Need help in finding the best polaris sled to use for fishing, i have a clam Voyager to pull with lots of gear, so the load is heavy. any recommondations
tr
April 16, 2011 at 4:21 pm
#1213480
Polaris Snowmobile for Fishing
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April 16, 2011 at 4:28 pm #957839
Do you fish around here mostly or upnort?
April 16, 2011 at 4:37 pm #957841I personally use a touring sled or a 2 up simply because they are designed with more power on the low end to haul/tow more weight. I think anything in the 500cc range is adequate to do what your looking to accomplish. Slight modifications to the sled will allow you to pull the sled with a hitch style vs a rope, as well as modifying for an auger mount either up front near the ski’s or on the back near the lift bar.
The 2 up or touring sleds also give you a longer track which will sometimes help in deeper snow for hook up and also for driving in slush, I personally don’t feel the need to stud the track. Most 2 up or tourning sleds come with electric start and have the ability to have a cigarette adapter for any GPS mounting you should do, this saves on the AA batteries for the H20’S that a lot of ice fishermen use.
An ideal ice fishing sled in my opinion is a tourning or 2 up, for reasons mentioned above. I run a Polaris as well, in fact its the 550 fan cooled
…great workhorse sled. Good Luck in your picking out a sled!April 16, 2011 at 4:58 pm #957842Quote:
Need help in finding the best polaris sled to use for fishing, i have a clam Voyager to pull with lots of gear, so the load is heavy. any recommondations
tr
Not sure which model but I would go with the longest/widest track possible. I had a 95 Indy Trail deluxe 2 up, it was fine until you found deep snow or any amount of slush then it really really really sucked! I now use my atv with chains and works much better and plan on putting on some tracks. IMHO
April 16, 2011 at 5:16 pm #957845Quote:
I personally use a touring sled or a 2 up simply because they are designed with more power on the low end to haul/tow more weight. I think anything in the 500cc range is adequate to do what your looking to accomplish. Slight modifications to the sled will allow you to pull the sled with a hitch style vs a rope, as well as modifying for an auger mount either up front near the ski’s or on the back near the lift bar.
The 2 up or touring sleds also give you a longer track which will sometimes help in deeper snow for hook up and also for driving in slush, I personally don’t feel the need to stud the track. Most 2 up or tourning sleds come with electric start and have the ability to have a cigarette adapter for any GPS mounting you should do, this saves on the AA batteries for the H20’S that a lot of ice fishermen use.
An ideal ice fishing sled in my opinion is a tourning or 2 up, for reasons mentioned above. I run a Polaris as well, in fact its the 550 fan cooled…great workhorse sled. Good Luck in your picking out a sled!
Excellent choice Cal… X2
April 16, 2011 at 5:20 pm #957846Great question TR !!
I have been looking into the Polaris snowmobiles for fishing as well… I curious as to what people have to say here… It’s great to have first hand experience from users here on IDO !!
April 16, 2011 at 5:25 pm #957847Polaris makes great sleds for ice fishing no doubt. Currently I’m running 3 older Polaris Touring sleds in our guide business. I’m pretty loyal to Polaris as they’ve brought me back from many of places I probably shouldn’t have ever been!!
In fact many here on IDO have taken those rides!! In March at times we were burning 62 miles!! I have a couple 1999 500 tourings (fan cooled) and a 2003 550 touring edge fan cooled in the 2 up model. All 3 of the sleds have been rock solid and pull my Otter houses in conditions honestly pretty darn tough. Personally I have a very close eye on the newer Polaris widetrack sleds. These sleds offer incredible floatation over heavy snow and slush which we all could benefit from. It is simply tough to beat the reliability of a Polaris sled. Many of the places we fish there is no room for mistakes. If that sled doesn’t bring you home……
IMO the latest Polaris 2-up Widetracks with a custom built box off the back end would scoff in the face of heavy snow and slush!! The widetrack of this sled can handle a heavy load and coupled with a nice custom box off the back end you can keep your expensive electronics safe and sound. Many Many Many times this year I wish I would have had that sled!! Good Luck in your search!!
April 16, 2011 at 5:47 pm #957850When I decided to replace my sleds, I will be looking at the Arctic Cat Bear Cat. If you can find a used Bear Cat, you’ve got a work horse. The Ski Doo Skandic would be another machine to look at, however I’ve just heard good things. I’ve never actually used one.
April 16, 2011 at 5:49 pm #957851DANG IT!! Now I’m thinking about Ice fishing again!!
I just called the SBC to be certain that my bow electronics can be transferred to my sled for ice fishing. THANKS for jogging my brain!! I will be running my 788ci with an internal antenna both on my guide boat and main guide sled to share information easily. This will enable me to utilize my open water fishing locations during the hardwater!! Now a better question yet will be tricking out that Polaris!! That my friend I’d love spend some time on. Maybe today!!
BTW we received 4 inches of snow today already!! Who says sleds should be put away!!!
