If a guy was going to gear up for ice fishing which would you recomend?
And what are the short comings of one vs the other ? 
January 7, 2011 at 11:25 am
#1302136
4 -wheeler or Snowmobile
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January 7, 2011 at 12:44 pm #923670
Hands down a 4-wheeler with tracks! I have a atv without tracks and I sold my snowmobile. The snowmobile gets stuck fairly easy in slush or water on the ice. The 4-wheeler is much better suited for the task but will also get stuck in deep snow….. thats where the tracks work. I have not had any personal experience with the tracks but for next year that is what I am going to have.
January 7, 2011 at 12:44 pm #923671Ideally a person (me) would want to have an ATV or UTV with tracks. If you have a snowmobile and we don’t get snow….problem, if you have a wheeler and we get too much snow….problem, so by having a wheeler with tracks you can eliminate mother nature aspect and focus on fishing. The downer about tracks is $$$, they are not cheap!
As far as hauling gear, well I think Otter has that figured out with the Monster box plus accessories.
January 7, 2011 at 12:48 pm #923674Keep in mind a guy could have a good used snowmobile for the price of the track kits. Dont get me wrong they are great but just wanted to bring that to light. -Mark
January 7, 2011 at 12:59 pm #923678I have both and the snowmobile hasn’t been out in about 6 years, if that tells you anything ! This is the BOMB !!!!
January 7, 2011 at 1:00 pm #923679I had to make this decision two years ago. For me, I knew if I had a sled I’d ride occasionally for fun, but not often enough to justify buying one. This purchase was truly going to be a tool for ice fishing, possibly hunting out west down the road. Well, can’t take a sled hunting out west during early elk season.
So now, I’m down to which tool provides me more access on the ice. I figured early and late ice I would want the wheeler due to the potential lack of snow. During the middle of the season, I’d probably just use my pickup anyway. So, my decision was a wheeler. When it’s paid off, I’m gonna save up for a sled so I can have the best of both worlds.
January 7, 2011 at 1:15 pm #923683Quote:
I have both and the snowmobile hasn’t been out in about 6 years, if that tells you anything ! This is the BOMB !!!!
Big G
That is one sweet ride.
I second the thought of purchasing a atv. Not only will you be able to use it for ice fishing, it will be a year round tool. With a snowmobile you can use it at best probably 4 months of the year. Also, most guys i know with snowmobiles are ALWAYS working on them, even new ones. Sleds seem just like a money pit. I have had my atv for 8 years now, only wrench time was to install new brake pads and it needed a new battery.
Good luck.
January 7, 2011 at 1:21 pm #923687Anyone ever use these?
January 7, 2011 at 1:25 pm #923689Depends on what your budget is. You could get a decent used sled for around 1000.00. Not sure you would find much of a wheeler in that price range. If your sled has studs, you can still use on ice and chances of getting stuck in slush goes down.
The rig G has is definitely the ticket if money isn’t an object. My guess is you won’t touch something like that for less than 10K.
I have an older sled now, but would prefer a 4 wheeler that could be used for both hunting and ice fishing.
January 7, 2011 at 1:40 pm #923692Imho a sled is the way to go, too much snow and a atv is worthless, downside a sled isn’t much good on summer, but they can be found much cheaper.They are also faster across the ice. Still depends on your needs and funds, atvs still work pretty good.
Portage, WIJanuary 7, 2011 at 2:08 pm #923705I went the ATV route. One reason was I couldn’t figure out how to plow a 300 yard driveway with a snowmobile. With the ATV, I can have it plowed in 20 minutes. I don’t go way north to ice fish so I have never run into a time where there was too much snow on the ice around here for an ATV.
An ATV can be used for lots of things. A snowmobile, pretty one dimensional.
January 7, 2011 at 2:12 pm #923707Actually, you CAN take a sled on bare ice also. You can’t drive 40+ mph like you can with snow on the ice, but it is do-able. Dave Genz takes his sled everywhere…..snow or not. I’ve spent whole weekends out with him on sleds when there’s not a single flake of snow on the ice. Having a fan cooled sled helps, as does keeping the sliders lubed with dish soap and adding scratchers to the undercarriage. I’ve had my sled in both deep snow AND slushy conditions and it rode circles around everyone who was busy digging out their quads…several with tracks even. A sled will best a quad in slushy conditions every time. To me, a sled is faster, more comfortable, and actually much warmer to ride than a quad..but that’s just IMHO. I actually also have a quad…bought it thinking that I could ride it in the soring/summer/fall too, but it sits in the garage collecting dust now….
-Munchy
January 7, 2011 at 2:20 pm #923710I was curious about the j-wheelz also. Has anbody had any experience with them or heard anything?
January 7, 2011 at 2:31 pm #923716If getting there is more important than speed and $$ is not a huge factor, an ATV with Tracks is pretty unstoppable. Just an ATV you may be limited with too much snow. Snowmobile is definitely faster, but can only be used in winter.
January 7, 2011 at 2:47 pm #923722G…Is that a retro fit that can be converted to wheels for summer/fall use?
January 7, 2011 at 3:37 pm #923741Almost all I do is fish, so I’d recommend a snowmobile.
