fish house furniture/ accessories

[TV BOY]

I too have ice on the brain. I brought home a fishouse the other day and it was 94 on the truck thermometer!

Now I need to get it ready for fishing season. I have gathered a wealth of knowledge from this site! Thank you all for that.

I need some ideas as to must have accessories to make fishing as comfortable and fun as possible. Does such a thing as a RV graveyard exist?
Has anyone bounted pedistal bases and used your boat seats in the winter?

Any Ideas as to accessories would be great!

[Ultra2349]

My house has three flush mount pin pedistals within the floor arrangement.
They are positioned for single or multiple hole access. I have two high back custom boat seats I use when desired with rod holders on them as well.

I use these or my bunk benches if down. Just depends on my mood and number of people I'm with.

[This message has been edited by Rick (edited 07-26-2004).]

[Dan Thiem]

I don't know about RV graveyards, but we furnished our fish house with old mobile home cupboards and light fixtures etc.You will be suprised of all the cool stuff you can get from these jewels.Just check your local trailer park for the junk/abandoned units and have at 'em.

[TV BOY]

Thanks for the tip, I had a brain fart and forgot that the guy I go to ND with works at a rv dealership and I'm sure he could keep an eye out for a junker to salvage from.

I haven't tried yet, do 5 gal buckets work with the catch covers for inserts? those holes look huge.

Any tips on keeping the floor dry? Not that I expect people to take their shoes off or anything like that. I have the door within a door as to haul the 4 wheeler inside. I know it will be wet from the snow and the house will be warm when leaving a lake. Any tips to keep the floor from getting soaked.....Other than transporting the wheeler in the back of the truck.

Thanks

[huskiesplayer15]

Here are a couple of things, when we auger our holes, we stop half way and sweep the shavings back onto the ice or down the hole, plus the slush tubes, that are like stove pipe with a strainer at the bottom works really good, one of those thick bristled rugs work good before you get in the door. five gallon buckets with the bottom cut out on them placed down the hole in the house prevents a lot of drafts coming into the house plus it keeps your holes open longer too.
go out and buy a big pan with a litle lip on it so when you come in from outside you step into the pan and take off your boots and slip into shoes or socks.
Best Fishes
Chris

[Dan Thiem]

What kind of pros or cons do you have with using 5 gallon buckets for hole sleeves?I know you could adjust them up and down to fit between the floor and the ice.And like Chris mentioned, they do keep you holes open from freezing up so fast.Also nice for drafts.But,have you ever had a fish spit the hook half way up?That bucket makes a nice guide back into the drink.And another thing, how do you slide the brandy under the floor?

[Nutty Fisherman]

lift the bucket up put the bottle under the house, and put the bucket down. I would say it would keep it colder. My thoughts

[Dan Thiem]

Of course! What was I thinking?

[hanson]

You guys, we're inventive outdoorsman here! You have to fabricate a little door into the side of your bucket or perhaps a sliding door. Open the door, place the bottle inside, close the door and you're set. My only concern is the proximity that the bottle will be to the hole. That just sounds like disaster in the making.

[TV BOY]

Now I'll need to add can coolers to the list, due to the insulation

That never was a problem in the clam.

[woodyjdh]

Tie a string around the neck of the bottle, secure it to either the bucket, or perhaps your wrist? How about a hidden compartment in the upper wall? Run a small hose from the bottle (acting like a straw), and simply sip away? If you can't make it a hidden compartment, maybe a nice red cross on it-First Aid!!

[snowgoose]

Make sure the bottle is not full and let it float in the hole. That should keep it cold.
Why are you hiding the bottle anyhow? Easy access is the key.

[Bryce]

Just picked up a Coleman portable hot water heater today. On sale for $75 at St. Louis Park Sam's Club. Hot water on the ice... should come in real handy. Looking forward to trying it out.

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IBOT's # 17 & 248

[TV BOY]

Picked up two 12v fans from a computer repair shop today to help the circulation and draw as little juice as possible.

I'm having trouble finding white led lights. I found a pair of single ones that are for windshield wiper sprayers (for those souped up street racers ) at champion auto. I might try to rig them up a hole lights, but I don't know if they will be bright enough. I found a place online to get replacement bulbs for the dome type light that are already in.

[psegriz]

Need to pick up some little fans, antena for TV, maybe some nice double pane windows to replace the plexiglass I've got. BOY AM I GETTIN EXCITED FOR ICE.

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Ice is coming soon!!
GRIZ

[TV BOY]

Speaking of TV, how does aluminum sidinding affect reception with rabbit ears? Do I need an external antenna?

TV Boy needs his TV!

[huskiesplayer15]

We bought napa lights and they work just fine, berkley came out with catfish strike indicators, which work good at night for rattle reels, we dont need ears for our tv either, plus that coleman hot water on demand is awesome!, you will enjoy it!
Best fishes
Chris

[Chris-Neises]

I think strike sensors are a must. They let you know the instant you tip-up flag is up.

[Farley]

We have a table mounted to the flush mount pedistal seat dealy bob. Other than that we dont have a lot of stuff in our house except for a 2X3X3 bench that is used for storage and a place to sit. A wall mount heater and a few cupboards custom made ( I used to work at a small Ma and Pa woodshop). We kept it pretty wide open since everyone seems to end up in our fish house because it's the biggest out of all our friends's fish houses.

One thing I did was got a trailer wiring harness (like the one's on a Chevy truck with the big plug) and mounted the female end on the outside wall of the house and wired up the male end with two big alligator clips to clip onto the car battery. It looks nice on the outside and has a cover that flips down so no snow gets in. That's how we run our lights and fan. You just have to remember to start up the truck every once in a while. But no lugging around a big battery anymore, one less thing to forget.