For me it was three things. The Strikemaster 40 volt, the Big Dipper ice scoop. This thing is heavy duty. After scooping the holes I drag the slush away and bank the portable with it. But most of all new clutching for my fishin rig. Way more low end gearing. There’s been way more modifications to this beast than I care to mention but this is one of the best.
18CA6B86-C054-4004-81F2-DE8DBF7B6A57.jpeg
Thank you all for the valuable info.
I had a 10’ Ridgeline with the v nose. Biggest piece of junk ever. Less weight meant less quality. Said it could haul 1500# cargo. When I loaded my 900# wheeler in there you could watch the tires go way off camber in the mirrors every time I hit a bump. Scrubbed the tires off after 600 miles. Then while on the Lake the whole scissors Tounge snapped clean off due to poor welds. They accused me of overloading it. So I took it to a scale weighed it empt and loaded and showed them the scale slips. Long story short they took it back for repairs 3 times. Every time worse than the previous said they beefed up the axels but actually made it worse. It came back with only 4” inches of ground clearance. They use Axis torsion axels then cut them in half and de rate them by shortening them so much then blamed Axis axel company. I had nothing but trouble and they didn’t want to stand by it. I would not recommend a Ridgeline wheelhouse at all.
I had the Hardwater and switched to the predator bibs. Slightly lighter but no big difference. You may consider going lighter if you didn’t like the predator. As mentioned before a time through the washer and wearing it really breaks it in nice.
Got the fly line ordered. I like bobber idea. Thanks
Thank you. Lots of good information.
Although I’ve never fished Walker Bay although I’ve fished the south basin. All my Walleye came after dark due to the super clear water, with some in the 5 to 6 pound range. Got a few whitefish during the day never did find the perch.
I’m sure the rental place will put you on Fish and offer some good advice. They know the area and latest information. Have a great trip.
I’ve had an fl8 fl20 and now a flx28. The 28 has some nice features but to be honest I never use them. The only reason I upgraded is because it’s a lot brighter and easier to see on sunny days.
Maybe a hand warmer?
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Tbone wrote:</div>
I modified this Max amphibious just for ice fishing.cool setup, curious why it appears you have a hard sided topper with a removable fabric portion? why not go all hard top? Care to share more pictures? especially of the rear rack setup you have?
They don’t make a hard top. Only soft so I made the sides because zip open doors suck in the cold. Here’s a few more pics.
404C9E5E-FC83-4C5F-A4B5-B0F2AF5A59FF.jpeg
2E2AEF3E-A780-4690-98C4-AA6480822327.jpeg
7FA1CAB1-410B-43A9-8232-77F2AB8D5D92.jpeg
I modified this Max amphibious just for ice fishing.
098FD3E4-8455-4925-8C1D-40C77F63D6E2.jpeg
Had a machinist buddy make these for a few of us. 18” internal extension. Fits inside your flyte. Never be without it again.
Had a machinist buddy make these for a few of us. 18” internal extension. Fits inside your flyte. Never be without it again.
Great idea! Thanks for sharing. That’s what I will make for sure. As long as we’re talking Strikemaster augers a little trick I use is to shim the blades 10 thousandths. You won’t believe how much better it cuts also get way more longevity out of s set of blades.
I had a Ridgeline wheel house. Had nothing but problems. It couldn’t haul near the weight it was rated for. And a lot of poor welds that failed. Glad I wasn’t going down the road when the tounge snapped. Pain in the posterior getting it off the lake. Among other problems. I would go with a more reputable company.
Hi everyone,
Was planning on heading up to lake of the woods the day after Christmas. As I’m sure most of you know, cold temps are coming. Looks like we are going to see highs of -12 with lows of -25 by upper red and Lake of the woods.Is it even worth it to go? Is there any way the fishing bite will not be EXTREMELY slow due to the cold temps coming in?
Thoughts?
Well typically a cold front slows things down but I wouldn’t let it ruin your trip. I travel a lot for ice fishing and always say the best time to fish is when you have the time. Years back I had a trip planned with my daughter (8 yrs. old at the time). Three days of east wind and a cold front. I almost didn’t go. She caught 1 fish in three days. It was a 31″ walleye. So you just never know. Unless you’re worried about staying warm I would go for it and have fun.
