Are there any good ways to fish from a sled type portable in wind like there was this afternoon. There was no snow on the lake to bank in around the house. Clam Denali makes a heck of a sail for a 50# 10 yr old.
jon_wbl
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Are there any good ways to fish from a sled type portable in wind like there was this afternoon. There was no snow on the lake to bank in around the house. Clam Denali makes a heck of a sail for a 50# 10 yr old.
We have an otter lodge and that thing can be a sail at times. Usually in windy conditions we put our back to the wind and put all the poles up(without bending them )and that works well. Good luck
Ice anchors, get the ones made by Eskimo I hear they are the best.
A new portable this year (Frabill Trekker Max)but same old trick…I buy a 24 inch piece of heavy pipe and slide it into the front sleeve and duct tape the ends to the bottom pole. Does a great job of keeping the front end of the tent on the ice and really helps in the wind.
Chris Beeksma
Get Bit Guide Service
I was out there this evening in my 2 man clam flip over and boy was it windy! The house sheltered me and my buddy from the wind but without snow to bank it the front of the flip over part kept blowing around like crazy and was consistently about a foot off the ice. Ice anchors may be in my future after that experience. Now if we could only get some cold weather i could just bring the permy out and start having some real fun!
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I take the slush from my holes and pack it up against the side of my sled. For sure on the inside (near my feet) and if I’m not too lazy the other side. Once it freezes a little bit its rock solid. I usually don’t bother with the front or the back but I’m sure that would help even more. Make sure the wind is at your back.
I do something similar. I take all the slush from my holes and push it into the area the sled will sit in. Then I get in the house and sit down so the house sinks into the slush. The grooves on the bottom of the sled will lock the sled in. On really windy days I will also do what Ryan does and pack some slush against the sled under the seats. I always face the back of the sled into the wind.
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Ice anchors, get the ones made by Eskimo I hear they are the best.
I would second this – rather than just being a threaded bolt with a point, on the eskimo ancors the solid part of the bolt tapers down towards the end while the threads keep the same diameter. It makes them really easy to start by hand and once they grab they go in great. I can’t imagine one pulling out.
I do kind of what was said above with the pipe on my otter lodge befor I put the front bar on I took two chunks of pipe that would fit to the inside of my frame tube, with end caps on both I poured lead into both pipes and put my shelter together from there. And like said keep the back to the wind.
I really like the ice screws that climbers use. They are far better and easier to use than anything sold by the ice fishing companies. They have a nice tab to tie off on, and spin in and out of the ice easily by hand.
Here’s a link to some cheap ice screws
http://www.kitterytradingpost.com/product.php/prodid/21182
Also, keep an eye out for Russian-made titanium ice screws. Irbis is a common brand, pics below. They pop up on online stores and ebay once in a while. Lighter weight than steel with less corrosion problems, and can usually be bought for a good price because serious ice climbers don’t trust them. But they work great for a shack anchor. My buddy got a set for $25 shipped on ebay.
The best ice screws I’ve used are Black Diamond Turbo’s. They screw into ice effortlessly but are spendy. You will have at least a $100 into a pair of them with rope and biners.
Jim Carroll NPAA #13
That’s funny – I was thinking about ice climbing screws too after reading this thread – but alas, they are a bit pricey. Considering that these have been shown to have an average of 11kn of slow pull stopping force you aren’t likely to move much unless the wind is pressing over 2500lbs of force on you. They even did these tests on lake ice because it serves as a good control and the findings are easily replicated.
Some might say overkill, I would say it’s pretty awesome.
I too am a big proponent of using ice climbing screws to anchor my portable in a wind. I realize ice climbing screws are not inexpensive, but they are super easy to install and remove and do not require any effort, drills, hammers, etc.
My tie down lines are always attached to my sled and kept off the ice. The lines are 1/2″ thick and have simple carabiners on either end for easy and quick attachment.
Ice screws are screwed into the ice by hand with relatively little pressure. The only thing that you need to keep in mind is to ensure the screw does not have ice inside the tube when starting. The lines are spread to the outside so that the sled doesn’t swing with small changes in wind direction.
The eyebolts to which the lines are attached serve two purposes. In addition to functioning as the attachment point for the anchor lines, they also hold my rod holder board in place on the inside of my tent.
Additionally, I keep an extra set in my throw rope bag in the event that I’m on glare ice and need an anchor point.
I bought a set of these last year, I’ve yet to try them out though. I like Jim’s idea better if I could turn them in by hand easily.
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