Best 'Sled' for Ice Fishing

[338Bluff]

By Sled I mean snowmobile. What would be the best for just fishing and hunting?

I know zero about them other than I don't need one of those fancy mountain climbing rigs. The tracks on them don't look like they would take the grind of ice chunks and branches.

I also want quiet. No 'sewing' machines.....

How big? What models?

[Hunter Trav]

http://www.snowmobile.com/specs/utility.html

Here is a pretty good place to start...

[Mike_W]

I just got a 2011 yamaha venture RS 1000 new from dealer $9,000 all said and done!!
I went this route cause its gets great reviews as a trail sled as I wanted something that I could take trail riding, ice fishing, hunting and just for some play.

[AppleJax]

I picked up a 1994 skidoo safari deluxe in March off Kijiji for $600. Very light and simple machine, 377 air cooled. It runs awesome and is great on gas. If you keep an eye on Kjiji they come up all the time. I picked up an otter sled and tow bar from WSS for under 200 bucks. Perfect ice fishing machine IMO. If you live around Edmonton your welcome to come try it out sometime to see if its the right machine for you.

[newguy]

Polaris 340's or a 550 is a great machine. Go with a 340 if your not towing anything. Also, the tundra's and skandik's from ski doo are awesome machines... All 4 of the machines have great reputations and can idle longer than any liquid cooled machines.

[Elkaholic523]

340 wouldn't last 5 min in the north with the snow we got 550 scandic good choice for what u want light good in the snow reliable

[338Bluff]

Thanks for the input. Spent a while surfing last night and from what I see posted here gives me a good idea what I can concentrate on.

[TROLLER]

Don't see too many snow machines hunting.

Most the time there is not enough snow and they really are not made to be dragging a moose or elk.

BUY A QUAD

Usefull year round not just in the winter. And they will pull a moose out of the bush. Just do not under any circumstances buy one from China.

TROLLER

[AppleJax]

Snow machines come in pretty handy in November.

[Cal]

Don't see too many snow machines hunting.

Most the time there is not enough snow and they really are not made to be dragging a moose or elk.

BUY A QUAD

Usefull year round not just in the winter. And they will pull a moose out of the bush. Just do not under any circumstances buy one from China.

TROLLER

I follow your logic and normaly agree, but this winter a quad wont get you too far in my neck of the woods. Much like the winter before last.... Maby its time to pick up a sled, theres enough older ones going for cheap.

I've spent some time on sleds for work, I've used biger sleds and smaller sleds but anything Skidoo with the Rotax air cooled 550 in it strikes a very good ballance between reliabilty, weight, and performance IMO. A nice little step up from the base model Tundra, which is also a good sled.

[liar]

i use a polaris edge touring 550 two seater machine for ice fishing . with the back seat off you end up with a " trunk " about 20" x12" and about 4" deep . i can put all my gear in a hockey bag and drop it in and it doesnt move . still pull a sled for the auger and tent .

air cooled for sure , i have a liquid cooled machine and it likes to overheat on packed snow and i doubt it would run on clear ice .

the sme model in a skidoo would be good too .

[Elkaholic523]

Heres what u need http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab12/elkoholic523/55c8ff8a.jpg

[muskokagould]

As a kid we had a skidoo tundra II. they are a simple 277 single long track, that thing would go anywhere, had a basket for extra fuel and gear.

it also had a bulletproof motor, and at 10 years old i could lift the front end outta the snow. rarely got stuck, broke down or left dissappointed.

not built for speed but in my eyes still one of the best sleds around for hunting, fishing and breaking trail to new lakes and such.

just my two cents.

[338Bluff]

Heres what u need http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab12/elkoholic523/55c8ff8a.jpg

Urr, Urrh, Urragh (Tim Allen grunts). I'm in love. What is that?

[338Bluff]

Don't see too many snow machines hunting.

Most the time there is not enough snow and they really are not made to be dragging a moose or elk.

BUY A QUAD

Usefull year round not just in the winter. And they will pull a moose out of the bush. Just do not under any circumstances buy one from China.

TROLLER

I have a quad. Need the snow machine for fishing, but this year it would have been great for hunting.

