Old School Hard shacks

Many of us enjoy the efficiency of the portable fishouse, but there is something that always brings me back when I see the traditional handbuilt “Shanties”. This Shack is obviously a Dark House currently located a few feet off shore awaiting enough ice to be slid into location. As we are in the midst of the Technology era of Ice fishing I hope we never forget our rich history of this great sport. My grandpa if he were alive today would BOLDLY tell me I’m a “MEAT” fisherman now with all of my Fancy Gadgets, and flashy gear!! LOL!! Bless his soul (I never enter a season without thinking of his passion for fishing)!! So here is a glass raising to this great sport we all love on so many levels. Ice fishing even in its most simplistic forms still raises the eyebrows of many grown men while tipping a coffee cup. May we never lose the passion for our chosen sport with such a rich history.

Would it be safe to say that you’re wearing out a path driving back and forth between the various Rainy Lake landings waiting for walkable ice?…

I love those old shacks and the creativity guys put into some of the newer shacks is very impressive as well. Touring the shanty towns on mille lacs looking at all the tricked out houses is a great way to get ideas for the dream shack. Permanent siding, entry ways, ceiling fans, built-in generators, built in porta-pottys… as a kid I thought I was living large when we got a discarded toilet seat to set across the top of the five gallon pail we used as a latrine.

I remember as a kid going fishing with my grandpa Johnny in a old ice shack. Riding on the back of the old Rup down to the lake. Getting the wood stove fired up. Chipping out the spear hole. Scooping ice. Then getting tied off to the side of the house so I didn’t fall in the hole. Its good that grandpa cared.

Staring at that spear hole was like staring in a aquarium. Very cool. Grandpa had some old wooden decoys he would use to lure the pike in. Some would come in like rockets. Others would move in so slow you didnt even notice them at first.

All was very quiet until grandpa spear a fish and then the excited started. Pulling those angry pike out of the hole. The bigger ones would make quite the mess flopping around the house as we tried to get them out the door.

Usually it was the 1st week or so in December that the spear house would go out. Xmas break meant lots of time messing around down there. At one point the family had 3 spear houses on the west end of long lake in aitkin county. The biggest was one with 2 spear holes. Think I was well into my teenage years before ever doing any ice fishing with a pole. Spearing was it.

Walked past a old spear house in my grandmas field this deer hunting season. Brought back a lot of those memories. With any luck maybe this will be the year it gets put back in use. My kids have yet to get to experience life around the old spear house yet.

Great photo Chris.

Yes I remember as a kid, cutting willows on shore, drilling a hole, setting the depth on very heavy braid line and sitting back waiting for the willow to bend down. then eating sand pike at the end of the day . (now we call the sauger)

Thank you for bringing back that memory.

I still have and use my old 3 pices of 1/2″ plywood and blue tarp ice house. If them walls could talk

A big thax 2 Earl Cowin who started me in ice fishing

Quote:

---

as a kid I thought I was living large when we got a discarded toilet seat to set across the top of the five gallon pail we used as a latrine.

---

Packingheat I remeber those days of fishing on Lake Pepin, when every point on the lake would have 20-30 houses and there was access to the lake in the winter. we also saw some of the first ever tip downs made with a 12 inch square base and a 1 inch tube with an arm coming off had a spring attached to it and you attaced the line to the arm and when a fish bit it pulled the arm down and the line off.

My earliest memories of fishing in a “shack” were the ones built right one the ice with scraps of lumber. The shack usually stayed in the same spot for the whole season or moved very little from its original spot. Then when ice out was approaching we would make one last fishing trip to the “shack” and before we would leave, the thing would be set on fire and burned to the ice. That was legal to do and that was what most guys did. The shacks were suitable for fishing but not suitable for moving around.

Quote:

---

Would it be safe to say that you’re wearing out a path driving back and forth between the various Rainy Lake landings waiting for walkable ice?…

I love those old shacks and the creativity guys put into some of the newer shacks is very impressive as well. Touring the shanty towns on mille lacs looking at all the tricked out houses is a great way to get ideas for the dream shack. Permanent siding, entry ways, ceiling fans, built-in generators, built in porta-pottys… as a kid I thought I was living large when we got a discarded toilet seat to set across the top of the five gallon pail we used as a latrine.

---

Let’s not forget the wood burner!!

Aaaah Yes!! Between Hucking wood into the boiler and making continous shoveling missions up and down the ski hill we keep busy!! I have seriously SERIOUSLY considered a Track vehicle that I can pull directly up into the garage and drive down to our front lot to access our vehicles. THEN……..NO SHOVELING! Trust me this is being researched right now!! I mean who has a cool bombardier on tracks to get to your home!! I LIKE IT!!

Quote:

---

built in porta-pottys… as a kid I thought I was living large when we got a discarded toilet seat to set across the top of the five gallon pail we used as a latrine.

---

Soooooooo….what you’re saying is this is an obsolete practice…???????

My first time ice fishing in a shack I will not forget. Buddy at work had a shack on forest lake and said I could use it. It had a wood stove and being unfamiliar with the use and the fact it was colder then heck, I stuffed the stove until there was no more room for even a twig in there and lit it up. It seems I overdid it as the heater started to glow red and it got like a sauna in the shack. First came off the coat, etc until striped down to the waist. Still could not take the heat opened the door and stood stripped down to the waist in the doorway cooling off. About 50 yards in front of the shack was a guy sitting on a 5 gallon pail on the ice hunched over his hole. He looked over to me and you have to remember this was a very cold day, flipped me the bird.

Funny how guys don’t have much of a sense of humor when they are freezing.

Hey Chris, Hows the tan coming along?

Lol!

Could you sense the calm? We’re soaking it up Randy!