Author Topic: Fish Trap Yukon vs Guide/Nanook (Read 16350 times)

pmac3522 · « **on:** Oct 12, 2009, 02:39 PM »

Ok, try this again, I had a thread going earlier but it was removed, I am guessing because it discussed prices and retailers.

Anyways, which would you rather have, a Nanook which is very similar to a guide but with swivel seats instead of a bench at ~80 lbs, or a Yukon which is ~105 lbs with a nicer sled and nicer seats.

I will be pulling it by hand and can rig up some sort of sled with ski's if need be.

I am replacing a frabill speed shack XL which is roughly 100 lbs as well, but I am assuming that the yukon would still be easier to pull, even with gear in it, because it is a sled and not a fold up shack, correct?

dcso3009 · « **Reply #1 on:** Oct 12, 2009, 03:47 PM »

Late last season I picked up a Yukon after fishing in several of my friend's. I could not be happier with it. It is heavy, but pulls very easy. I got some of the UHMW bar stock and put 4 runners on the bottom. I got them sent at 5' length and cut them down, but left long enough to bend them up the front of the sled.

TravP · « **Reply #2 on:** Oct 12, 2009, 04:19 PM »

If your going to have another person in your trap even 50% of the time go with the yukon.

Skipper · « **Reply #3 on:** Oct 12, 2009, 07:13 PM »

Room is nice, the voyager has it. Two guys can fish out of a Yukon quite comfortably.

SkeeterJeff · « **Reply #4 on:** Oct 12, 2009, 09:13 PM »

My wife and I fish out of a Yukon and love it!

Jeff

anderson_dc · « **Reply #5 on:** Oct 13, 2009, 08:39 AM »

Yukon, no questions asked.

perchnut · « **Reply #6 on:** Oct 13, 2009, 09:27 AM »

wow,,,,i was psyched abot the new nanooks,,,,,,but now im going to have to consider the yukon....all these decisions! I do like the bigger door.

Madpuppy · « **Reply #7 on:** Oct 13, 2009, 09:41 AM »

I'm looking at getting the new Clam Denali IV, at 11' x 5' and only 98lbs. it looks pretty good to me. I really like the back to back fishing with 4 people and 4 swivel seats with backrests, it's a little more $ but for what you get I think it's worth it. It's on Bass Pro's site.

pmac3522 · « **Reply #8 on:** Oct 13, 2009, 10:26 AM »

I was curious about the Denali shacks as well, mainly because they are pretty much the same price as the Yukon, but I decided against it. I see where it says they are only 95 lbs on the bass pro website, but I have a hard time believing it. The fish trap x4 that is last years model similar to the Denali was 175 lbs. I don't see how that huge of a shack could cut 80 lbs from last years version. also, that makes it only 15 lbs heavier than the guide and 10 lbs lighter than the yukon. That just doesn't seem correct to me.

Anyways, I think I am going to get the yukon. I am thinking that since it is a sled, it will pull easier than the pop up frabill that I am used to even though they are the same weight. Plus, I mentioned to my fishing partner the difference in seats and I think he will kill me if I don't get the deluxe padded swivel seats.

Anyways, thanks for the help, now I just have to find someone to take my frabill shack off my hands to make space in the garage.

Hardguy · « **Reply #9 on:** Oct 13, 2009, 11:35 AM »

Just another view, I bought the guide a few years ago as I usually fish myself. On the 20% of the times I have a partner the guide is ok, not great though. You can always use the extra room. Anyway some of my reasons I opted for the guide was loading it into a pickup on my own sucked without a ramp and I have a tonneau cover that the guide fits under but not the yukon. I hate to travel a couple of hours without a cover as the shanty ends up with road grime when the roads are snow covered etc ,along with everything in the bed of the truck. The ramp thing I took care of and I made a cart for the garage that is the same height as the truck bed. I slide the guide on the cart and wheel it anywhere in the garage. Next time out not a problem. Use the ramp only at the lake. I may still buy the yukon as I may get a cap for the winter months. I would not worry about dragging the extra weight the yukon has, as all the trap flipovers slide nicely. Clam makes a real nice product and they stand behind them. I will use the guide when i am alone and like I said I may buy the yukon to use when I have company. Either one will put a smile on your face! Good luck.

pmac3522 · « **Reply #10 on:** Oct 13, 2009, 09:56 PM »

Well, I ordered the new Yukon TC, should have it in a week to ten days. It was kind of a pain since even though they had a demo model on the floor, the shacks were not in their system to be sold yet, and I had a $100 discount that expires on sunday, so I kinda wanted to get it now. Long story short, they were able to order one and everyone is happy.