A bigger machine should skid game if it is on a skimmer. No?

I remember one November on the Nordegg when we hauled two out with sleds and toboggans.

[stinkynuts]

take a look at the arctic cat bear cat they are really nice and four stroke is super reliable

[Elkaholic523]

That's my 800 summit it would yank an animal out the bush no prob nothing a 164hp won't tow

[Mike_W]

That's my 800 summit it would yank an animal out the bush no prob nothing a 164hp won't tow

What's the length of that track??

[Walleyemagnet]

I used this a few times last year but I normally use my trusty old '98 Yamaha SRX with a 121" track with 1 1/2 lugs. I think any sled with a 1 1/2 or deeper lug track will work just fine. The mountain machine works better if there's a ton of snow though.

[Drewski Canuck]

Yamaha VK 540. Reverse and two speed transmission. Long track wide track, seat has storage compartment underneath.

Well respected sled in Alaska and Europe.

Drewski

[Walleyemagnet]

Yamaha sleds are notoriously reliable too.

[Penner]

I'd too go with a quad as they are way more versatile over 4 seasons. However every once in a while you run into a winter (such as this one) with a deep snow pack (more than +10”) and run into ground clearance issues and it makes quading difficult if not impossible. If you have the cash and storage space have one of each!

I don’t own a snowmobile (I have quads) but if Polaris snowmobiles are anything like there quads avoid an Polaris. You’ll spend more time in the shop than you will on a trail. I have heard and seen nothing but good things about the Yammies and Skidoos.

[Pikecrazed]

Sleds might be fun but watch out for old wire and fences
My mom had a freaind who drove through one without seeing it and a wire hit him right in the neck and killed him
Point of this is be carfulk and aware at all times

[dragon]

have a polaris trail RMK 550. 132Inch track with 1.5" lugs. Works great for pulling skimmer loaded. I would be cautious on warm days with that load letting it idle too much. It needs air movement to cool it.

Liquid cooled machines usually require snow spray on the radiators so travelling at slow speeds is ok. if there isnt a lot of snow install ice scratchers and problem solved.


I will say 2 years ago when there was 2 ft of fresh snow on pigeon with 4" of flood water my sled was going nowhere fast. I would suggest a wide track or a long track if you see that kind of snow and plan on making first tracks.

[Cal]

That's my 800 summit it would yank an animal out the bush no prob nothing a 164hp won't tow

You might be right but I've seen a couple big sleds heat up pretty bad towing a quad out of the bush.

[winmag]

last day fishing gull lake tundra 300 two riders two big otter sleighs in tandem all gear and three riders on sleighs had to dig two plus feet to put huts on ice 900 meters out in lake got moving on hard pack first 50 feet impressive the year was 2010 electric start hand and thumb warmer reverse decent windshield big seat storage and you can toss it around easily easy to work on would like rub bars like bravo to make it perfect in bush great first machine paid little over 6000.00 tax plates and a good skidoo cover hope this helps

[dragon]

You might be right but I've seen a couple big sleds heat up pretty bad towing a quad out of the bush.

Ice scratchers and pack the tunnel radiator with snow. Ice scratchers are almost mandatory if your riding on lakes or trails with no fresh snow IMO.

[mooseman1]

I own a 383 skandic This is nice if u want to use your room for hauling stuff other that Jerry cans The bigger machines are more fun but use way more gas and this is something to think about on the longer trips

[dragon]

I own a 383 skandic This is nice if u want to use your room for hauling stuff other that Jerry cans The bigger machines are more fun but use way more gas and this is something to think about on the longer trips

I disagree. My summit 800 goes farther on a tank of gas than my 550 polaris. I know its only 2 sleds but the summit 800's don't use as much fuel as the other sleds in that power range.

[Cal]

I disagree. My summit 800 goes farther on a tank of gas than my 550 polaris. I know its only 2 sleds but the summit 800's don't use as much fuel as the other sleds in that power range.

My brother was a surveyor for many years and his 02 Summit 800 didnt get anywhere near the fuel milage of the Tundras and Skandics that he had run in the past. Cant speak for the new ones.

