question on pop up fish houses

[mrpike1973]

hello im seriously considering a clam or eskimo quick fish do you need to shovel down to bare ice every time out so you can get the ice anchors in also are they hard to put back down. i have seen other posts that say they really like them but have been unable to see them set up in a store thank you are the ice anchors hard to put in

[PerchJerker]

I've never used ice anchors so I can't really answer that question.

I prefer not to shovel off the ice, but once the snow gets deep or it gets slushy you sometimes have to showvel first.

[Johnny_Da_Der]

I usually do a little shoveling if the snow gets deep. A couple inches or so isn't gonnna make a difference.

Those ice anchors dig into the ice really easy. Just apply a little pressure and give it a couple turns to get it started. You can get screw it all the way in a few seconds. The come out pretty easy too. All this can be done with gloved up hands.

[NCLaker]

Johnny, do you have have an eskimo or clam. He eskimo anchors look much nicer than the clams. More glove friendly.

[tisosy11]

If there is any snow at all you don't need ice anchors. THe snow should keep it in place if you bank it a bit.

[Johnny_Da_Der]

Johnny, do you have have an eskimo or clam. He eskimo anchors look much nicer than the clams. More glove friendly.

I have got the eskimo. Never seen the clam anchors and can't speak for them, I just figured they were the same.

[ole]

If there is any snow at all you don't need ice anchors. THe snow should keep it in place if you bank it a bit.

Agreed, just bank and you should be good to go. Been on Winni in some big wind and didn't have any trouble once we got banked in.

ole

[Johnny_Da_Der]

If there is any snow at all you don't need ice anchors. THe snow should keep it in place if you bank it a bit.

For me it takes just a couple minutes to stake it down. Extra insurance.

[Royce Aardahl]

I bought the eskimo quick fish 3 last year. Perfect for 2 guys. The screws go in really easy. Not the best set up if you plan to move around a lot but fine if staying put or moving some. New red color on them I see. Great house for around 180 bucks.

[Sandmannd]

I like both but at the fish show it just seemed to me that the clam had a little thicker material.

[slipperybob]

The clam probably has the best fabric, but the Eskimo has some real nice anchors.

[NCLaker]

I asked this on another thread ... I currently only have flip style, but considering adding the popup/hub style to my inventory. I use the Frabil hooks to hang my lantern, jacket, rod bag, etc from my roof poles - keeps stuff out of the way.

Do any of you that have used the pop-up clams or eskimos know if you can use these same hooks on the pop-up shacks?? Can you get them on the roof supports - if you can, does it cause it to sag or put wear and tear on the shack that might be a concern?

Thanks!

[mrpike1973]

thank you very much for your responces i have a small car and i think this would work great small pak size thank you

[EYESTALKER]

Don't forget to use your car as a windblock. Simple, but very effective...

[Rotiart]

I too have a question on these pop up houses.

Regarding the doors, is the bottom of the QFIII higher up off the ground than on the Base Camp? I didn't see a QFIII set up, only the Base Camp but just by looking at pics of them it appears that they are but that could be my eyes playing tricks on me. Or if there is any difference in the size of the openings at all between the two. Even an inch or two might make a slight difference.

My concern is how cumbersome it will be for a clumsy oaf like I am to get in and out of these things so the closer that opening is to the ground the better.

[skee0025]

I have a QFIII. I only use an anchor if its windy to help keep it in place during set up. I have a couple of Soderblooms snaktors so I dont have to waste alot of time banking snow around the base, they also come in handy if there is no snow on the ice. I also have Waterproof LED's Zipped to the poles so that takes care of my light issues. I have also used it as a hunting shack, I have stayed in it the last 3 deer seasons. IMO a great bargain for the price.

[Lunger]

I just got the clam basecamp, so far so good and the anchors screw in real easy, even with heavy gloves or mittens on.

[nofishfisherman]

Some people say the QF 3 limits mobility. I think in some cases it increases mobility. If you don't have a snowmobile or ATV to pull a flip over style house you will be limited by how far you can pull those heavy things through deeper snow.

The QF 3 is only 20 lbs or so, that makes it easy to throw over your shoulder and hike anywhere you want to go.

I looked at the QF 3 at the Ice show last friday. The support poles look sturdy but I'm not sure if you could hang hooks from them just because they are curved, the hooks would likely slide down the arch. However I can't remember exactly how it is set up so there may be a few spots to put some hooks.

Zip tieing a few led rope lights to the poles should be a piece of cake however.

This house is on the top of my list based on quality, price, ease of set up and size. I'm 6'4" so a nice tall house like this is awesome. I can stand perfectly straight up in them.

[bigred1974]

here is my review of the hubstyle house, I bought one and used it last night for fishing.

positives-I didnt use the pick anchors as there was no wind so we just banked the sides. the house was actually pretty comfortable to fish 2 guys in, plenty of room.easy to move around as its light in weight. kept the heat in nice with the heater on medium, it was 10 degrees out.

negatives- It was raining inside within 2 hours. I had one vent flap open, should of had both open I guess. Pain in the butt to take down in the dark. took 10 minutes to figure out how to fold it back up, maybe I was just dumb, but took a little figuring out. the top hub came down in the middle of fishing, and my light hit my dad square in the head. I had a ufo puck light placed up in the pole. I had hooks hanging in the corners to hang my jacket, dont know if Ill do that again.

things I would do- either hang a tag on the zipper door or take a paint pen and mark the door on the inside. kind of hard to see zipper in low light and all the walls look the same. rope lights. I would hang 2 short strips and zip tie them.

over all not a bad house, not a great house. if I had to do it again it would definitely be an X2 or a Frabill. Its good for what it is though

[shizzy]

weight was a huge reason I chose my quick fish3 over a flip over. I dont have a Sled to pull it around with. Plus I like having space for an extra person.

quick fish 3 weighs 23#s, 2 man flipovers are around 75-100lbs

one suggestion would be to put it up and take it down a few times in your garage and maybe in the dark.

here is a pic of the anchors..

[fishNcrappie]

check out the Frabill XLTwin with mods in the forsale forum. with the mods that are done you wont have to worry about ice anchors. stay warm and comfy!

[zamboni]

Shovel UNDER where the Clam is going to go, if you are talking about a suitcase (5600 or 6800) style house. If you don't the snow will make the floor pop apart.

[Burnham]

i have the quickfish 3 and have had problems with it, but eskimo sent me a new house! great customer service...my biggest problem isnt settin it up or down, its just gettin the stinking thing into its case, on the ice cramming that thing into its case can take 10 minutes

[slipperybob]

Burnham

It's like treating it like an umbrella, if you fold the material in nice corners and wrap that around the poles, it will be a really tight package. Most people don't want to fool around with the oragami paper folding, but it works. In addition A very simple string and tie it down. I saw that the new red Eskimo's come with a velcrow strap - pretty handy.

[WollMan]

I just picked one of the QFIII up last night. IT is sweet, cannot wait to get it out on the ice. I practiced setting up and taking down in the house and it is really fast. just fold it back up and put the strap on. the screws for the ice also seem to be heavy duty. I also turned as many lights on as possible and it is nice and dark inside as well.