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Way OT: Ice Fishing

RedBaloneyPony

RedBaloneyPony

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Nov 14, 2020
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Anyone on here own or regularly use a hard sided fish house trailer? I ice fish a lot , get up north 2-3 times a season if I’m lucky though, a lot of it has to do with paying for a motel which adds dollars to the trek and keeps me off the ice for night bites. Perks of my job is I get to do some personal projects and am throwing around the idea of building one. Either converting old camper or enclosed trailer to drop down. Wanting to know pros and cons of using one, my main goal would be treating it like a base camp to sleep in at night and retreat to for afternoon naps when bite slows.
 
They come up for sale every now and the on various websites for reasonable prices if you keep your eyes open. Facebook pages and such.
Me personally I wouldnt but I never make it north, if I did itd be once a year and Id rent.

Bet if you asked on north or south dakota ice fishing pages those boys would show you how to make an affordable one.
 
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huskerfan1414 said:
They come up for sale every now and the on various websites for reasonable prices if you keep your eyes open. Facebook pages and such.
Me personally I wouldnt but I never make it north, if I did itd be once a year and Id rent.

Bet if you asked on north or south dakota ice fishing pages those boys would show you how to make an affordable one.
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Yeah I look occasionally, I asked on here because I wanted a Nebraskan perspective as far as the pros n cons of dragging one up for the weekend and back. Since it would be useless in Nebraska. If I lived 3 hours north I would have one because i would use it a lot.
 
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RedBaloneyPony said:
Yeah I look occasionally, I asked on here because I wanted a Nebraskan perspective as far as the pros n cons of dragging one up for the weekend and back. Since it would be useless in Nebraska. If I lived 3 hours north I would have one because i would use it a lot.
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Do you camp? A lot of people up north use ice castles for camping too. Another way to justify one.
 
RedBaloneyPony said:
Yeah I look occasionally, I asked on here because I wanted a Nebraskan perspective as far as the pros n cons of dragging one up for the weekend and back. Since it would be useless in Nebraska. If I lived 3 hours north I would have one because i would use it a lot.
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I love building stuff and whenever I have a project in mind I head directly to Youtube for ideas. If I were you I'd be looking at something really light and budget, since you may not use it that much. Maybe something like in the video below? The did some stupid stuff, like the drywall and tile! It wouldn't have the "drop down" feature of a real wheelhouse, but I even think I could build that into it if I wanted to. My other idea is to maybe convert one of the smaller enclosed cargo trailers? Anyway, I'd stay away from converting an old camper (unless it wasn't TOO old) as those tend to be kind of heavy.

 
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mgbreis said:
I love building stuff and whenever I have a project in mind I head directly to Youtube for ideas. If I were you I'd be looking at something really light and budget, since you may not use it that much. Maybe something like in the video below? The did some stupid stuff, like the drywall and tile! It wouldn't have the "drop down" feature of a real wheelhouse, but I even think I could build that into it if I wanted to. My other idea is to maybe convert one of the smaller enclosed cargo trailers? Anyway, I'd stay away from converting an old camper (unless it wasn't TOO old) as those tend to be kind of heavy.

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Yeah, ive been looking on craigslist in minnesota area for just the drop down trailer frame to build on top of. Ive seen the big 24 foot ice castles and while those would be sweet, I am thinking probably in the 10 to 14 foot long range, enough to fit 2 or 3 adults to fish/sleep in.
 
Huskers123456 said:
Do you camp? A lot of people up north use ice castles for camping too. Another way to justify one.
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I camp, have a camper, have seen what you mentioned with people camping in them, my wife and kids would miss the size difference between a 5th wheel camper down to a 16 foot fish house, plus I occasionally pull a boat behind camper so double pulling would be nixed. Really just looking for advice on whether the comfort of having one is worth the hassle of having one. Kinda thought there would be more outdoorsmen on this board to chime in.
 