I felt a little embarrassed for the sales man because it was quite obvious that the other shoppers knew more than he did. He told one guy that he had been looking on the clam website at the new shacks a couple days ago. The guy said "I have only been able to see pictures on Bass Pro's site, clams site doesn't have them yet."

And then he told me that the guide is not being replaced this year. I mentioned the Nanook and he said that was a rumor that never ended up happening. Someone should tell that to reeds sports and Bass Pro because they have both been selling the Nanook's on their website for a while. After these 2 encounters I decided to talk to the younger guy working in the department who was able to check the inventory in the distribution center and get one of them ordered for me after the other guy said there was nothing he could do. Oh well, for every knowledgeable employee Cabela's hires, they hire a couple B.S. artists that only act like they know what they are talking about.

I am happy I went with the Yukon. After sitting in the Yukon tc and the guide from last year, I realized it was worth the extra few bucks to be comfortable if I am going to be spending hours in this shack. Now we just need some cold weather!

Hard Ice · « **Reply #11 on:** Oct 14, 2009, 09:17 PM »

pmac3522,
Thanks for buying clam !

Where are you from ??

Guys if you ever have a question you can fire me a pm and i can help you out I have seen the new houses in person long before they came out in the stores or on any web site .... maybe this is why ice shanty keeps me around ?

Madpuppy · « **Reply #12 on:** Oct 15, 2009, 07:35 AM »

Hey Hard Ice, bought another Clam product last night. Got the Base Camp to add to the arsenal, got the Guide already, a 3 man homemade pop up sled and a Frabill one man (Sorry about the Frabill!). We can take a small army with us on the ice this year.

I bought the Frabill as my first shelter and it works fine but it doesn't compare in quality to the Clam products in my opinion.

pmac3522 · « **Reply #13 on:** Oct 15, 2009, 09:01 AM »

No problem Hard Ice, I am from southeast Wisconsin. I grew up in Northern Wisconsin, so the extra few weeks it takes us to get fishable ice down here is pretty excruciating.

I take it you work for Clam, or represent them in some fashion, so I have a question for you. Does Clam also make the Cabela's branded flipover shack? It is black, but has many similar features to the other Clam shacks. It is kind of an odd product if you ask me, and the salesmen I spoke with felt the same way. It is smaller, has smaller non-swiveling seats, a lower quality sled, and a generally cheaper appearance than the Yukon, yet they are both at the same price. Actually the Yukon was 4 cents cheaper. Worst of all, Cabela's had them set up right next to each other, so anyone who was looking to spend that amount of money would see each option and obviously pick the Yukon. Maybe that is the goal? Make a few lower quality units and set them right next to the Clam shacks to make them seem like a better deal?

This isn't meant as a criticism, I am just curious. Clam products, especially the new models for this year, seem to hit the sweet spot of affordability and quality, so I thought it was kind of weird to see a model that might not fit that description.

Skipper · « **Reply #14 on:** Oct 15, 2009, 08:35 PM »

Quote from: Hard Ice on Oct 14, 2009, 09:17 PM

pmac3522,

Guys if you ever have a question you can fire me a pm and i can help you out I have seen the new houses in person long before they came out in the stores or on any web site .... maybe this is why ice shanty keeps me around ?

We keep you around because you know how to catch fish and dont blow smoke up people's butts!

pmac3522 · « **Reply #15 on:** Oct 28, 2009, 08:38 AM »

Well, I got the Yukon TC last night. I unboxed all of the parts and still have to put them together. I will probably get to it tonight. That thing looks a lot bigger in my basement than it did at the store. Everything seems to be really high quality materials, but the tent smells like powerbait, kinda weird.

Can't wait to get this thing together.

Skipper · « **Reply #16 on:** Oct 28, 2009, 06:22 PM »

They go together pretty easy and the instructions seem to be written by someone who has done it before.

You are going to love it! Did you get the cover?

Northern Manitoban · « **Reply #17 on:** Oct 28, 2009, 07:37 PM »

okay I'm looking at buying the Nanook thermal what are the size difference between the yukon and Nanook, i plan on fishing with 2 people but many times solo, and what is the price difference? the Nanook thermal looks sweet

pmac3522 · « **Reply #18 on:** Oct 28, 2009, 09:08 PM »

I didn't get a cover because they did not have the covers in stock yet, but I will probably pick one up when I get the chance.

