Hi Guys -- wanted to start a discussion about what you use to get around on the ice. The wife and I have been having discussions about buying something to help out.
Right now, I have my truck, which does well once the ice is thick enough. But I'm wondering about all the other stuff.....what's your personal preference?
-Snowmobile
-Quad
-Utility ATV
I know there's a certain level of "Depends on the lake, depends on the snow pack, depends on........etc etc" and they say the ultimate tool would be a tracked ATV which can get around in any condition.
But aside from a tracked ATV, what's your preference and why?
I like the quad because I can use it for 75% of the winter season at least, as well as in the summer. Most value if you are only going to have 1 machine and its easier to haul around than a UTV. Lots of accessories to mount totes, augers etc etc.
Definitely depends on where you are going to be fishing. I go to the narrows north of Kinuso on Lesser Slave. There has always been too much snow to use a pickup. A side by side works some years but most times you need tracks on it.
Most years a snowmobile is the best option. There’s a guy that has a Snow Bear track unit which would be ideal but I can’t afford one
The conditions really vary on that lake. Most years you see minivans running around at Canyon Creek but at the Narrows only a tracked machine will get you out there. You really have to watch it in late March as in the morning you can get out fine on atv’s and side by sides but as it warms up it gets soft and you break through to the water under the snow crust and you can get really stuck. You can get stuck with a snowmobile too but not as often.
I use a quad when I can but in the last 3 yrs the snow pack at Pigeon has been so bad that I can’t use the quad or drive out there come January till End of March. It’s very frustrating and a skidoo would be the best for these conditions. I have a spot in the middle where I’ve beaten the heck out of the truck getting there and I’m always fearful of a breakdown out there. I say skidoo if you can afford it.
If you can find an old Yamaha VK 540 snowmobile, it is pretty hard to do better than that. Low range for pulling something really heavy, electric / rope start, reverse with a cantilever rear section of track making backing up a dream, simple design that is bullet proof, 2 up sled with 20 " x 153 " track for floatation.
Quads are fine if no snow and no doubling but not often that happens.
Flood ice is a real problem for anything wheeled, where a sled will usually get through a soft spot without too much grief.
If it's just strictly for ice fishing and you have no interest in utilizing the machine at other times of the year I'd say sled for sure. We use quads with good tires but generally only early season or on big lakes on warm years that make truck travel sketchy. They get used at other times of the year so it makes the most sense for us but you can't beat a snow machine for snow. My truck with good tires is just as capable if not more so than the quads getting around on lakes when the snow get's deeper. If the quads had the factory trail type tires, forget it truck wins hands down.
As mentioned, just for fishing, a sled.
Both if you can afford the luxury’s.
I only have a quad. Can’t afford both right now.
But I use it for hunting and recreation throughout the seasons.
It’s my best option right now.
Lotta great info here... Thanks. I would never be a hunter, so it would be something just for ice fishing. Just hate that sleds are no good unless there's plenty of snow. But I suppose unless you can afford multiple things, a sled makes the most sense for just one winter toy. Thanks again gang...
Agree on the sled as well. Sounds like you are set. If you like to explore a bit, nothing better than that to get through iffy places.
I've been stuck in terrible flood water with a skidoo only once but did get out by shoveling enough show underneath and until I got back to solid footing.
Quads never really excited me, but they beat walking when I was young. You have to be careful, because there is a lot of stuff they won't go through on typical trail tires. Then again, there's a lot of stuff they will go through with a good set of mud tires. And so many people have one that it doesn't make sense not to use it if you're in that group.
Sleds are good but zipping across the lake in the dark at the end of a long day was really cold and got old quick. I also felt really claustrophobic with a helmet on in case I ever did go through. Finally, we got sleds stuck in overflow at a friend's fly-in lake in northern Saskatchewan as kids, and that was one of *the worst* outdoors experiences of my life. They do excel at getting from Point A to Point B fast though, and weigh considerably less than a SXS.
I went to a Ranger NorthStar with a factory cab and heat a couple of years ago and will never go back. Tracks do suck the speed out of a SXS...I know guys that went back to wheels because they couldn't handle the 40% speed reduction. But there is no substitute for riding in warmth and comfort, and they can carry way more gear that any sled or quad. I had a regular cab, but just bought a new crew cab I am building up as a dedicated ice fishing unit. Nothing tops a SXS for mobility because you can just toss everything in and go. And with tracks, a winch and a stout 18" metal bar, it's almost impossible to get stuck. I never used my winch on the old regular cab. And I went through overflow that had quads and trucks stuck.
Last edited by AlbertanGP; 12-01-2020 at 07:44 PM.
The lakes I ice fish have horrible over flow. I have seen some people try to take an ATV out there and that never ends well. A sled is great for when you are going from A to B but you then have to clear out the rail otherwise it will freeze into a solid block of ice as all that slush just collects. What I find myself doing is using my 2 feet. Have only used a tracked ATV a couple times but I wasn't a fan. I'd say if the lake you fish has little snow and no over flow an ATV would probably be best. If you get loads of snow a sled and its a toss up if you have over flow...