[Elkaholic523]

There isn't a sled on the market that get better fuel mileage than the skidoos with the e-tech engine and also they use 50% less oil and let off less emissions than any other sled on the market that's a fact......

[mooseman1]

I disagree. My summit 800 goes farther on a tank of gas than my 550 polaris. I know its only 2 sleds but the summit 800's don't use as much fuel as the other sleds in that power range.

how many km's on a tank are u getting ? i'm getting well over 100km at about a 45km/h avg on my 98 skandic, i have travel 70km to get to the trapline .

[Walleyemagnet]

If fuel efficiency is the major concern then you can't beat the Skidoo Etech. Trust me, they're scary easy on fuel(and oil). It's the most hi-tech 2 stroke ever produced. The 800 pulls like a freight train on steroids.

[coppercarbide]

Yamaha VK 540. Reverse and two speed transmission. Long track wide track, seat has storage compartment underneath.

Well respected sled in Alaska and Europe.

Drewski

I've got an older ('96) Viking II 540, and I can definitely say that this sled would serve OP's purpose very well.
It has shallow lugs (3/4" I think), but the big wide track makes up for it.

Certainly not a mountain sled, but I've never found anything around here that was a match for it. Even 2 years ago when we have 3 foot of snow in the middle of the fields, it floated over everything. Not fast (don't plan on keeping up with the big boys), but it gets you where you need to go, tows like a dream (low range is amazing), and works incredibly well for ice fishing.

[wcbarker]

How about a 550 indy voyageur for 8000. New

[woody1948]

I have a few, but the one I currently use is a Skandic SWT with the 24 x 156 track and a 600'etec. Pretty hard to beat it.

[bobalong]

By Sled I mean snowmobile. What would be the best for just fishing and hunting?

I know zero about them other than I don't need one of those fancy mountain climbing rigs. The tracks on them don't look like they would take the grind of ice chunks and branches.

I also want quiet. No 'sewing' machines.....

How big? What models?

I see this post is a couple years old, did you ever get a sled? With the poor ice conditions we have had the last couple of years and all the snow, I picked up a Polaris Indy 500 late last year. It is a an older model (2001), but worked well for ice fishing.

I never got a chance to use it for hunting last year, but will be using it this weekend for the first time, to get back into some coyote areas, I was not able to get into with the snow we had last year. Picked up a cover for the otter sled and rigged it up a bit for hauling my gear in, and the coyotes out.

The Eye Train
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v45/bobalong/Snowmobile/IMG_2790_zpsae302573.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bobalong/media/Snowmobile/IMG_2790_zpsae302573.jpg.html)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v45/bobalong/Hunting/IMG_3209_zpsab296faf.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bobalong/media/Hunting/IMG_3209_zpsab296faf.jpg.html)

Also added a couple rod holders, if it is nice out I like sitting on the sled when fishing, and no, there not for trolling:)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v45/bobalong/Ice%20Fishing/IMG_2800_zps7541e30f.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bobalong/media/Ice%20Fishing/IMG_2800_zps7541e30f.jpg.html)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v45/bobalong/Snowmobile/IMG_3216_zps4e3ab77c.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bobalong/media/Snowmobile/IMG_3216_zps4e3ab77c.jpg.html)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v45/bobalong/Snowmobile/IMG_3217_zps6449bf1b.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bobalong/media/Snowmobile/IMG_3217_zps6449bf1b.jpg.html)

[Burbotism]

I just got a 2011 yamaha venture RS 1000 new from dealer $9,000 all said and done!!
I went this route cause its gets great reviews as a trail sled as I wanted something that I could take trail riding, ice fishing, hunting and just for some play.

Very good deal Mike! I got my Venture Lite for 6K and & $160 sled, here's the pix..

[Jamie Black R/T]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/04/992b1ab2a5ca8de804ac04203420ebed.jpg

2014 Skidoo expedition i picked up last year.

900 ace 4 stroke. very easy on fuel.

Tons of power. Hauls two adults, a loaded otter sled and a two man quickflip like nothing and with one guy and no gear can yank the ski's off the ground if you're into that kinda thing.

