I suspect that with the clear water in Pelican the walleye bite will be in low light conditions…no?

What about area panfish lakes?

I have used both. I don’t like the screw in studs because when you spin on ice they tear out. Chains do a far better job, but get 4 link v-bar chains and you will be all set.

I bought an IonX and have used it every weekend since new years. I charged it overnight when new and I have not charged it since. I probably only open about 6-8 holes per weekend however. I expect it to last until ice out.

Great ideas there. Also remember that your sonar is cone shaped and you wont pick up as many suspended fish as you will the bottom dwellers. In my experience the suspended Crappie are more active when suspended. The bottom dwellers are easier to ID on sonar but may often be neutral or negative fish.

biggill and Christian offer great advice. On the big lake I always prefer to stay on plowed/traveled roads whenever I can. #1 you can actually see any larger cracks that form on the road – go slow. #2 the road freezes down sooner and deeper than areas with more snow cover. It is ALWAYS a good idea to talk with local resorts about ice conditions. They put more ice miles on in a week than many ice anglers do in an entire winter. Have fun!

“warm up” is a relative term right?

During the upcoming “warm up” the lake will still be making ice. Go drink beer, talk smart, and have fun!

I fished it last weekend and there were smaller sized SUVs and cars out there. Likely over 12″ of ice now but always measure it yourself.

Tyler,
What did you end up getting? What drove your decision? How satisfied are you?
Would you do anything different? There are alot of good choices out there.

Smart Wool is the best sock I have found. I have 3-4 pairs.

Ok…ok…I’ll weigh in…I have to. Buy either one and you will be happy. There is more parity in today’s electronics than before and they are all good.

I have 2 Vexilar FL18’s. The oldest one is about 15 years old. They travel with me in an ATV cargo box, or sled bouncing behind the snowmobile across the lake at high speeds. I have never had one fail me. Ever.

I have a Ridgeline 8X12 skid with a 2′ v-front so it is 14′ total. I am very happy with it because I use it as a toy hauler too and didn’t find other aluminum skid houses built well enough for this dual purpose. I sold a wheel house to get this skid house because I don’t want to be confined to roads only when I fish. I made skis for my prior wheel house and had “limited” success with them. The skid house has 3 full length skis under the entire length of the house so the weight per square inch on the skis is minimal and it is easier to move that attaching skis to wheels. One thing with Ridgeline is that they are very flexible with any customizations you request too. The skid design also gives you the maximum amount of usable fishing space also. I had them add a curved roof (which is now standard after they made mine!!), a double rear door to serve as a toy hauler, vertical windows, 3 spear holes, (I cut 7 angling holes), and more…

I finished it off with 1.5″ foam board and thin tongue and groove knotty pine, vented furnace, and it is a great house. I pull it with chained up ATVs, or a Polaris Widetrack snowmobile that has a high/low-range gear option and a HUGE studded track.

I also purchased a customized Aluma snowmobile trailer for it because I needed a trailer to haul other toys anyway. It has a tilt bed and winch to pull the house up on. Super easy! This way I don’t have to deal with storing a wheeled fish house and a trailer. In the summer the house sits on the trailer on one storage foot print.
Good luck with your choice! These days there are more right answers than wrong answers because there are many good houses now.
See ya’ on the ice.
Dale.

I am in the same boat and have done a fair amount of personal research. Here is where it boils down for my needs…
I have had many ATVs and currently have 2 and want to add a side by side to the stable. My choice hands-down is the new Yamaha Wolverine. In my opinion it is perfect for my needs because it is a machine for spirited trail riding and hunting/fishing/hauling. Good luck with your choice. There are a lot of good choices out there; it all depends on your planned use and personal preference.

Me and a couple of buds stopped in at the igloo bar one night about 3 years ago. We didn’t actually fish but we did drink beer and talk smart. Fun times!

Here is my chained up rig. I have a LARGE windshield with integrated dash storage compartments, heated thumb and hand grips, front rack to hold buckets, rear box for electronics, plow, and trailer. When snow gets too deep I pull an Otter sled with my Polaris WideTrack.

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I am really selective. I don’t drink beer when I ice fish unless I am either alone or with someone.

I have a Ridgeline but I went with the skid house. I sold a wheeled house to get this one. You will have guys debate forever about the wheel house VS skid but the bottom line for me is that I want to fish where I want to fish. Once we get over a foot of snow with some drifts all the wheel houses are confined to the plowed roads on the ice.

I bought the custom Aluma trailer which is a modified 2-place snowmobile trailer and I can crank the house up onto the trailer with one hand. Really simple. I had this one built with large toy hauler rear doors with an 8′ ceiling so I can run a side by side up the back of it when I am towing on the highway.

My Ridgeline is 8X12 with a 2’V in front. It weighs in at about 800 lbs or so. It is Crazy easy to run-n-gun with a hardside!! I am going to finish the interior this summer with some thin tongue and groove pine and some cabinets and that will add a couple hundred pounds.

I pull it with a chained up ATV unless the snow gets real deep then I use my Polaris Wide Track snowmobile. It has an enormous studded track and a low range gear box for pulling.

There is a lot of parity in ATV quality and value today; more so than previously for sure. So…there are more right answers for you than wrong answers.

Consider a Yamaha Big Bear 400. I have 4 quads and this is my go-to quad for ice fishing. The Big Bear is a 5 speed manual so there is no belt to ever slip. You just find the right pulling rpm and lay into it! You will be surprised what it will pull. My hardside house is an 8X12 Ridgeline skid with a 2′ V-front and I can pull it anywhere. I equip my Big Bear with a windshield, v-bar ice chains, a plow, heated hand and thumb grips, tons of accessories on the racks to carry buckets and other gear. It is shaft drive and also has an enclosed rear brake inside the rear differential so it is a great mudder in the summer too!

For general trail riding I prefer my BRP Outlander’s visco-lock 4WD system. For pulling the fish house in snow or especially when plowing the Yamaha full lock 4WD is untouchable. Press the button and you have full posi-lock on front and rear differentials. I am not aware of anyone else that offers that.

Try pulling the auger up and out of the hole when you are about 1 foot from breaking through to evacuate all of the chips traveling up the auger. Just a thought…

Me? I like my 40 year old Jiffy.

I have speared for a few decades but never on Mille Lacs. I prefer to spear eaters and have passes on many, many large pike. I am not a trophy fisherman and personally know of very few spear fisherman that are. Does anyone know of hot areas for pike spearing on Mille Lacs? I suspect that the SE bay near Isle may be a good area to target. Any advice is appreciated!