So I plan on doing more & more icefishing as I get older and I currently have a snowmobile that’s my primary Otter Wild 1 mover…I still ride the snowmobile trails so for me it’s dual purpose machine. My question is what advantages does a Quad offer over a snowmobile for ice fishing? I NEVER intend to ride a quad on summer trails as my weekends are spent on the water and i’m not a Deer or Duck hunter.
Will a quad for ice fishing ever make sense for me?
It would on a low snow winter or early season when the lake has no snow cover or late season. Sleds need snow. Quads can only handle so much.
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It would on a low snow winter or early season when the lake has no snow cover. Sleds need snow. Quads can only handle so much.
Regarding no snow, how does a quad get the traction to tow a 100+ lb flip over? My sled has studs in the track to mitigate bare ice..
Lack of snow would be the only downfall. That or deep standing water on late ice. Other than those, a sled is as good if not better than a quad. Now if you want the ultimate, get a side by side with heat and cab 
I can dream 
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Lack of snow would be the only downfall. That or deep standing water on late ice. Other than those, a sled is as good if not better than a quad. Now if you want the ultimate, get a side by side with heat and cab
Yeah Man,,, Side by Side W/Tracks,,, if you’re gonna dream
DREAM BIG 
Have you guys ever riden a sled any distance on bare ice?
Not desigened for that and will quickly wear the hifax. Always neat when you stop and the track wont turn because the melted hifax binds up. I pulled my shack and a buddy out on Mille Lacs last winter on bare ice with a quad. Needed 4-wheel drive and had to be very carful but it worked. There is no perfect answer but generaly snowmobiles work well on snow and quads when none or not too deep.
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It would on a low snow winter or early season when the lake has no snow cover. Sleds need snow. Quads can only handle so much.
Regarding no snow, how does a quad get the traction to tow a 100+ lb flip over? My sled has studs in the track to mitigate bare ice..
Chains
Chains front & rear
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Quote:
Lack of snow would be the only downfall. That or deep standing water on late ice. Other than those, a sled is as good if not better than a quad. Now if you want the ultimate, get a side by side with heat and cab
Yeah Man,,, Side by Side W/Tracks,,, if you’re gonna dream
DREAM BIG
With tracks!
I saw a post where a guy drilled holes in the skies and put
track cleats in them to throw grated ice onto the track to
lube the hi-fax, don’t know how well or if it works.
you can get ice scratchers to solve the hyfax problem, but yes I agree, I would not do long haul’s on my sled with little to no snow…
Biggest disadvantage to a quad is cost. But if you want one vehicle to do it all, a quad on tracks would be it.
Snowmobiles are inexensive, and work well most of the time, so use it if you have it. But rigging gets to be a little more challenging when you want to dual purpose a snowmobile. Then some of the accessories are hard to justify mounting on the sled, when they will be in the way for trail riding. A sled also has a range advantage.
Nice thing about a quad with tracks – if you go on a multiple day trip, and there is not enough snow for the snowmobile when you pack to go – a quad on wheels can become useless when it snows 20+ inches while you are on your trip. quad on tracks works for bare ice, or deep snow.
But they are expensive.
I like having one vehicle that I can rig with auger carrier, rod holders, drop baskets, electronics etc so everything is convenient and ready to go. Moving equipment from a quad to a sled, and back again gets frustrating.
I have no need for a fast transport, I typically put my auger ontop of my flip over when hauling accross the lake, no need to go fast as long as i’m not the one pulling it, i’m fine with slow. I’m also not a chronic mover, so I typically setup and stay in one general area.
I use a Fan cooled long track snowmobile.
In the last 10 years we’ve only had a couple winters without much snow. I still ran my snowmobile.
Some years we had so much snow an ATV wouldn’t work.
If you don’t hunt and or need an ATV get a fan cooled snowmobile.
I run a wheeler because I fish a lot of high traffic lakes here in northcentral Wisconsin, and it tends to get really rough from so much truck traffic and we haven’t in resent years got enough snow that I can’t get around on a wheeler. Also it fits in the bed of my truck much easier and in slushy conditions I haven’t had problems. I have seen sleds in slush have problems getting moving after stopped!
One thing I haven’t seen mentioned is the advantage of a snowmobile to skip water if needed. Its never my plan to see open water or a large crack when I’m out on the ice, but it happens. Its sure nice to be able to pin the throttle and know I’m going to make it across safetly.
I have a wheeler and have tracks for it , I would recommend a sled , unless you want the ability to tow something onto the ice , like a skid house. I use my wheeler year round , so thats why I went that way .
A fan cooled sled , is the ultimate pure fishing machine. My polaris Sportsman 800 efi , with tracks , works great for me . Tracks allow me the ability to tow a skid house , no matter how deep the snow gets .
Buy a quality machine , either way you go , mobility is the key to better ice fishing !
I have been ice fishing with snowmobiles for many years and I have no problem pulling in tandem my Otter sled with all of my equipment with my Otter Ice Lodge portable trailing behind that. In most conditions the snowmobile is going to be a great choice. I have recently added a side by side ATV to my arsenal for the purpose of being able to carry multiple passengers also having the ability to tow larger permanent ice houses around. If you are looking to only accommodate yourself and not in the market to purchase another machine the snowmobile is probably your best choice.
Have a safe and fun ice fishing season.
Paul Delaney
http://www.lateeyessportfishing.com
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