can run a lantern and my big buddy off of the same tank, but until then everything works great.

[Swimmer]

Keep the reports coming! I havn't got out yet, but will comment when its done. How does the Big Buddy heat the space? Do you think it will be enough when it's zero degrees? I use LCD lights, so no additional heat source from lantern...no red eyes either (at least not from the lantern).

[Ishmel]

So far I've only had my big buddy heater on med, and that's about perfect for fishing after dark in my shirt sleeves. I would think that the high setting with a coat on would be enough for a very cold day.

[metrojoe]

Thought I'd dig this back up and see how things are going with the QuickFish.

With the ice issues we've had the last couple years the old 4x8 suit case portable hasn't got much use. I drug it out last weekend and almost poppped a gasket getting it out on the ice.

[Swimmer]

The QF III had her maiden voyage a couple weekends ago and everything was peachy except kinda sick of 7" Crappies. Setup was easy and didn't need to stake it even though the wind was moderate. The foam mats from Harbor Freight worked well. No water on floor (15 degrees out) and the mats didn't slip. The zipper didn't split open, but I had a heck of a time trying to zip it up when a little snow wedged itself into the machinery. Two people in it and lots of room even w/ BBuddy, Ice Machine, camera, minnow bucket, two chairs, beer, and Revolution Rod bag. BBuddy on med. and quite warm. All in all, I like the light weight and the price and the ability to use my favorite chair.

[Ishmel]

I've been out in mine several times and even had the kids out once. The wind can be a factor, but no more than with the suitcase style. Staking it down is relatively simple, I have been able to turn the stakes in by hand with a little effort. I'm still trying to figure out a way to drill the holes before I set it up, but haven't gotten that worked out yet. I can put it in a sled and pull it around a lake all day because it's so light. It is not as handy as the flip over styles for "hole hopping" but it's much more comfortable and spacious for fishing one or two spots.

I would definitely recommend it if you're the kind of fisher that will sit in one spot for a while.

[Wookiee]

TTT

[Wookiee]

Let's move it up.

[heat checker]

We use a 4x6 piece of plywood, split down the middle and hinged. Can leave ice exposed on one side and go with 3 holes, or center it and go with more. Strap it on sled over gear, and throw Eskimo on top. Easy for drilling, throw out on ice, drill holes where you want them, clean them up, and put house over the top. We usually go with 3 holes on one side and keep the floor by the door so its not slippery getting in and out. Just a small buddy heater works if you keep some clothes on.

[chefnanks]

I have found that some Tie Boss brand tie downs work better than the strings for holding the sides out in the high winds.