Pull over shanty

[keithm87]

I have never fished much alone, but this year have found myself out alone a fair bit. I have  fatfish pop up, a smaller HT pop up, and a hardside that is on wheels. What I have found this year is that due to a lack of ice the hardside has been shore bound, and the pop ups while a useful wind break are in general a PITA to set up and tear down alone. I usually set tip ups and am stationary (mainly due to how big of a pain the pop ups are) but have found myself chasing lake trout more as I now live close to a lake trout lake. So I am thinking about getting a pull over shack. So my question is 2 parts. First do I go with a one person as much of its use will be just me, or is the added benefit of space worth the extra weight for a 2 person, how heavy are they to pull? and 2 if i get one I am leaning toward thermal, any specific model that is better than the others? It looks like clam has 100 models and HT, Frabill, and others are also in the game. All help is appreciated.

[VTWoodchuck]

I've had both a 2 man Clam Yukon TC and a 1 man Clam Scout.  I'm close to 60 and I pull my own sleds using a modified deer drag shoulder harness and I found the 2 man Yukon to be far two heavy pull if there was even a little snow.   The one man was lighter but I never felt like I had enough room.  Both sleds were very heavy to get off the ground and load into my truck unless I emptied them out before loading and that sucked.   Ultimately I sold both the flip over sleds and got a Shappell 5500 Widehouse pop up.  It only weighs 22 pounds and is snap to set up in about 1 minute and will fish 3 comfortably.  It is a palace for 1 or 2 people.  If there is any wind I always put one anchor in the ice and hook it to the shelter before I pop it open and have never had any issues.  I bring an old "egg beater" hand drill with me and pre drill my holes and that makes everything go much quicker.  I did replace the standard Shappell ice anchors with the much better Eskimo ice anchors though.   I load all of my gear including shelter, auger, bait and a heater if needed into my little jet sled and it all pulls easy.  For me, I'd much rather have the Shappell pop up than a flip over any day.  Just my 2 cents.

[VTMatt]

For mostly solo, I would go with a 1 man flipover with insulation. I got the Yukon Thermal (2-man) and it's bulky and not easy to load and unload solo because it's something like 100 lbs. Look at the ones that you can stand up in as well.  I use a smaller jet sled and attach it to the back of my Yukon for hauling extra gear. Make sure to buy or make runners. I would say go thermal no matter what.

[fishingidjit]

I have an Otter two man which weighs over 100 pounds,its great but heavy . You would be hard pressed o drag it through deep snow. A co-worker has a pop-up frabrill with pull cords on each side,I was amazed to see how quickly it goes up. It is light and fits in a bag taking up very little room.Maybe this would be an option, if you buy a one man flip-over you will never be able to invite some one to fish with you .

[fishy1]

i have a fish trap pro which is 48 lbs and and one man flip over but i have fished 2 in it. since its very spacious inside and also has 2 doors so you dont need to keep flipping it over. i handle it easily most of the time with my power auger in it tip ups and more and im 70 years old. when there is lots of snow on the ice and water in between i get bogged down but other than that it works great for me. im now looking to upgrade with the kenaii pro thermal for next year if we have any ice. hope this helps since getting a portable is a big decision.

[TroutWhisperer]

I had the Frabill Trekker 2 man for several years, but this year I got a Clam Kenai Pro 1 man.  I couldn't be happier with it!  It has a deeper tub than most, which means you are sitting a few inches higher and that equates to a very comfortable shack to sit in all day.  Also, the higher center of gravity makes it easier to pull.  When you flip it, you don't have to extend the arms.  That is HUGE in my book.  My Frabill required extending the arms, and that can be a real pain when you are hole hopping and searching for fish.  I have found the the Kenai Pro 1 man is plenty big enough to carry all my gear and fish comfortably.  I LOVE the little corner console/tray that has a cup holder and a place to set your gloves, keys, jig box, ect, ect.  Also, the hammock that's under the seat is a perfect place to stow jig rods.  I keep 2 to 5 jig rods in the hammock and they seem well protected and easy to access.

