Spearing out of a portable

[kasilofchrisn]

Due to the fact that I will not have much time to spear this year I was thinking of trying to spear out of my portable Esakimo Grand Caravan Ice shanty. I know that there are a few pinholes in it and some of the windows probably let in too much light even when velcrowed shut.
Would putting a Brown tarp over my shanty help out at all?
Any other tips for spearing out of a portable would be appreciated.
Thanks Chris.

[stephensonswille]

be sure to pile up the snow around the skirt of the shack it helps majorly

[PikeSticker]

Its amazing how even one pin hole on a sunny day can really light up the shack. There is a liquid black rubber product in a squeeze tube that works great for "plugging" pin holes. Can't recall the name of it but its in the typical expoxies, glues, and goops section of the hardware store. White tube with black letters as I recall. I've used it on the inside of waders to patch leaking seams and weatherproofing leaky tent seams.  The tarp will help enough to probably get the spearing job done but the lightest wind will make it rattle. Just turn the boom box up. 

[trapper_max]

amazing goop?

[PikeSticker]

amazing goop?

More like Black ShoeGoo.  http://www.amazon.com/Penguin%C2%AE-Shoe-Goo-BLACK/dp/B001332A42/ref=pd_sbs_shoe_4

[BuschWhacker]

Since arriving in AK, I've speared exclusivley out of portables.  Most of the places I fish are not road accessable, and gear has to hauled in by hand, snowmachine or (if ya have the $$)  airplane.  I've used a variety of portables on a variety of lakes. 
  My biggest worry about light leaks with all of them is.. does the material it's constructed of, cut enough glare off the surface to see into the water.  Too much light reflecting off the surface, nullifies the reason you put up a darkhouse in the first place.   Pin holes or cracks that cause a small reflection off the surface, reduce your visibilty some, but are mostly distracting to your eye as it switches focus between the surface and objects beneath the surface, these can be easily plugged as mentioned.
  As far as fish being able to see up into the house, I'm not sure.  I know they can see quite a ways above water in the summer.  I'm just guessing, but if there was more light penetrating from above, than reflected back at the surface from below, then it would stand to reason they could see out.  So I'd guess some bright leaks or holes may allow greater visibility "up" out of the hole.
  I now use a pop-up type shelter with no floor.  I was skeptical at first it would be too bright inside.  But it cuts enough light reflection off the surface to allow the brighter light "source" to be reflected back from beneath the surface and allow visibility into the water. 
  All in all, I can't say my success rate has been hindered by a few small light leaks.  Large leaks, or thin material which allow more light to reflect off the surface than reflect back from beneath the surface will however have a definite adverse effect on visibility.

[PikeSticker]

I've got a couple of tents now as well as the fold down sheepherder shack from my old Sevena days. I sure prefer the hard floor and permanence of the shack since you can leave them all week long and don't need to safe out your hole every trip like when using the tents. The pop ups are sure nice for scouting but once on a hot spot its the pits to fill the hole and cut a new one each visit. That tends to draw the attention of others when you have multiple holes dotting one spot. Of course the hardside usually ends up with Swiss cheese tip-up holes punched all around it too by other anglers too lazy to find their own spot if it stays in one location for more than a week.   

One of the annoyances I've encountered with the pop ups is when you get a lot of condensation in them on really cold days and then put them in the barn wet they end up a frozen mess unless you dry them out in the garage or basement each time. That's a genuine pain after a lengthy pre-dawn to dusk spearing day.  I've cut down on some of that condensation with a couple of super portable fans for circulating the air and heat more efficiently. They have a super strong magnet in the base and a metal plate for outside the tent. Runs on one D cell for 16 hours but I use a rechargeable AA NiMh battery in an eneloop D size spacer for a nearly free power source and that one AA battery usually lasts the day. A little delicate for transport but two of them fit perfectly in a plastic Folgers coffee can (red) for protecting the fans and carrying a half dozen AA rechargeables.


I did one "experiment" a few weeks ago to see if a "rain fly" over the top of the pop up might work the same as on a camping tent for reducing condensation by providing an insulation air space. I used an old nylon rain poncho to just cover the 6x6 roof and it seemed to make a difference with less moisture collecting on the ceiling. The jury is still out but I think that might help as long as the wind doesn't make it a problem keeping it in place.

