Ice fishing ATV – Polaris Sportsman – yay/nay/alternative?

I’m looking to be a little more mobile next season to get after those bluegills and walleyes. I’m going to go with an ATV, an enclosed 12-14′ trailer to haul to the landing (not behind the ATV), and an Otter XT Pro Lodge.

I would love a $20,000 quad but I need to pay off my student loans first. I’m looking to stay in the $5,000-8,000 range, but I’m willing to be flexible for fishing!

I almost always fish with my dad. We are both tall and a little heavy. Our combined weight is 500 pounds. We have been using Clam Kenai Thermal sleds.

We fish around St. Cloud and Mille Lacs, and I prefer large bodies of water away from prying eyes.

The question: is the Polaris Sportsman an ideal fit for this? Would the 450 or 570 ($1500 extra) be better? What should I look for in an ice fishing 4-wheeler? What should I stay away from? Is power steering worth the extra money?

Thanks again, guys. Any and all advice is welcome.

Double check what your combined length will be for the shack plus ATV. I’m guessing you will want the 14 foot trailer rather than the 12 footer.

I have a 500 Arctic Cat with a solo Clam XL and a 12 foot+ Vee trailer. I drive the ATV in as far as I can (and still hook a strap to the front). Then unhook the sled and slid it up tight to the back end of the ATV. Two straps secure the rear of the ATV, just clearing the shack as they fasten near the wall at the floor. I have about 2 inches clearance between the shack and the rear ramp door.

For your “load”, I’d suggest the 570 and don’t be shy about using low range. The belt and variable clutch will thank you. I run solo and rarely drive over 16 MPH when pulling my shack. Low range is good for about 9 mph.

I have a couple of arctic cats; they both have starting issues in cold weather.
the frames have cracking and had to replace 4 wheel drive activator.
I am going Jap soon here.
Dogs

I have a 2015 Sportsman 570. Way more power than I have ever needed. I’m a big guy and itll still go way fast, I chickened out at 65 mph. Pulled 3 utility poles chained to it around while not in 4×4 with ease. That said I’ve only had it a few months. It pretty good on fuel consumption too.

For $8k, can you find a used side by side ? I have a Sportsman 700 with an X2… wish it was a side by side on the BIG LAKES, some cold rides out a few miles… and I have a windshield !!!

Look into the CanAm Outlander L. You can get a 2-up 570 starting at $7800, and they typically have excellent year end deals shortly after the new models are released.

Regarding power steering its nice, but it’s just one more thing to go wrong.

If your looking for something reliable I’d stay away from Polaris. I’d look at Yamaha, Suzuki, or Honda. Better resale also for the future.

Bought a 2016 Yamaha 700 Grizzly put a aftermarket back seat for 2nd passenger pulls everything great! Look for a lightly used to keep in budget.

Suzuki King Quad , all a man needs!

John Timm wrote:

If your looking for something reliable I’d stay away from Polaris. I’d look at Yamaha, Suzuki, or Honda. Better resale also for the future.

X2 we have articat and love them. Start easy and no issues at all. I’ve towed a lot of polarises over the years

Please don’t get a polaris stick with yamaha or honda and definitly get the 14′ trailer more room is always better especially in the long run,things always change. Always..
Ive owened yamaha grizzly’s and an arctic cat that was a piece of crap.still have a grizzly 660 and its bullet proof. Friends have had polaris ,axles ,belts ,clutches ,stators,starters all had problems

Instead of buying an enclosed trailer I would buy a toy hauler fish house. I like pulling the atv in the trailer with the heat on. When you get to the lake the atv is warm. On your way home it gets thawed out. Yamaha makes very reliable atvs. Grizzly 700 with power steering would be my choice.

MnPat1 wrote:

Instead of buying an enclosed trailer I would buy a toy hauler fish house. I like pulling the atv in the trailer with the heat on. When you get to the lake the atv is warm. On your way home it gets thawed out. Yamaha makes very reliable atvs. Grizzly 700 with power steering would be my choice.

While that is certainly an option (and one I sometimes think I should have done), I find that an empty enclosed trailer comes in pretty handy during the rest of the year. Yes all options should be considered.

With a top end budget of $8k, you have plenty of choices.

I’ve only owned one Polaris (2009), but my experience hasn’t been great. When it’s running well, it’s a mountain goat. Nice ride, good handling, plenty of power. The problem is the constant chain of items that have gone wrong that I just don’t feel should have gone bad on a machine with less than 2k miles on it total. Stator failed, gas gauge doesn’t work, have had more CV boots done than I can remember, leaking tires all finally tubed (not a problem unique to Polaris), recoil backup starter broken, and the starter is making “not good” noises which makes me suspect it is on its way out.

I get that this is an “older” machine now age wise, but it’s still low mileage and never been trail abused. I haven’t heard lots of praise for the current design either. If I was buying now, I’d look at Yamaha first.

In your budget there are some interesting sxs options if that fits your budget and storage limits. There are pros and cons here, I need an ATV for narrower trails and I need the best deeper snow traction possible, but for a work machine it’s an interesting option.

Grouse

I bought a snowmobile a few years ago. I often wish I would have bought a ATV instead. The up side is this year we finally have enough snow on the lakes not to completely regret my decision.

Here is a post I made about 2 months ago regarding my experiences with Polaris machines, read below. I would not recommend a newer Polaris to my worst enemy.