I’ve been looking forward to ice fishing since ice out. Summer gets too busy. Everyone wants help with something. Long hours at work not to mention the heat. Heck, I even feel better in the winter. Say what you want but I know I’m not alone. Called a friend of mine yesterday and asked what he’d been up to. He replied waiting for ice. No cabin fever here.
Oil based is the way to go. Did mine with sherwin Williams water based and it wore off in one year in high traffic areas. Asked a professional painting guy and all he uses is oil based especially on decks.
Thanks for the valuable information.
Cameron, thank you for the updates. Is this ice shifting normal this time of year or is this an odd year due to the warm weather?
I’ve got a House Warmer brand. It’s made by Empire just a different name. I ordered it from Northern Hydraulics on sale.
I’ve got a Skyworth that I ordered right from a trucker supply company. Can’t remember the name. This thing is tuff as nails. I never take it out and have bounced my shack across many lakes and many miles traveling to different states. I figure good enough for a semi good enough for me. I highly recommend the Skyworth brand.
Having never been to Winnipeg can anyone tell me if there’s enough parking at some of these landings mentioned? We plan on going in March and I don’t want to park on the ice. Any info is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for the info. I really appreciate it.
We’re staying in Selkirk so I’m open to suggestions as to which landings you’d recommend. Thanks in advance.
Just found this thread. Does anyone have any information on boat landings on Winnipeg? It sounds like this is gaining popularity and I’m wondering if there’s enough room for parking with a truck and trailer in March.
I bought a new 8″ auger for my laser mag and it never cut right from new on. Had to push down on it. Tried several new blades and still didn’t cut right. I shimmed the front of the blades ten thousandths and now she cuts great. After these blades dullI’m gonna try another five thousandths shim and see if that helps.
Had to leave mine in with rice for two days. Much like yours it didn’t work after one day. After two days I left it on the charger until full charge and worked great.
Yes the axels are rated for 3500 when used the way they are designed. The problem is not only do they cut them shorter they mount the swing arm next to the wheel on the same bracket that the trailer is supposed to sit on. In other words the weight of the trailer is supposed to be supported as close to the wheel as possible for support. Throw a load in it and watch your mirrors when you go over bumps. You can see the wheels camber in and out. This is fine if you’re going 20 miles to lake x near home. But I rubbed mine off on the first trip. They supposedly fixed it and it did the same thing and instead of having 8″ ground clearance it came back with 4″. That’s when I took matters in to my own hands because they just made it worse. The owner accused me of over loading it. I took it to work and scaled it empty and loaded and was still under weight. The shop Forman said they learned a lot from my ” testing” but the owner still wouldn’t make it right with me. I even showed them the scale tickets. It’s fine without a load but it the reason I bought it. I hope they made major improvements for your sake instead of blaming Axis axel company. Which I called and they said they wanted to help Ridgeline trouble shoot but Ridgeline wouldn’t show them their axel after they modified it. Very suspicious. They can’t cut, re weld, and not use as intended and expect them to warranty it. As a Millwright/welder I know a little about this stuff. I’ve also built trailers. Hopefully they’ve made the necessary improvements and you enjoy yours for years to come.
I’ve had my Ridgeline for 3 years now. More cons than pros. It’s a good house if you don’t plan on hauling an atv. Which was the main reason I bought it. I wore the tires off after 300 miles. They claim it can haul 1500 well there’s no way. The scissors tounge snapped clean off due to inferior welds. And the aluminum door hinges all broke the first year. They took it back three times to “fix” the problems but ended up blaming Axis axel company. They can’t warranty something that’s been shortened welded and modified. and rightfully so.
I no longer haul my ATV in it as it can’t even handle half what they advertise. As far as set up and set down it goes real easy and takes less than a minute. It is a light weight fish house, however less weight comes with a price as far as hauling an ATV of any sort. My house is a 6×10 V nose and weighs 1400 with shelves heater 20# gas tank and a deep cell battery. The tounge weight is only 300# which is great for towing with an ATV however you can’t safely haul it inside which defeats the pourpose. I hope this review helps you in your decision.
