fish house modifications?

[slick2526]

Hello all. just wondering if you have some modifications for a portable fish house you would like to share? such as a portable light source, etc. Also i was wondering if anyone else has any problems with there frabill ranger in the wind? i noticed the cover on mine starts to blow in far in the back of the sled when windy. any ideas on how to fix it? maybe something like bars simular to an otter fish house have in the back? im open to some suggestions.

[Gissert]

For lighting, I found a three element LED on the 'net. It is encased in rugged plastic, and runs off 12 volts DC. It is about five inches long by one half inch wide. I placed a velcro strip on the roof pole of my Otter sled. It casts enough light to tie hooks and jigs, but not too much to kill your vision when you look at it.

I ran it off a discarded aircraft ELT battery for three weeks straight, and then used the same battery for fishing all winter. The current draw from a LED is so small that they can be wired into a flasher battery without running the battery down during a day's fishing.

[slick2526]

MJ5, where can the poles be purchased at? also, i have herd of those lights Gissert but i lost the interent site that i found them on, you would happend to have one would you? if so could you email it to me at [email protected] Also is a Aircraft battery a very good battery? The way you made it sound is its a miracle .
Any ideas on rugs or ect. for the ice in a portable fish house? Maybe indoor/outdoor carpeting and then mark out your holes and it could also double as a layout for where you drill your holes. anyone else have any extras as puting minor adjustments to your portables? thanks for your guys time.

[This message has been edited by slick2526 (edited 09-17-2002).]

[kwkfsh]

I use headlamps quite a bit because they leave both hands free. I have a couple Petzel's and they work great but battery life has always been less than spectacular. This summer I bought a PrinctonTec Aurora and this baby is sweet!!! It weighs about 2 oz. with the batteries (3 AAA). It will run up to 150 hrs on a set of batteries. This model has 3 LED's and they can used as separately 1, 2, or 3 at a time. 1 will give you enough light to read by, and all 3 give out a nice bright white light up to about 30 ft. And it also has 2 flashing modes for signaling. You just put it on your head and its always ready to shine wherever you are looking.

[Guest]

slick2526, I have a Fish Trap II and just added another pole to help support the back. I also built some rod holders and a mount for my vexilar as well. I just use a lantern for light but if there is an easy way to hook up a lighting system I'm all for it. I am also willing to hear of any suggestions that anyone has. Good topic slick. (no pun)
Good Fishin, Matt.

[This message has been edited by MJ5 (edited 09-17-2002).]

[Guest]

slick, I picked up some poles from Home Depot. They were pretty cheap. As far as the carpet goes I tried it but it always got wet so I quit using it. I just cut two holes in a piece of carpet and put in down over the holes, kept me a little warmer but was more of a hassle in the long run. I would also be curious if anyone has the HSOforum for those lights. That would definitely be more convienent to have them.
Good Fishin, Matt.

[Gissert]

I got my light assembly at theledlight.com

I paid about 30 bucks for a three element which seems a bit spendy up front. The upshot is they last for thousands of hours, are nearly indestructable, and use tiny amounts of electricity. A 12 volt gel cell will run three elements for 200 to 300 hours.

[Guest]

Thanks Gissert, I'll check out those lights.
Good Fishin, Matt.

[slick2526]

Hey Gissert, would you say a 6lb led light fixture would be over kill in a 2-3man portable fish house or not? also MJ5, how did you install the poles in your fish house?

[chunkytrout]

I'm not sure if they intended for this but my trap solo has a seam sewn into the bottom of the front and sides so I measured out a length of small chain and put it inside the seam. Makes for a nice seal on the snow and ice when the trap is folded down.

[Guest]

slick, you can buy c-clamps at Home Depot as well and they should clip right onto the other poles. They are like the black ones that are used to when holding up the top when its open. They are only a few bucks. I bought a set of poles and clamps for about 11 bucks. Pretty cheap modifications but work real well when windy. If you have anymore questions you can e-mail me ([email protected]). Hope this helped some. Where you from, maybe we can hit the ice this winter.
Good Fishin, Matt.

[NorthWoodsGuy]

That's a great idea Chunky! I think I'll give that one a try.

Great topic!

[slick2526]

Hey MJ5, im in the detroit lakes area, how about yourself?

[Guest]

slick2526, I'm from the Twin Cities. I venture out to the Detroit Lakes every winter once or twice, maybe we can meet up.
Or if your ever in the cities let me know, I can show you some honey holes for crappies.
Good Fishin, Matt.

[pulsar_nx]

I use everredy two led flashlights right next to the hole. they iluminate the bobber very well and last 200 hours on one light and 100 hours on 2 lights. Also if anyone is wondering why L.E.D.'s last so long it is because the led has internal resistance so their is less current witch means less heat is produced. where I work we deal with leds by the millions and they cost about a buck a peice that is why they are so expencive. also leds theroriticly can last forever without burning out.

[Dave]

Thought I saw a LED headlight at Wally World for $18.

[slick2526]

What would you suggest to mount on a frabill ranger xlt twin for runners and how should i go about attaching them?

[kwkfsh]

bump

[Guest]

pulsar_nx

Got a question for ya.

What is the difference between a 8 degree bulb and a 30 degree bulb ???

[mrwalleyee]

Hey slick,
My friend found some old cross country skies and attached them to the bottom. He laid a 2x4 flat and put a carage bolt through the ski, 2x4 and the sled with a washer on the inside. It worked like a charm. Pulls easy and I can vouch for that. We had a couple to many beers one night and I pulled the sled out from under him when he was about to sit down. You can load the dump out of your sled and it is no problem to pull along.