I went through four different 2 stroke sleds before i bought this one. For hunting and fishing...this is the machine. Couldnt be happier with it.

[Stryker2]

I bought a new Ski-doo Renegade 600 4 stroke last year. It's a wonderful machine for fishing and riding the trails. I've ridden in deep snow without getting stuck it just floats over the snow!! I pull a sled full of gear across the lake without any problems in power. It's quiet as a mouse without all that stinky smoke from the 2 strokes, and best part it's easy to maintain. I've owned a lot of utility and touring style sleds and this one is a crossover of all of them, plus adds an element of sport as well. It's easy on the eyes and the pocket book too! :)

[fisherman420]

I bought a new Ski-doo Renegade 600 4 stroke last year. It's a wonderful machine for fishing and riding the trails. I've ridden in deep snow without getting stuck it just floats over the snow!! I pull a sled full of gear across the lake without any problems in power. It's quiet as a mouse without all that stinky smoke from the 2 strokes, and best part it's easy to maintain. I've owned a lot of utility and touring style sleds and this one is a crossover of all of them, plus adds an element of sport as well. It's easy on the eyes and the pocket book too! :)

You can get an easily removable 2-up seat for them as well, renegades are excellent all around sleds and the 4 stroke ACE is a great motor!...not quite the power of my turbo Yamaha but that's for the steep and deep, I use my 2000 skidoo touring or the rhino for ice fishing.

[Egymcara]

Don't buy a newer skidoo, ace engine! You cannot put a pull start on this engine, I learned the hard way! Salesman lied to me! Great engine but also great if you want to die in the bush from a dead battery!!

[bobalong]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/04/992b1ab2a5ca8de804ac04203420ebed.jpg

2014 Skidoo expedition i picked up last year.

900 ace 4 stroke. very easy on fuel.

Tons of power. Hauls two adults, a loaded otter sled and a two man quickflip like nothing and with one guy and no gear can yank the ski's off the ground if you're into that kinda thing.

I went through four different 2 stroke sleds before i bought this one. For hunting and fishing...this is the machine. Couldnt be happier with it.

Nice Jamie, have to meet up on the lake this year, have you been out checking things yet?

[skidderman]

No matter what you get you may want to consider extra power to keep er up out of the slush. I sold a Polaris 500 wide track last year. Only had 400 k on it. Great riding, had wide track, storage under the seat. Only concern I had is getting caught in deep slush. Almost got caught in deep slush in the dark out in the middle of a lake. Would have been an ugly uncomfortable night. If I was to get another I would not go less than 600 cc. The others work & for yrs I had a 340 but that extra power is very nice. Brother in law has a Polaris 600 wide track & it is a very nice machine and that extra few cc's kept him on top better than mine.

[Jamie Black R/T]

Nice Jamie, have to meet up on the lake this year, have you been out checking things yet?

varies from 5 to 8 inches of clear ice out there....6 inches of slush and foot or better of snow on top of that.

warm weather next week should compact that snow a bit and let it freeze up better.

im game to meet up out there at least once this year...have a few new humps to check out that i marked this summer.

[Tigger72]

+1 on the Skidoo Expedition , even the older models are great (2006 and up ), just get the wider and longer track and reverse is always a great option as well.

[manitoban]

How about a 550 indy voyageur for 8000. New


that is a fantastic choice

[Esox]

2015 skidoo summit with a 174 inch long 3 inch paddle track :sHa_shakeshout:

[javlin101]

I have a 2012 Skandic 550f and a 1992 Indy Lite 340 long track.

The indy is a great ice fish and playing around sled plus just the right size for the kids.

My Skandic is the work horse and use it to haul my tandem ice fish sleds and for crawling around in the bush hauling wood. It has the wide track and reverse which is great and a 2 up. Not the best touring machine but holds its own. If I did it all over again it would be a Tundra 600 e-tec. I used my quad for years as a 4 season machine, however been stuck so many times I had enough. I use it in the summer & fall for general mucking about and plows snow in the winter. You cannot beat a sled in the winter no way. I started with the Indy Lite for $1000.00 and it still runs great, -30, 3 or 4 pulls and it fires up. You don't need to spend a lot of money to get a reliable machine.