Fish Trap Pro vs. Guide

[Boxcar Wllie]

As Christmas approaches my I have been giving my wife hints...what do you think I should lean towards and why?

[Huntin&Fishin]

I have a yukon, that is a step up from a Guide. Are you fishing alone or with someone? The Pro is a one man and a Guide is a two man. I would go with a Guide over a Pro because chances are sometime you will have someone with you.

[DTro]

I was happy I had a Pro yesterday, that pulling stuff really is not much fun in the snow.

More and bigger is usually better, but not in these conditions.

You won't have much fun trying to squeeze a second body in a Pro though.

[looneyducer]

The great debate -- one man vs. two man houses. They're even the same price at Gander right now. Fishing two or three feet from the next fisherman is sort of silly because you're essentially trying to catch the same fish, but I would go with the Guide just in case I got the chance to take my wife or a kid along with me every now and then. Sure you'll cuss the extra twenty some pounds in this snow -- you'll cuss every ounce -- but in the end I think it's worth it in the end for at least the option of bringing someone else along now and then.

[white80a]

seen a guide at thc big C in owatona yesterday in the bargin cave for 319 some one mounted the poles in the wrong side of the bracket and then returned it

[CJH]

Got a Guide for $299 at the GM in Lakeville last night. I am pretty sure they are selling alot of them, as they were out of stock on the floor and had to go in the back to pull one out. Had pretty much everything else stocked on the floor. Only had it one night, but am liking it so far!

Of course I normally fish with a buddy, so I can make him pull it half the time!!

[JOHN T jr.]

If you, 'like me,'fish alone and move a lot,iwould go with the PRO... In the past, with snow like we have now, I have been happy not to have the extra pounds to pull.

[IceHawk]

I have a couple of bigger otters and a Pro and I will have to say with the snow and slush on the ice I have opted to use the pro and pack as light as possible. Later in the season when I run my ATV or truck I usally take one of the bigger otters as the space is really nice to have.

[Captain B.R.K]

I have a Fishtrap Scout and use that exclusively through the year because the guys I fish with have their own fish houses. If you plan to be out by yourself 100% or fish with guys that have their own gear, go with a single man house.

Otherwise I'd recommond the Fishtrap Guide. WHY? The Guide provides more room and comfort than the smaller Pro. If you are a bigger guy, you'll appreciate this option. You can pull each on your own. The Guide can be packed as light or heavy as possible when you are out. So don't let weight scare you in a decision.

If you are out with others, it's nice to offer a seat to a friend that might not have a house or is new to the sport.

[TMF89]

CJH, were you with another guy? I think I pulled that house out for you, lol!

[fishingguy]

I, and one of my buddies, each have older guides. We both are 6' 1" and go about 240 or so. Yes you can fish 2 in a guise, but it can be tight. With one person it is quite roomy. You can fish 2 lines and still have room for all your gear. I was thinking I might try to find something lighter to pull out alone, but after checking several others models, I came to the conclusion that my 80lb guide is just the right size for me. Many one man houses are a bit lighter, but only by 15lbs or so. And that was not worth the sacrifice of the extra room I like.

[Dan Brelje]

I have a guide and i can say that it is a great one man house. If you are like many on this site you probably run with a lot of gear (flasher, heater, rod bag, etc...). It is nice to have the added room of the guide when fishing by yourself, however, it can get tight as a two man. I am a pretty small guy and have had no trouble hauling it around with the hifax runners added.

[CJH]

TMF, yes I was. Gonna try and get out next weekend! Put it together without a problem, can't wait to use it!!!

I got the cover as well, which is a must!

[polarsusd81]

I have a guide, have had it for quite some time now. I can honestly say that about 98% of the time when I go ice fishing, I have someone coming with me, whether it is my dad, my buddy, my brother, my mom, friends, whatever the case may be, I can assure you I will be able to find a willing body to hit the ice with me. My only problem is that right now, I have a car and it is impossible to load in my car, so we have to take a buddy's truck. When I get another truck, I would like to get a one man so I can just pick up and go on my own once in a while, but I enjoy the company.

The few times I have fished alone in the guide, it has proven to be a really roomy house, but with two, we manage to have three holes inside and set up the aqua-vu, vexilar, mr. heater, and a minnow bucket on the ice along with our feet. With enough time and planning on the ice, you can fit comfortably with two in a guide. When there are two of us, we generally set out a tip up, have a dead stick in the front corner, and then have the two jiggin holes.

It is also nice because I can fit every last bit of gear in the house, without issue, auger and all. That was one of the biggest selling points for me, all in one, ready to go. Get home, grab the vex and aqua-vu from inside the house, load em in the guide, throw it in the truck and go. Takes all of 5 minutes to think of ice fishing until we are on the road. And yes, the cover is a must have.