Clam 2000

[Yoda on Ice]

I was looking to get my first Hut and was wondering if the 2000's were a good one.  I mainly want it for when I take my kids out with me so they have a place to get out of the cold.  Any response would be great.  Thanks in advance.

[chimo]

I've got a clam 2000 that I bought a couple years ago.  It doesn't really suit my style of fishing but it has definitely kept me warm on some really cold days.  The problems I had. 

1: its hard to pull all my junk out on top of it when there is more than 6 inches of snow.  it just wont run flat for me and the buckets on the back end up falling off and spilling my stuff on the ice.  this can be fixed by having a jet sled with your all your stuff in it and just pulling the shanty but that is a pain when your fishing alone. 

2: it sets up easy enough but when I am fishing I like to move quick, I'm not very patient and am always drilling holes if I am not on a consitant bite, and it can be a little bit of a pain.  Its hard when fishing by yourself to get set back up without the shanty trying to blow down the lake. 

3:  it's a little "flimsy" when the wind is really gusting.  the sides will blow in a little. 

all in all it's been a good investment and has worked well.  I just don't fish with other people often enough to need the extra space so I'm looking to upgrade to a flip over style shanty this winter.  You'll probably see it in the for sale section sometime after thanksgiving.  hope this helps    good fishing

chimo

[Sven936]

it's a little "flimsy" when the wind is really gusting.  the sides will blow in a little.

I owned one myself and added a couple pieces of conduit for rigidity.   Worked well, but longer setup time and more crap to carry.

Sold mine and got a flip over. Fits my fishing better, but the 2000 is a nice shack if moving is not your thing...

[ralwag]

My buddy has one. We take it when the kids go with. If your going to take kids with you, buy one it will keep them warm. I take my grandson and he loves it. I put the tip ups out and jig from inside. I find that when you take kids along your not going to be that mobile any way. Bring a stove and make hot dogs and swiss miss and the kids will have a blast. 

[J_Jaacks]

I have one and I ended up getting a Yukon.  I kept the 2000 for the same reason that you are getting yours. Everything that has been said is true, but shouldn't be a problem considering on your intended use.

[mmb]

I really like my Clam2000 (w/ dome top), but it is pretty tight for a "two man" shanty.  One man and a boy is more like it.  I tend to move ever 30 minutes or so, and I just hook a rope up to my anchor points and pull it across the lake.  I've not had troubles with wind, but I tend to put one of the doors into the prevailing winds to keep things sturdy.

Check out my thread from last year on adding anchor points to the 2000.  ClamCorp wanted me to screw the ice anchors into the plastic floor!     I think not!

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=41499.0

[zamboni]

What I do as far as anchoring my 5600 is I put the anchors in the corners of the plastic openings where the holes are, works great

[walleyekelly]

It would be a goot shack for the kids. I do the same as Zamboni for my anchors. Just lift the plastic hole flaps and screw a few in the corners. I angle mine a little so If I am not in it the shack wont lift off over the anchors. Havn't had to chase it a couple football field lengths yet since I started doing it that way (boy i have some funny stories chasing that da** shack )  I like what mmb did with his.

[Skipper]

A Shappell DX-3000 is roughly the same floor size, but it is tall enough to stand up in. The Shappell also has bigger windows and pulls more easily through the snow. I also have no trouble fishing with another adult in it. I am not ripping clam, but I think in the DX 3000 is a better value vs. the clam 2000. I have used a DX 3000 HARD for three winters now and it is holding up very well. I am counting my pennies and waiting for the day that I can go pick up a new Fish Trap Yukon. Suitcase style shacks are nice, but I think fishtrap style shacks are the way to go if you have the dough to buy one.

[Yoda on Ice]

Thanks guys.  I work at my local Gander mountain part time, and they only carry a few different styles of shanties at our store.  So my options are limited if I want to get my discount.

[Bean]

Most gander mountains carry the fish trap pro. I'd look into that one as it's much easier to set up and move on the ice.

[mmb]

What you really need to decided on is if you are going to be moving constantly or setting up base camp.  If you're going to be on the move "following" fish then a flip over sled style portable is going to be your only REAL option.

However, if you're looking at setting up base camp and moving tip-ups around, or have a honey hole that you fish most of the time, a suitcase style shanty works well for that.  Think of it as a warming hut that you can move.  I tend to camp out on a spot for a while before I move, maybe longer than I should.  My 2000 works well for me in that regard, but with a 4 yo boy wanting to go fishing more and more I'm going to start running into a lack of space.  A plus side is that the square holes in the floor can have two 8" holes side by side for four kids to fish in.

If you get a discount, and the suitcase style sounds like it is going to fit your needs, look at something a little larger than the 2000.  It gets a bit snug with kids moving around in the shanty.