Here is my dream sled!! This is the 2011 model of the Polaris 600 IQ (Track dimensions of 20x156x1.25)
http://www.polarisindustries.com/en-us/snowmobiles/2012/utility/600-iq-widetrak/pages/photos.aspx
Now a custom box/auger mount, ram mounts for my Humminbird and Otter rod cases…….PERFECT!! Should come with a warning sticker (Fish beware)
April 16, 2011 at 6:12 pm #957854IMHO studs are a great feature for those first and late ice excursions. I personally will be also installing a set of ice scratchers for those smooth as a baby’s butt ice conditions to keep hyfax lubed. For me it will keep the need for a wheeler at bay
April 16, 2011 at 8:13 pm #957874I’ve been wondering how a snowmobile would compare to a machine like a Ranger or Sportsman with tracks. Which would perform better? Is a snowmobile going to perform better, or one of the others?
April 16, 2011 at 8:17 pm #957877Quote:
I’ve been wondering how a snowmobile would compare to a machine like a Ranger or Sportsman with tracks. Which would perform better? Is a snowmobile going to perform better, or one of the others?
I suppose that depends. I would think the sportsman with tracks would do great in any condition EXCEPT what we ran into last January (16″-20″ of slush under 10″ – 16″ of snow).
April 16, 2011 at 8:30 pm #957883I sell snowmobiles, atv’s and Ranger’s at CANNON POWER SPORTS and the most popular sleds for ice fishing are the 2 up touring models and a few people buy the widetracks. If you can find any in a five hundred model including the 550 fan they are all good. The ones with the 500 fuji motors are excellent motors/machine’s. But most any of the two ups will work well as they are geared differently than a std. sled. Hope this helps and yes we have a couple used in stock!
Millerman
April 16, 2011 at 9:07 pm #957892The only thing I don’t like as much about a tracked atv or Ranger is a slower transport speed. I do believe however they will darn near go anywhere. I have also entertained the idea of a tricked out Polaris Ranger with tracks. We’ve had a few customers this year with them and I will admit they are pretty darn nice!!
I too am not sure how they will handle the slush?? I believe they would make it through, but you would likely need a way to clear that slush upon arriving your destination to avoid a lock up. Sleds are pretty easy to clear the track with 2 guys or a board to hold the back end up. I still believe the Polaris widetrack would be ideal for most all conditions.April 16, 2011 at 10:10 pm #957906Quote:
Quote:
I personally use a touring sled or a 2 up simply because they are designed with more power on the low end to haul/tow more weight. I think anything in the 500cc range is adequate to do what your looking to accomplish. Slight modifications to the sled will allow you to pull the sled with a hitch style vs a rope, as well as modifying for an auger mount either up front near the ski’s or on the back near the lift bar.
The 2 up or touring sleds also give you a longer track which will sometimes help in deeper snow for hook up and also for driving in slush, I personally don’t feel the need to stud the track. Most 2 up or tourning sleds come with electric start and have the ability to have a cigarette adapter for any GPS mounting you should do, this saves on the AA batteries for the H20’S that a lot of ice fishermen use.
An ideal ice fishing sled in my opinion is a tourning or 2 up, for reasons mentioned above. I run a Polaris as well, in fact its the 550 fan cooled…great workhorse sled. Good Luck in your picking out a sled!
Excellent choice Cal… X2
X3
I have an older Polaris 2-up that has been rock solid. Last year I bought a new 800 efi Polaris quad because of the reliabilty from my sled. I’m going to be looking at the sled Chris mentioned for next year.
April 17, 2011 at 4:16 pm #958053Good day Brian
All over is the best answer, we do a couple trips a year to LOW and i find i have the best luck with a sled. we have a 4 wheeler and a new ranger in the group. I have most faith in the sled as its most versatile. I would have to say the number of times is more local lakes.
thanks for the help.April 18, 2011 at 12:27 am #958182Looks like these guys pretty much covered everything!
Good luck in your search. Hey, let us know what you ended up with will ya?
April 20, 2011 at 1:52 am #958815Quote:
I personally use a touring sled or a 2 up simply because they are designed with more power on the low end to haul/tow more weight. I think anything in the 500cc range is adequate to do what your looking to accomplish. Slight modifications to the sled will allow you to pull the sled with a hitch style vs a rope, as well as modifying for an auger mount either up front near the ski’s or on the back near the lift bar.
The 2 up or touring sleds also give you a longer track which will sometimes help in deeper snow for hook up and also for driving in slush, I personally don’t feel the need to stud the track. Most 2 up or tourning sleds come with electric start and have the ability to have a cigarette adapter for any GPS mounting you should do, this saves on the AA batteries for the H20’S that a lot of ice fishermen use.
An ideal ice fishing sled in my opinion is a tourning or 2 up, for reasons mentioned above. I run a Polaris as well, in fact its the 550 fan cooled…great workhorse sled. Good Luck in your picking out a sled!
What he said.
I run pretty much the same set up.
It works well.
With the fan cooled sled I never have over heating issues in years with minimal snow cover either.
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