snowmobile for ice fishing

Like to hear thoughts and comments on a sled for ice fishing. First off, I’ve never owned a snowmobile. I’ve been fishing by atv for years…but have have been contemplating a sled. Seems as though the Tundra and Skandic are the go to. My wife is also interested in a snowmobile, but for trail riding mainly. I’ve been looking into the Ski doo Expedition. Seems like a pretty good choice for both fishing and trail riding. Thoughts? Comments? We’ll work out price range later.

The big decision is air cooled or liquid cooled. Liquid requires snow. Air likes snow but not mandatory. Scrapers etc won’t cool a liquid sled. If you have snow then the tundra or skandic are sweeet! Skandic is heavy but a beast. 600ace four stroke is a sweetheart motor. Tundra is a great choice for the money!

I have an ’09 expedition 600. It is an awesome pulling machine. The low range is a great feature. The long/wide track does not make for super tight handling on the trail, but does provide a very comfortable, smooth ride. But then again, my hard riding trail days are a thing of the past anyhow.

I have run Arctic Cat my whole life. Not saying they are better, just the machines I run. For fishing my family runs air cooled machines. 1 Bearcat and 2 Panthers. Air cooled sleds are better for the slower traveling and for long distances across lakes. I have seen first hand multiple liquids lock up from driving at a constant speed for too long. There was plenty of snow for the heat exchangers too. You can run an air cooled longer too by installing scratchers to keep your slides lubricated. Can be as simple as a bolt in your ski.

If you can find a Bearcat, they are great. People know what they are worth though and they aren’t cheap. Be prepared if you are new to snowmobiles. They require a lot of maintenance no matter what you get. If you keep them up they will be good to you.

I’ve been running a 2010 Arctic Cat T570 since 2011. Bought it a year old with 325 miles on it for $5750.
Its a fan which I prefer for a multi-use machine. It trail rides pretty well with two people, and what I like is if I ride solo, I can take the back seat off in just a few seconds and have a pretty fun trail sled.
The 144″ track is very good in the slush, floats very well even pulling my Otter Lodge full of gear.
The powertrain is the same one as in the Bearcat fan model. The only thing I have added is a 12 volt receptacle.

Previous to the AC, I ran a Polaris Indy Trail shorttrack. It was a great sled (bought new in ’96 and ran it til 2011) and had lots of great trips. But, on some trips into the bush in Ontario laker fishing, there was a few times I was really lucky to get thru the slushfields on some lakes. Given, we were going 25 miles breaking trail much of the way to the cabin, but the long tracks were just sooo much better.

Good luck, very good time to be looking for a new/used sled. Lots of new non-currents out there now and cut prices with the weak winters the last couple years.

Here’s the perfect machine. Remove the passenger seat and there is a ton of room for gear……

https://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/topic/ice-fishing-machine-arctic-cat-t660/#post-1600471

This is my second season with an expedition sport with the 550 fan, And set up with scratchers. Good sled for the money. It has performed well with everything I’ve thrown at it. It’s untested in deep snow since we haven’t had those conditions since I bought it. Lots of room, I’ve hauled 2 adult men plus my 9 year old on the sled while pulling 2 otter lodges with no issues.

Here’s what I did on the back of my sled. Went to a metal shop and had them cut me a box, ends for the box and a lid. Put a piano hinge on it. Put a bunch of hooks on it, a 4X4 bock notched for the auger. Then I bolted it onto the tunnel. You need a longer tunnel to do this. Works awesome. Will be able to carry my LX-7 inside, propane, lunch, etc.

I’ve done this on a Cat, a Polaris, my buddy’s Yamaha, and now my Skidoo Renegade. All had 136″ tracks on them.

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2010 Polaris 550 Fan,I pull rear seat so a 68 litre (18 gal.)blue rubbermaid holding my finder, camera, etc. slips in perfect strap across , keeps it all dry and secure.Had my auger on a front mount but plowed too much in deep snow, moved to rear works great. Good sled for me,

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Thanks everyone, nice info…this a great forum!

I have a two up trail machine, 98 Yamaha venture 600. It is liquid cooled, so I need snow or it will over heat. I also have a atv for no/little snow conditions. The two up trail machine gives you a longer track, room for fishing partner to ride, mirrors to see otter tub behind you while running across the lake, larger windshield to block the wind, electric start with battery to hook electronics to. Cons are they are harder to find a d hold their value if looking for used machines