Shanty tips

[fishinJohn]

I bought a Wilderness Walleye recently and it will be the first time I have fished out of a portable so I have a couple questions. I bought a Big Buddy heater and I want to know if it is best to plan on having something to put it on while running and if so what? Wood? Raised off the surface of the lake? Also, how necessary is it to secure the shack with some kind of ice stakes? Could a guy drill a partial hole stick some rope in and hope it freezes fast enough to hold? Some other people have this shanty and had problems with the poles not sliding and I just want to say I tried the MP from Amsoil and it works a lot better now, though I haven't tested it in the cold yet. Finally, I kind of remember someone mentioning rod holders that attach to the poles inside, can anyone point me to the seller?

[Lisa Almquist]

fishinJohn,

I have a Fishtrap which is quite small so I basically just let my buddy heater sit on the ice so there isn't anything that my gigant-o ice kings can't trip on or kick (like a piece of wood). We bought these little screw into the ice type anchors (look like little augers) so I don't iceplane across the lake on windy days but I haven't used them yet since they're new. I have sticking problems with my poles sometimes too so I may try some of the Amsoil stuff too. I use these metal-frame rod holders that just sit on the ice but be careful-when I had one up on LOW last year-I kicked one down the hole !

[Dances with Walleye]

Ideally with a little snow being around you can just bank the house up a little with available snow.

The rope in the frozen hole will only cause problems...

On warm days the hole won't free... On Cold days the rope will freeze so solid you'll never get it out again, and you'll be cutting rope and leaving yet another thing to sink to the bottom of a pristine MN lake. Or worse, float and get caught in my prop when I got fishing right after ice out!

What my buddy's dad does...

He found some coffe cans that are almost the same size as the 8" hole his auger makes... Filled it with Rocks packed tightly... Drills strong holes in the can... Connects a chaing... Chain to a connecting link to a rope tide to the grommet of his house.

Puts it down the hole through an insulate sleeve meant for a tip up.

2 against the windward side of the lake...

If it does freeze on some uber cold day and his chisel can't free it...

Then he can just unclip it, and it's just a bunch of rocks sitting on the bottom.

[hanson]

fishinJohn-

If I were you, I would pick up a couple of the Rod Holders that Otter Outdoors sells. They are yellow in color and will mount to the brackets where your poles pivot at. IMO... everyone should have these in their portable shack.

[PerchPounder]

I use ice anchors that are sold by the clam corp and the rod straps from todays tackle that velcro to the pole and around the rod handle and I hve been very pleased with both products.

[LODFFB]

I have a Clam 6800. On windy days it stinks. I ran for 10 to 15 ft on time for it Proably looked like an (Contact Us Please) and learned my lesson. Now if it is at all windy I open it up the suitcase and throw ALL!! my junk in it and then pop it up, and just the oppsite when taking it down. Turn the heater off for 5 min and then pull it down on my stuff move all my junk to one side and collapse that side and then the other. Hopefully we get a few inches of snow to bank up this year. Thats just what I do.

[gopher_nation]

One thing I like to do with my pop-up works only if it's pretty cold, that is drill the holes and kick the slush to where the base will be, I then take my auger and try to get as much water on top of the ice, put the house in place and let it all freeze up, then get my gear inside, and pop it up. Basically I just freeze it in place, but it usually isn't diffucult to remove when you want to leave. My sled has grooves in it so that helps to get the slush between them and get some friction so it doesn't blow away. If there is snow, a few shovels on the skirt and its good to go. I too have had to chase a run away and I think worse is when your inside and become an instant unintentional windsurfer!!

Another option is if there is a permanent around that nobody is using you can use that or your own vehicle as a wind block, if someone is inside you can ask if it would bother them for you to set up near and explain your situation and most the time they don't care as long as you don't bang around and disrupt them.

I also have parked on top of the tow rope to insure that it isn't going to move.

Hope some of these work for you.

[Northlander]

Take 2 eye bolts and some big washers and mount them on the back side of the Otter about 10-12" from each end. Eyes out of course. Next get 2 4' pieces of rope and tie clips of your choice to all 4 ends of the ropes. Buy some screw in ice anchors and clip one end of the ropes to each ice anchor and the other 2 ends to the eye bolts on the Otter. You wont go anywhere. Make sure you set up everything and pull tight before you drill your holes.

[JigginIsLife]

i have the clam 5600 and to my surprise its the easiest portable to put up in the wind. i get in there put up themain bars and open up everything. i open up the two trap link dors and open up the doors. a single guy can put it up in a pretty strong wind without having anything going accross the lake. so if you can open it up and just let the wind blow through.