Have you fished in an otter lately?!?!?

When it comes to fish houses, Otter fish houses are at the top of my list. I’m what most refer to as a “extreme ice fisherman”, venturing out before anyone else does, and never giving up. I want equipment that never gives up with me, and that is exactly why I fish out of Otter fish houses. I have had my otter fish house as far north as nipigon ontario, all the way south 800 miles to Riverside Iowa, and everywhere in between where an ice house can be pulled. And my otter has never let me down.

Tougher Smarter Stronger

What are some of the features that are exclusive to Otter tents?

-Heavy Duty 900 Denier Polyester Cover with Black-Out Interior- Simply put the toughest canvas on the market.

-Two Closable Top Vents- For fresh air of course!

-Custom Trim-Lock attachment System – Attaches House to Sled in Seconds- Simply a life saver, so easy to set up a new house, no tools required for this step, just snap it on, and away you go!

-License and Address Holder- Yep, so you don’t have to spray paint them on!

-Interior Skirt and Extra Long Perimeter Skirting Seals Out the Elements- This feature is worth its weight in gold, I could not fish in an ice house on those brutally cold days with out an interior skirt to keep out those wind gusts.

-Adjustable, Swivel Bucket Seating with High Density Foam Padding and Folding Backrest- I want to be comfortable and move freely, these seats remind me of my lazyboy at home when watching IDO ice fishing shows!

-Ultra-Strong Modified Square Tube Aluminum Frame with Ultra-Glide- You hear it every ice season, “what can I do to get the poles to stop binding” with otters square tubing and ultra-glide, no extra modification is need, Easy up and easy down!

-Wind Support Poles Included- We have some crazy weather in the midwest, and often times on my home lake my fish house will be the only one on the lake. I fish out of a big otter, one day we had gusts of 50mph. I had my house hooked up to my snowmachine and she stayed put all day, with out wind support poles this would not have been possible.

-Flame Retardant, Crack Resistant Closable Windows- Have you ever fished in -30 temps? Everything begins to become brittle and break. These windows have surpassed my expectations, and believe me when the wind is howling and the air temp is -30 your going to want those windows to be crack free!

-Reflective Material on All Sides is an added safety feature, if I am out at night, or early morning, I want to make sure snowmobiles and other vehicles do not run into my tent, I might just have a ten pound walleye on my line!!

-Interior Storage Pouch is great for storing gloves, bait, or a GPS.

-Two-Way Zipper Door is also another great feature, being able to zip up or down from top or bottom.

How about features about the sled itself?

-Custom Polyethylene Blend – Provides the perfect balance of rigidity and flexibility delivering Otter’s legendary strength and durability.

-Molded-in Hitch Pockets – Featuring dual anchor points per side for unmatched pulling strength and superior stability over rough terrain.

-5/16” Standard Base – Delivers the hardest-wearing and longest-lasting sled base in the industry.

-Thick Reinforced Outer Lip – The purposefully engineered structure results in remarkable side wall strength.

-Underside Rib Beams – Adds deep structure and strength to the sled underside, as well as reducing the frictional footprint allowing the sled to pull with less effort.

-Aggressive Leading Edge – Raked leading edge allows sled to easily move through deep snow and over obstacles.

I trust a lot of money in gear to my fish house. And simply put these fish houses will make you smile at the end of the day.

If your looking to purchase a new fish house this season, then I suggest you take a good look at the otter fish house line-

With so many features, it is easy to see why every ice fisherman should look at the otter fish house line.

Check them out at http://www.otteroutdoors.com

That covers it Luke!! I would say it truly is a guide series of houses in every sense of the word. It is a house that handles the load. My houses are on the covering the ice 29 days this month. No weekend warrior action, and because of their quality can handle it. You find out quickly what you’ve got when your dealing with the adverse conditions Mother Nature can throw Ice Heads!! Now I definately have to add a one man to my line up. I’m going to link them together, and run and gun ahead of customers with this one man set up. If I just get the time I’m going to have to check them out!!

By the way I have BEAT BEAT BEAT my sled over portages and jagged ice, and they are tough as nails. I think they sled is darn near the most important part of the house. Of course that is where thousands of dollars of gear are riding.