RedBaloneyPony said:
I camp, have a camper, have seen what you mentioned with people camping in them, my wife and kids would miss the size difference between a 5th wheel camper down to a 16 foot fish house, plus I occasionally pull a boat behind camper so double pulling would be nixed. Really just looking for advice on whether the comfort of having one is worth the hassle of having one. Kinda thought there would be more outdoorsmen on this board to chime in.
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Better get on the Minny board to find the ice fishermen. I work with a guy that grew up in Battle Lake and he says ice fishing is really just getting drunk and watching the Vikings!
 
I always assume the ice fishermen and women are high as a kite and drunk as a sailor on leave. Have to be. There is no way people just sit there sober.
 
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litespeedhuskerfan said:
I always assume the ice fishermen and women are high as a kite and drunk as a sailor on leave. Have to be. There is no way people just sit there sober.
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Or drive a truck onto stiff water, let it idle for hours because it wouldn't start again otherwise all for the lust of catching a few fish out of a hole just smaller than a toilet bowl. I played in a pool league and a guy on an opposing team in early spring wasn't done ice fishing yet drove out onto a South Sioux lake (Crystal?), ice broke up and his truck sank. Weather turned cold then and ice swallowed the truck until months later when it was extracted. It was 20 some years ago and I was not directly involved so my details are strictly the best of recollection while under oath.
 
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dragonraider1 said:
Or drive a truck onto stiff water, let it idle for hours because it wouldn't start again otherwise all for the lust of catching a few fish out of a hole just smaller than a toilet bowl. I played in a pool league and a guy on an opposing team in early spring wasn't done ice fishing yet drove out onto a South Sioux lake (Crystal?), ice broke up and his truck sank. Weather turned cold then and ice swallowed the truck until months later when it was extracted. It was 20 some years ago and I was not directly involved so my details are strictly the best of recollection while under oath.
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when you are on a hot perch bite, its worth the risk! No seriously I dont drive on the ice until its at least 16 inches thick, there are always chances you can go for a swim but if you ever make it up to northeast SD, most lakes are dotted with ice houses and trucks.
 
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litespeedhuskerfan said:
I always assume the ice fishermen and women are high as a kite and drunk as a sailor on leave. Have to be. There is no way people just sit there sober.
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Il take a day in a warm hut staring down my ice hole over sitting in a tree stand looking for deer any day. Yes drinking beer is part of the fun but when a guy can really get on a hot bite, nothing like it.
 
RedBaloneyPony said:
Il take a day in a warm hut staring down my ice hole over sitting in a tree stand looking for deer any day. Yes drinking beer is part of the fun but when a guy can really get on a hot bite, nothing like it.
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I,ve been in an ice hut with a couch a recliner a balmy 68 degrees and a football game on the TV. Was a fun way to spend and afternoon.
 
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RedBaloneyPony said:
Il take a day in a warm hut staring down my ice hole over sitting in a tree stand looking for deer any day. Yes drinking beer is part of the fun but when a guy can really get on a hot bite, nothing like it.
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Haha...and I wasn't makin fun though you could have read it that way.
 
I am not a big fisherman. Mostly small stream fishing over in Montana and a little trout fishing on planted trout on a nearby small lake in early summer. Easy meat fishing. Today I fished on the Columbia River about 60 miles south of home with a guide. Caught the biggest fish I've ever caught, a 13-pound King salmon. It was pretty fun reeling that boy back to the boat.
 
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Wasker77 said:
I am not a big fisherman. Mostly small stream fishing over in Montana and a little trout fishing on planted trout on a nearby small lake in early summer. Easy meat fishing. Today I fished on the Columbia River about 60 miles south of home with a guide. Caught the biggest fish I've ever caught, a 13-pound King salmon. It was pretty fun reeling that boy back to the boat.
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Not to one up you but just sharing, I caught a 25 pound king on Lake Michigan awhile back, reeling that bastard in took about 15 mins of tug o war. I thought you were going to say 13 pound walleye, aren’t they a nuisance fish in the Columbia river?
 
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RedBaloneyPony said:
Not to one up you but just sharing, I caught a 25 pound king on Lake Michigan awhile back, reeling that bastard in took about 15 mins of tug o war. I thought you were going to say 13 pound walleye, aren’t they a nuisance fish in the Columbia river?
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No Limit on Walleye in the Columbia. A friend catches quite a few of them. Very good eating.
 
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