[nin akawawa]

ha bucsh whacker,
i noticed you use a pop up fish house from your pictures.  If you do,  do you cut a new whole everytime you go out and take your house off.  or do you leave it out there everytime???  thanks nin akawawa

[BuschWhacker]

ha bucsh whacker,
i noticed you use a pop up fish house from your pictures.  If you do,  do you cut a new whole everytime you go out and take your house off.  or do you leave it out there everytime???  thanks nin akawawa

  I cut a new hole, every time.  Seems I rarely fish the same lake, and even more rarely the same spot on consecutive days.  Always exploring.  I use the pop-up because it's the easiest to transport, by about any method, snowmachine, plane or even on foot.  I am however, getting to an age where sawing a new hole each time is getting a bit tiresome .  I live on a very nice lake which is rumored to have pike in it.  Haven't found 'em yet, but when I do, I just might build me a hardside, and set a spell 

[PikeSticker]

  I live on a very nice lake which is rumored to have pike in it.  Haven't found 'em yet, but when I do, I just might build me a hardside, and set a spell 

When you hit the honey hole there is nothing like having a permanent to go to each day. I set up mine one winter in late January and didn't move the house for the rest of the winter and pulled it the second week of April. I put over 100 pike in the freezer and frying pan for myself and others on that one set. It was like Grand Central Station. But with the intensive (and I might add VERY successful) ADFG netting of our pike lakes around the KP its tough to have a 2 hammer handle day most of the time with an occasional, and I mean occasional, fatty.

I'd suggest looking into making what I call the "sheep herder fold down" model. Plywood end walls rounded like a quonset hut with a lightproof flexible material for the continuous sidewall/roof section. (There are instructions/plans on the Internet. http://www.wisconsinoutdoor.com/iceshackplans.htm) You can build one with a friend's help in one day start to finish with a skil saw, some screws & glue and a few hinges for the door and endwalls. I modified mine to be 4'wx6.5'Lx6'h. Finding the perfect light-tight material is the tough part; wish I could find a source of material like what the Quickfish and Cabelas hub tents are made of. I used industrial strength oil field drilling mud pit liner - the same thing they line landfills with. Strong as steel but very heavy and stiff. My house is over 250# and very cumbersome to handle single-handed for loading up even when folded flat. But its the cat's meow when it comes to driving up to it, firing up the heater, sawing out the cover ice and be spearing in 20 minutes without a sweat. I built a set of oak 6"w x 6' L detachable skis out of some 2x6 pipe dunnage ripped to 3/4" for easily dragging around on the snow and ice even by hand.

[nin akawawa]

Hay Buschwacker,
  It's me again.  Umm just wondering how you spear up in Alaska when its dark for so long?  Ive always wanted to live in Alaska for a year at least.  And to try the spearing.  I heard they don't like northerns up there.  I took a look at your decoy page.  Pretty nice.  Would love to try spearing up there.  thanks
  ryan {nin akawawa}

[BuschWhacker]

Hay Buschwacker,
  It's me again.  Umm just wondering how you spear up in Alaska when its dark for so long?  Ive always wanted to live in Alaska for a year at least.  And to try the spearing.  I heard they don't like northerns up there.  I took a look at your decoy page.  Pretty nice.  Would love to try spearing up there.  thanks
  ryan {nin akawawa}

Contrary to popular belief, we do have some daylight in the winter, at this lattiude anyway ( I fish mostly in an area 50-100 miles north of Anchorage)  We usually have safe ice by mid November when there's still 8+ hours of daylight, tho we lose time pretty fast every day, but even on the longest night at winter soltice, we can scratch out 4-5 hours of useful daylight.  Now, we're gaining nearly 6 minutes a day and are over 10 hours of light, and will be over 13 hours in another month.  Can usually fish well into March sometimes early April, so plenty of light then! 
  Not liking northerns is a matter of opinion I guess, if you're into runty 'lil stocker salmonids, then ya pretty much hate the pike, they were illegally introduced into this part of the state, and F&G hates feeding the pike all their stockers.  But us spearos (like that one Pikesticker) like 'em just fine!
  Thanks for compliments on dekes.  If ya ever make it up here, look me up, we'll have to go dig a hole in a lake sometime.
 

[nin akawawa]

buschwhacker,
   Thanks for the info.  I will keep you in mind if i make it up there someday.  Hopefully I can talke my wife in to going up to alaska in the winter. Ha!
                                     ryan