[fishy1]

I had the Frabill Trekker 2 man for several years, but this year I got a Clam Kenai Pro 1 man.  I couldn't be happier with it!  It has a deeper tub than most, which means you are sitting a few inches higher and that equates to a very comfortable shack to sit in all day.  Also, the higher center of gravity makes it easier to pull.  When you flip it, you don't have to extend the arms.  That is HUGE in my book.  My Frabill required extending the arms, and that can be a real pain when you are hole hopping and searching for fish.  I have found the the Kenai Pro 1 man is plenty big enough to carry all my gear and fish comfortably.  I LOVE the little corner console/tray that has a cup holder and a place to set your gloves, keys, jig box, ect, ect.  Also, the hammock that's under the seat is a perfect place to stow jig rods.  I keep 2 to 5 jig rods in the hammock and they seem well protected and easy to access.

is it thermal? i cant seem to find the regular kenai pro. wondering if im better off with the thermal.

[TRT]

I have a clam scout with expanded front - base. A model no longer made but suits me well. It weighs 50 pounds and
can jig, use tip ups, carry a flasher. Weight is a big issue and thought 50 pounds was the weight max unless you
have a snowmachine your committed to fishing with.   

[spot]

I have a Jawbone 3 person that I bought second hand. It works pretty well and doesn't weigh a lot. It fits two people with a little bit of elbow room. I might get some better anchors for it one of these days.

[TroutWhisperer]

is it thermal? i cant seem to find the regular kenai pro. wondering if im better off with the thermal.

No, it's not the thermal.  I don't have issues getting cold and didn't want to spend the extra for Thermal.  I got it at R&L Archery in Barre.  They had 2 or 3 more of the non-thermal Kenai Pro.

[perchkiller123]

i have a clam big foot 2000 and love it. the only problem is putting ice anchors in when there's solid black ice.

[JMailbox8]

i have a clam big foot 2000 and love it. the only problem is putting ice anchors in when there's solid black ice.

Hopefully my anchors will go in easy now with the tool I just made. I basically took an old spark plug socket, used an angle grinder to cut a notch in it that would allow it to slip over the anchor handle, and made a shaft for the socket by putting a bolt in and locking it in place with a nut. Now I can attach the socket to my drill and use my drill to screw in the anchors. I bring my drill fishing anyways because I use it to cut my holes.

[Lavman]

Hopefully my anchors will go in easy now with the tool I just made. I basically took an old spark plug socket, used an angle grinder to cut a notch in it that would allow it to slip over the anchor handle, and made a shaft for the socket by putting a bolt in and locking it in place with a nut. Now I can attach the socket to my drill and use my drill to screw in the anchors. I bring my drill fishing anyways because I use it to cut my holes.

I made my anchor driver the same way, works OK, have to keep the anchor centered as you spin it in.

For you guys with the hard to drag flip overs, take a look at building a Smitty Sled to pull it on, it will change your life!
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=103927.0

[spot]

One question that occurred to me is do you need to put a sign on a portable shanty with your name, address etc. or is that just with structures you're going to leave on the ice?

I've never had a portable before the one I just got. I'm hooked on it and glad to have it, but I'm wondering if I need to get out the sharpie and write myself a sign.

It seems like the wardens will just knock on the side if they want to know who owns the portable. 

[Lavman]

I have 2 portables, took the Sharpie to both and wrote my name and address on them. Also helps in case you lose them - it can happen! Ask vtgooseman

[Light liner]

I have 2 portables, took the Sharpie to both and wrote my name and address on them. Also helps in case you lose them - it can happen! Ask vtgooseman

After his unfortunate luck I did the same with enamel paint.
I'm stepping up to the new Trekker next season

http://m.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?i=696285

[TroutWhisperer]

One question that occurred to me is do you need to put a sign on a portable shanty with your name, address etc. or is that just with structures you're going to leave on the ice?

I've never had a portable before the one I just got. I'm hooked on it and glad to have it, but I'm wondering if I need to get out the sharpie and write myself a sign.

It seems like the wardens will just knock on the side if they want to know who owns the portable. 

You would think you wouldn't have to, since it'll never be out on the ice, unattended.......but you do indeed have to put your
name and address on your shanty.......whether it's a hardside or a portable flip-over.

[spot]

I did find it in the regulations and yes, they do require it. I had been looking at a prior year's book where it didn't mention portables and just specified when they could be on the ice and that name and address needed to be attached via a permanent sign.

I think they're perhaps being a bit lazy, not wanting to get into distinguishing between portables and longer-term structures that are left unattended and at times fall through and become boating hazards.

No biggie... I'll pack a sharpie with me next time I go out.