1)The first reason is they’re very low cost. You can get a fairly new two up long track for around $1000-$2000. Hard to find anything with wheels for that price.
2)The second reason is for safety. Every year a number of wheelers drop in crossing ice breakers. With a sled this is a non issue. Try dropping the front tires of your wheeler into a 12″ crack once. I don’t think you’d ever use a wheeler on the ice again.
3) Put in a few studs and you have great traction with or without snow.
4) Studs will also help if you get a lot of slush. I can’t even tell you how many wheelers I’ve seen over the years buried in slush on MilleLacs.
5) Lastly the ride of a snowmobile is always going to be smoother and faster than a wheeler on rough terrain. This is easier on you and your equipment.
If you’re looking for a year round piece of equipment a sled isn’t going to be your choice. If you’re strictly looking for something to use for hassle free ice fishing you can’t beat a quality sled. I’m a guide so I have to be safe.
The only exception to my comments is a wheeler with tracks (nice ride G
) but this option is pretty pricey. I believe, the tracks alone run around $4000-$8000?January 7, 2011 at 4:31 pm #923770Quote:
…Snowmobile is definitely faster, but can only be used in winter.
Fortunately I don’t do much ice fishing in the spring, summer or fall.
-Munchy
January 7, 2011 at 6:20 pm #923804Quote:
Almost all I do is fish, so I’d recommend a snowmobile.
1)The first reason is they’re very low cost. You can get a fairly new two up long track for around $1000-$2000. Hard to find anything with wheels for that price.
2)The second reason is for safety. Every year a number of wheelers drop in crossing ice breakers. With a sled this is a non issue. Try dropping the front tires of your wheeler into a 12″ crack once. I don’t think you’d ever use a wheeler on the ice again.
3) Put in a few studs and you have great traction with or without snow.
4) Studs will also help if you get a lot of slush. I can’t even tell you how many wheelers I’ve seen over the years buried in slush on MilleLacs.
5) Lastly the ride of a snowmobile is always going to be smoother and faster than a wheeler on rough terrain. This is easier on you and your equipment.
If you’re looking for a year round piece of equipment a sled isn’t going to be your choice. If you’re strictly looking for something to use for hassle free ice fishing you can’t beat a quality sled. I’m a guide so I have to be safe.
The only exception to my comments is a wheeler with tracks (nice ride G
) but this option is pretty pricey. I believe, the tracks alone run around $4000-$8000?
x2
I had a wheeler . sold it for a sled with a 134 inch track with studs.January 7, 2011 at 6:25 pm #923807I chose a sled for a few reasons, they can be had cheap, can be rode on any ice conditions, warmer, and also fun to trail ride. I aslo have no use for a quad other than ice fishing.
January 8, 2011 at 1:56 am #923972Hate to disagree with the majority of posts but if you are talkin ONLY ice fishing. Snowmobile. Hands down for cost vs. use can’t beat.
January 8, 2011 at 3:17 am #923986Depends where you live. I live on lake of the woods, so a snowcat is the best choice. You can use the trails, and is much safer for crossing cracks.
January 8, 2011 at 2:46 pm #924069neither. get yourself an airboat and forget about fishing community holes. find your own personal holes that noone will be able to get to. then u can tell people exactly what u caught and where because they wont be able to get there, and you wont seem like the snobby fisherman that wont tell u what he caught or even where because they think that its a secret. even tho most of the time they are community holes and anyone can walk there and u can only fish in a 10in hole thru the ice.
January 8, 2011 at 8:12 pm #924147I would go with an ATV,the settup I have keeps you warmer and dryer then a sled.
The next thing I will put on it is a set of tracks,just have to make sure they can be used with a plow.
The topper is made by Tommy Topper and the ATV is a 2008 Can-Am 800 XT.
When plowing all I have to put on are a pair of jeans and a jacket as the ATV puts out plenty of heat with the topper on.Don
January 10, 2011 at 2:51 pm #924648Quote:
I actually also have a quad…bought it thinking that I could ride it in the soring/summer/fall too, but it sits in the garage collecting dust now….
-Munchy
Munchy–you want to sell that quad cheap??? I’m in the market for one up here for fall hunting and early/late ice!
January 10, 2011 at 2:57 pm #924657Quote:
then u can tell people exactly what u caught and where because they wont be able to get there, and you wont seem like the snobby fisherman that wont tell u what he caught or even where because they think that its a secret. even tho most of the time they are community holes and anyone can walk there and u can only fish in a 10in hole thru the ice.
Icepro, you been reading L/L too much again?
January 10, 2011 at 10:29 pm #924913I’d have to clear it with “the boss” first. I’d say chances are pretty slim, since she informed that she wants to take it to the ATV park this summer. LOL!!!!
-Munchy
January 11, 2011 at 10:09 pm #925325You can run a snowmobile across open water if needed
.Think skipping,they used to do it on Tichigan lake.Myself,I would like a 4-wheeler.Airboats are nice,but spendy and COLD!
January 13, 2011 at 11:11 pm #926085I love having the snowmobile. Just get one with reverse. I dont have reverse, but mine was only 600 bucks.
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