December 12, 2017 at 8:25 am

“Oh the Polaris 570…buckle up and hold on, do I have a story for you.
I bought a 2014 570 EPS brand spanking new. I put 800 or so miles on it in the 7 months I owned it. First issue was with less than 30 miles on it, power steering failed and needed to be replaced. Second was the battery failure with less than 100 miles, both issues were covered under warranty.

Third issue was the plastic on the right side of the seat had literally melted and began to drip on the exhaust. Polaris did not feel that was a warranty issue, so I ate the cost. Next was the SEAT AND PLASTICS in the same spot began to melt. Once again brought it to Polaris. They decided not to cover the plastics and seat and I once again, ate the cost. There was literally so much heat generated by the machine that the gas vent line would boil over and it was routed into the headlight pod, spewing gas EVERYWHERE. I do not beat on my utility machines, this was average speeds with average throttle. After the second battery replacement and 2 punctured tires(which were most likely my fault), I traded it in for a Can-Am and have been happy since.

I’m not saying Polaris doesn’t make a good machine, but you DO get what you pay for with ATV’s…Between the QC issues, recalls and other miscellaneous issues Polaris is fighting, I’m going to make a hard pass on them and I recommend others do the same. Older Polaris Sportsman machines were absolutely bulletproof if you could keep the electrical problems at bay. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case.”

Thanks for all the replies. These are great! Very appreciated.

I have this same thread posted on two other sites and the sentiments are largely anti-Polaris on all of them. Japanese four-wheelers seem like the way to go.

As for the enclosed trailer vs. Toy Hauler, I initially was going the small Toy Hauler route, but for the size trailer I’m looking for (12-14′) the price difference is many thousands of dollars more than I’d like to spend at this point.

I would also suggest a model that has EFI carbs suck, I am not sure if EFI is standard now but it sure makes for easier starts and better all around running machine.

Efi is great down to -20. Then carbs start better. By better I mean they start. Just my experience.

2005 Polaris Sportsman 700… NEVER been in the shop, never not started, never not got me where I was going… have towed plenty of other brand machines….heck I haven’t even done as much as changed the spark plug in 13 years I don’t know how they sell so many ATV’s… or how they stay in business…..EVERYBODYS buddy has/had one and they are junk… I must be the luckiest guy in the world !

buy a Yamaha (Kodiak or Grizzly) and never look back….

Yeah Grizzly! especially in Tactical Black they run better LOL. EFI, Power steering, hand/thumb warmers also.

big_g wrote:

2005 Polaris Sportsman 700… NEVER been in the shop, never not started, never not got me where I was going… have towed plenty of other brand machines….heck I haven’t even done as much as changed the spark plug in 13 years I don’t know how they sell so many ATV’s… or how they stay in business…..EVERYBODYS buddy has/had one and they are junk… I must be the luckiest guy in the world !

You and me both I guess. 2007 Polaris 6X6 that gets used hard and put away wet often. A pure work horse and knock on wood I don’t even know where the repair shop is.

I know your looking for quads but I have had a 2013 Can Am Commander since 2014.
I could not be happier. Starts at minus 22 degrees F. Been on some serious trail rides were many others were breaking equipment. Never left me stranded great power and fuel economy. No repairs except regular maintenance.

My only complaint is it is difficult to service when you have to. Good Luck
Bob

sticker wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>big_g wrote:</div>
2005 Polaris Sportsman 700… NEVER been in the shop, never not started, never not got me where I was going… have towed plenty of other brand machines….heck I haven’t even done as much as changed the spark plug in 13 years I don’t know how they sell so many ATV’s… or how they stay in business…..EVERYBODYS buddy has/had one and they are junk… I must be the luckiest guy in the world !

You and me both I guess. 2007 Polaris 6X6 that gets used hard and put away wet often. A pure work horse and knock on wood I don’t even know where the repair shop is.

Looks like there’s 3 of us. I had a 2004 Sportsman 700 EFI that I rode without any issues at all in 12 years of use. Just bought a new house and came with a 2005 Sportsman 800 EFI and this one seems to be fine too other than some melted plastic near the exhaust.

big_g wrote:

2005 Polaris Sportsman 700… NEVER been in the shop, never not started, never not got me where I was going… have towed plenty of other brand machines….heck I haven’t even done as much as changed the spark plug in 13 years I don’t know how they sell so many ATV’s… or how they stay in business…..EVERYBODYS buddy has/had one and they are junk… I must be the luckiest guy in the world !

Want to split a lottery ticket?

benelli-bob wrote:

I know your looking for quads but I have had a 2013 Can Am Commander since 2014.

My only complaint is it is difficult to service when you have to. Good Luck
Bob

I know the feeling…I had a Maverick. Unreal power, terrible to work on…On pavement and pre-loading the front suspension, I could pull a wheelie high enough to rip the tail lights off…oh, the joys of v-twin power.

If you’re strictly going to be using it for ice fishing the 450 will be more than enough. If I remember right they are a 499cc engine, so they are basically like the older 500’s. That’s what I have an it works great for pulling around the portable and the ice castle. Not as much power as the 570’s when trail riding, but that’s maybe once a year for me.

I’d go with the 570 and power steering if you ever plan to put tracks on it down the road.

Bigwalleye30 wrote:

If you’re strictly going to be using it for <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>ice fishing the 450 will be more than enough. If I remember right they are a 499cc engine, so they are basically like the older 500’s. That’s what I have an it works great for pulling around the portable and the ice castle. Not as much power as the 570’s when trail riding, but that’s maybe once a year for me.

17′ and 18′ 450’s are a completely new, 100% re-designed prostar 500. The 16′ 450 houses a de-tuned 570 motor.