Gotta run……Otter Villiage, and Lodge are after Eyes in about 30 minutes!!

yes i have, I’ll still stick with my eskimo, Ford or chevy.

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yes i have, I’ll still stick with my eskimo, Ford or chevy.

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….or chevy vs cadalac.

-J.

Dodge VS Chrysler

Does that brand of shack a person has help them catch more fish?

I would argue yes. If you are more comfortable, the better your focus on the task at hand.

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Dodge VS Chrysler

Does that brand of shack a person has help them catch more fish?

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No, not in a true sense.

But some are more comfortable, more user-friendly and durable than others. Most are made well enough to do the job asked of them by the average angle under “typical” conditions. There’s a few that are really pretty shoddy and wouldn’t survive one trip doing what some of the more extreme ice guys do day after day.

If you’re a pull it 30′ from the truck once you drive out to your spot kind of guy, hey, you’re likely going to get by with just about any house you put under you. Or if you walk out short distances hand pulling your sled and you don’t fish 50 days a winter… likely same deal. If you fall into the more “casual” ice angler category you’re likely looking for a reasonable level of comfort and size of the house more than anything and you’re rather unlikely to ever test the true capabilities of any house.

There’s a reason Otter makes the Wild Series. It is a good shack at a great price point that offers features and durability desired by the average angler. But once you start thinking about max durability, longevity when used in extreme conditions, and premium features… the list of houses that fit this bill is very short. Some might say there’s only one name on that list.

Not everyone is going to use their house like Luke does. If you don’t tow long distances, load your shack with 150# of gear and run it behind a sled at 50 MPH for 45 minutes in each direction, bang across rocky portages and in general throw the worst a winter can muster up at a house day after day you might not appreciate what an Otter has to offer over some other houses. If you do and you don’t want your house trashed to heck at the end of a season you might want to give an Otter Pro a serious look. Or if you want to buy one house that is going to outlast you, same deal. You might want to give an Otter Pro some consideration.

I had 800+ tow miles on one Otter Resort last season as documented by the odometer on my ice sled. That sled only moves when an ice house is hooked up behind it. I took that house to South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Ontario loaded with in excess of 200# of fishing and camera gear. And a good portion of it wasn’t easy groomed trail riding. Much of it was blaze your own trail, mash your way across portages, bounce the house off pine trees for mile after mile adventure type travel. And at the end of the year, when I sold the house, the guy that bought it told me the canvas, tub and poles all looked like they had barely been used. I just smiled.

That’s why I think Luke is fond of his Otter Pro houses and some of the guides around here that fish 25+ days a month speak so highly of them and why companies make houses that come in at different price points. Not every angler needs what the Otter Pro has to offer. In my opinion, if you want the best built ice house available you’re going to need to give the Otter Pro some consideration.

OK Luke – all you have done is make me want to update my “old” otter. I have one of the very first ones and it has served me very well for going on 20 years now. Mine does not have all those nice features you have listed and I find myself wanting. I have the old “purple” tent and I have not seen one around like it in a few years. Maybe I need to sell it on EBay as an “classic” and up grade. (Gee hope my wife does not get the same idea about me)

Haha…I think all of our wives think that from time to time!

One thing is for sure, they do last a long time!

I would argue wives don’t last that long.

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I would argue wives don’t last that long.

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I was referring to the otter…better hope your wife doesn’t frequent IDO, or you may have never said truer words…

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Dodge VS Chrysler

Does that brand of shack a person has help them catch more fish?

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not one spot did I hear or think of him getting at saying that. I do on the other hand see him helping someone who is possibly in the market searching for feed back on a shack they might be interested in possibly purchasing. Sometimes you can agree to disagree an move on without having to say your $ .02

Personally have fished out the otter and loved them! I am a clam guy for the time being but have seen some nice improvments in the Otter over the past couple of years I like. Thanks for the write up Luke.

Land more fish………..YES!! NO DOUBT!! Burn less clothes…………YES!! NO DOUBT!! The added fishing area covered by my Otter Lodge makes it incredibly comfortable, and has tons of room for heaters, and flashers. I get on my knees when fighting a big fish, so I can assist that big girl out of the hole. Most houses will have you nearly catching on fire with your heater, or burning your line……. Less fumbling around will likely have you landing more fish!!