Menard's ice houses

[IndyEFI500]

Does anyone have any input on the ice houses that Menard's has on hand? I am looking for something easier than my Clam 5600 when I am only out by myself. I looked at them tonight and I know the one person is way to small for me(6'3"). The two person has a cheesy sled but I could use my other one. Any opions would be appreciated. I should also say that my budget is limited unless I decied to start over.

[Red Cabin]

I tried one of these a few years ago, first time out the plastic windows cracked and fell apart. I put it away and have not used it since, and probably never will. If you are interested let me know. I can't remember if the windows are the velcro replace type.

[nluchau]

I used to own a clam 6800 but it was too big for one person to handle so I brought it back and replaced it with a 5600. Couldn't be happier. Easy enough for just me to operate. Plenty of room for 2 also.

May I ask what you have troubles with putting it up by yourself? If you always remove the tarp from the poles each time, stop doing that and leave em on and just fold it up with the tarp over the poles. I can set mine up in about 2 minutes.

[IndyEFI500]

My biggest complaint about my Clam is that it works great when it is 20 to 75 dgreees out. If it gets any colder or the wind blows, the poles are an absolute nightmare to take down. I hope that I would never be so foolish as to take the canvas off especially at 10 below with a 20 mile an hour wind. The poles just seem to love to jam and then when I try to pop them back up to start over, the little button pops out of place and the war is on. I have gouged my fingers many times in trying to fight this devil and that is when I draw the line.

I did find a pretty decent deal on a used flop over style the other day and grabbed it. I will give this a try and see how it goes. The guy I bought if from said he could put it up or down in just a few minutes. If I can't come close, then I know it is just me.

After a second look at the Menard's house, I had to say no. The price is fair but you can almost see right through the fabric and any place there are stitches, you can see through. I would think if nothing else it would be like trying to heat a corn crib.

[so haaad]

The fish houses at Menards are made for the casual-to-occasional fisherman. If you compare them to the Clams, Fish Traps, Otters and even Frabils, you will see that they lack quality and are made of cheap materials. Do yourself a favor and invest the money into a better fish house that will last more than one season. Personally, I'd buy a flip over style. I'm 6'2 and have fished out of a Fish Trap Guide for the last four years.

[Hoffer]

Indy - I know what you mean by having to deal with those little buttons to get the clam poles to collapse - they are soemtime very difficult to push in when the weather gets cold and the hands get cold. I try to take everthing out of the house and keep the heater running till the last second - then I pop the button on all 4 poles and then walk the heater out of the house. The poles wont immediately collapse all the way - and then you can go back in and push them all the way down and finish the job - usually works well for me. iIf that fails, I carry a small needle nose pliers in my bait bucket and just push the buttons in with the point of the pliers - and that usually works well too. that has been my only complaint with the clam - other than that it has been great.

[fdr01]

hey all, i have had and used a shappell 2 man for 4 years now and besides the windows foggin up it has served me well keeps heat very well and does'nt give me problems setting up or taking down.i saw the houses at menards and the one for 219 was comparable to mine except for the hole placement and the roof popper.the hole placement is way better in the menards one. on the shappell both holes are on the same side so if i have a partner we bump elbows.i sure would like a flip over but they are spendy and ive heard they are heavyer i usually have to pull out from shore.anyway just my 2 cents,fdr

[tunrevir]

I picked up one of those cheapy fish houses a few years back. The first thing I did was reinforce the stitching on the inside and out with silicone caulking. The windows did crack out of it but it has velcro shades and that isn't much of a problem if you don't mind fishing in the dark. Secondly, the sled is fairly wimpy, not something you want to tow along behind a 4 wheeler. I replaced the windows in mine and reworked the poles and added a 6 inch skirt. The main reason I bought it was to go light and to be able to walk out at first ice and fish with shelter. It will keep the wind off of you and the fabric is pretty wind resistent, bringing up the third problem. It is a very light weight shack and if not held securely in place on a windy day will skitter away from you. I carry my dewault cordless drill and some 4" sheetrock screws and will secure it to the ice when there isn't sufficient snow to bank it. Looking back, I would have gotten by cheaper if I had just bought a smaller fishtrap style house. The upside is you can put 2 guys in there with a heater and wait for your tip ups to pop and it has a door to get out on each side. Mine is now a bit better after some slight modifications but if you fish alone more then not at first Ice I'd spend the money on one of the better quality fishtrap style houses and save yourself some time,$, and a few headaches. My .02.

Tunrevir~

[AQUAJOE]

I have the Voyager and agree the poles suck. It would be nice if you could upgrade to poles like on the new X2's. That would be awesome and Iwould buy them in a heartbeat.