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If you want to drive on 10" of ice have heat be able to move arround chasing fish all day ìn the heat. I will say a snow bear. You can pick up a used one out of sask for arround 50g. It has tracks 4 holes inside runs a propane heater off a 20 or 30 lbs tank. Lowers to the ice for fishing you can mount your sonars I side on ram mounts and they travel at about 20mph on the ice. It is the ultimate ice fishing maching. It is also buoyant as will not sink if you go through the ice by chance due to the insulation put into the fiberglass body.
That thing is over $50K used?!? Wow. I'd love to see a video of one floating in water. That would be a huge plus.
If I was going to spend $70K+ for one of those new, I'd just buy a Sherp and be done with it myself. Then you could access any lake you wanted as well.
That thing is over $50K used?!? Wow. I'd love to see a video of one floating in water. That would be a huge plus.
If I was going to spend $70K+ for one of those new, I'd just buy a Sherp and be done with it myself. Then you could access any lake you wanted as well.
The body is designed to float but the front will sink due to the motor. A sherpa is cool but these have holes in the floor you never need to get out. Also on the manufatures website they say the tracks spreed the weight to less the a snowmaching at 1lbs per sqinch
That thing is over $50K used?!? Wow. I'd love to see a video of one floating in water. That would be a huge plus.
If I was going to spend $70K+ for one of those new, I'd just buy a Sherp and be done with it myself. Then you could access any lake you wanted as well.
The two Ranger's you have pictured with all the tracks and accessories are probably close to $50k to buy these days. SxS's have gotten crazy in prices.
The body is designed to float but the front will sink due to the motor. A sherpa is cool but these have holes in the floor you never need to get out. Also on the manufatures website they say the tracks spreed the weight to less the a snowmaching at 1lbs per sqinch
Yeah. I get the inherent floatation from the foam-filled fiberglass construction...I have a Warrior glass boat. But with that front end and all the holes in the floor, I still think it would sink pretty fast. And even with the hatch in the roof and back door, I'd hate to be the one sitting in the back if it ever did break through. Being able to fish out of it is cool. But for the time it takes to lower it to the ground like a wheel house, I'm pretty sure I could get out of my Ranger, walk to my towed flip shelter, and be set up with more room. The tracks do make a huge difference in load distribution. That's one of the main benefits of running them on quads and UTVs for ice fishing. But again, most of the weight is over the front on skis...
what would be the best snow mobile for ice fishing , I see a lot of used ones with new or rebuilt engines are these poor quality unites
thanks guys
There will be lots of opinions on different brands and models for this question. The main thing is to look for more of a trail riding/trapper snowmobile than a mountain sled. Mountain sleds don't make good rigs for pulling toboggans full of gear across frozen lakes. Not saying they can't work, but if you are starting from no sled and don't plan to hit the mountains they wouldn't be my first choice.
A big thing I learned is to look for something with reverse, especially if you plan to trailer it. Unloading a liquid cooled sled by dragging it off the trailer by yourself didn't do my back any favors.
I think you see a lot of rebuilt sled motors because guys are either working them too hard (deep snow and high revs), overheating them (running on ice with no scratchers or snow pack), or just running the snot out of them.
The two Ranger's you have pictured with all the tracks and accessories are probably close to $50k to buy these days. SxS's have gotten crazy in prices.
They are crazy indeed, and still going up every year. The crew cab will be over $50K with the tracks and everything else by the time it's done. It does pull light duty around the lake lot as well, so there is more utility there. I don't have an issue with the price of a Snobear. I have an issue with what you get for the price. Like I said, if I'm heading into that price range for something that can only be used in the winter, I'm going full nuts and getting a six figure Sherp. But that's just me.
There will be lots of opinions on different brands and models for this question. The main thing is to look for more of a trail riding/trapper snowmobile than a mountain sled. Mountain sleds don't make good rigs for pulling toboggans full of gear across frozen lakes. Not saying they can't work, but if you are starting from no sled and don't plan to hit the mountains they wouldn't be my first choice.
A big thing I learned is to look for something with reverse, especially if you plan to trailer it. Unloading a liquid cooled sled by dragging it off the trailer by yourself didn't do my back any favors.
I think you see a lot of rebuilt sled motors because guys are either working them too hard (deep snow and high revs), overheating them (running on ice with no scratchers or snow pack), or just running the snot out of them.
SS
+1 on avoiding mountain sleds for ice fishing. I've taken my Summits out and they were no fun at all. The suspension on them that lets you sidehill in the mountains also makes them prone to flopping over on level ground if you aren't an experienced rider. Wide track utility sleds with reverse are the way to go for sure.
I melted down a set of track sliders on my sled from driving on a lake with no snow. Then when I stopped it welded the plastic to the track slides and I was anchored, lucky I had an ice chisel to painstakingly smash each track slider off of the track to get myself home.
On Ice Vehicles
Z-z
Actually the video of him starting his at Wekusko Lake at close to -40*C is quite impressive.
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