The yukon is about 9 inches taller than the nanook, but other wise they are the same dimensions. I can't explain why, but the yukon seems a lot bigger though. After sitting in a guide which is the same size as the nanook, and the yukon, I had to go with the yukon. You really have to duck to get into the nanook, and you don't to get into the yukon. Also, the sled and the seats are a lot nicer. I got a deal and got the yukon tc for the same price as the nanook thermal. The nanook would be easier to pull though.

Everything went together fine except attaching the tent to the sled in the back. The rubber v-channel that clips the tent material to the sled is so kinked up that I can't get it on. Any tips for this?

Skipper · « **Reply #19 on:** Oct 28, 2009, 09:14 PM »

You could warm it up a bit. If worse comes to worse, let it soak in some warm water for a while to relax it.

You are going to want to get that cover for sure. It is about the only way to keep the tent all bundled up and prevent it from dragging on the ice.

IceFishinJoe · « **Reply #20 on:** Oct 28, 2009, 09:44 PM »

As said heat the V channel up a bit to get it pliable. The cover is a must if you are planning on pulling it behind a machine unless you want your sled plus all your gear full of ice.

Joe

Hard Ice · « **Reply #21 on:** Oct 29, 2009, 05:27 AM »

Pmac 3522 , yes clam does make houses for cabals. As for attaching the house to the sled you can use a pair of plires and squize the black retainer to the sled hope that does the job ... Skipper , thanks for that comment... As for me the question was brought up do i work for clam ? Yea i do and a lot of other compines to....

pmac3522 · « **Reply #22 on:** Nov 30, 2009, 07:29 PM »

Instead of starting another thread, I will just add to this one.

I picked up a pair of skis to put under my sled, but I am concerned about one thing. It would be an issue with strips of uhmw as well, so people must be dealing with it somehow.

I set the sled to my yukon on the skis and when I sat down, the sled bent around the skis due to pressure from my weight. I am not that heavy and my gear will probably weigh close to as much as I do, so it would probably do it when I have it fully loaded as well.

I know when there is snow it won't be a big deal because the snow will fill in the gaps, but what about on my garage floor, glare ice, or the parking lot at the lake? That can't be good for the sled can it? I am trying to protect my sled, so it would really suck if I broke it in the process.

Hard Ice · « **Reply #23 on:** Nov 30, 2009, 08:23 PM »

Nope draging just the sled on anything will wear it out faster with out hyfax/skis ! In all the years i have never added hyfax to my house tubs but i do get a new house every 3 to 4 years and sell the old ones real cheap just for that reason.. Maybe i will add a set of hyfax this year then maybe not ... We will see.

pmac3522 · « **Reply #24 on:** Dec 01, 2009, 08:10 AM »

I understand the need for runners/skis, but it seems like the sled bending around them is pretty bad.

Has anyone used skis and noticed this?

Maybe I should try in a skis thread.

dcso3009 · « **Reply #25 on:** Dec 01, 2009, 08:53 AM »

My sled does not bend around my runners. I have 4 runners on my sled that are 1 1/2" wide and run the length of the sled. See page 1 for pictures.

pmac3522 · « **Reply #26 on:** Dec 01, 2009, 09:25 AM »

dsco3009, Are those runners 1/4" or 1/2" thick?

The skis are about 1/2" thick and maybe up to 3/4" thick at the thickest.

I might just have to use uhmw.

deebsey · « **Reply #27 on:** Dec 01, 2009, 11:32 AM »

My sled doesn't bend around my skis.. I have flat downhill old school skis.

dcso3009 · « **Reply #28 on:** Dec 01, 2009, 12:20 PM »

Quote from: pmac3522 on Dec 01, 2009, 09:25 AM

dsco3009, Are those runners 1/4" or 1/2" thick?

The skis are about 1/2" thick and maybe up to 3/4" thick at the thickest.

I might just have to use uhmw.

1/2" thick.

Fish_Tko · « **Reply #29 on:** Dec 01, 2009, 01:28 PM »

i have the guide, took out one seat and mounted the other in the middle and make seat brackets that are 4" taller as the seats didn't sit high enough for my liking, and it is the perfect one person outfit. plenty of room for everything you want to bring. Pretty tight for two people if you plan to fish that way all the time, but for taking someone along 5 or 6 times a year its just fine.

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Author Topic: Fish Trap Yukon vs Guide/Nanook (Read 16350 times)