Fish-Hawk.Net

hey everyone. been quite some time since i have been on this forum as i have been moving around soo much over the past 2-3 years.
i realize this is quite early and we have at least 2 more months of open water, just wanting to make sure im ready for the season.

i now live in Borden Ontario near Barrie. i realize this is an Ottawa valley forum but just curious if there is anyone in the area that may be whiling to get some ice time around here. and ill repay with some beer haha

i haven't ice fished in a little over 2 years and am planning on hitting the ice full force this winter.

first question is, i am planning on buying my first pop up shelter.
this is what im thinking about:
http://www.basspro.com/Clam-Tundra-Ice- ... 305061244/
any thoughts on the shelter?
however there is a guy locally selling a frabill predator ice hut but it weight 135lbs dry.

second off is i was in cabellas the other day and saw a propane jiffy auger 10"
any thoughts or words on how they are with regards to performance and reliability?
could buy a gas one for half the price but a propane canister just seems incredibly more convenient.

thanks guys, cant wait to hear back.
fish on.

Either of those shelters would be a great choice I am a frabill guy but many of my buddies use clams If you will be dragging by hand lighter might be better if you have sled I would worry less about weight also consider getting runners you will thank me when you dont have a hole in the bottom of your hut

For your auger I have heard of ppl having harder times with propane on real cold days I have a Gas Eskimo and It has worked great for me Im not sure about propane being convenient either you can pump gas anywhere and those little tanks are like $5 a pop and can only be bought in stores that carry them I hate having those propane tanks even for my heater

I'm not from your area so can't help with the ice time unfortunatlely

SEOO wrote:Either of those shelters would be a great choice I am a frabill guy but many of my buddies use clams If you will be dragging by hand lighter might be better if you have sled I would worry less about weight also consider getting runners you will thank me when you dont have a hole in the bottom of your hut

Do runners really make that much difference

so i went out and bought a used clam nanook this weekend for 250!
looks great and bought a mr.heater hunters for 110 from tsc on sale.

all thats left is an auger. not sure what to get

I would suggest going with the gas auger, not the propane one.

The point above about availability of fuel and problems with starting in really cold weather should be taken into consideration. I've used a 3hp Eskimo from the 90's for the last 6 years and never had a problem, even in cold weather.

Also, the standard gas two-stroke engines are easy to service on your own (replace fuel lines, plugs, fiddle with the carb + choke etc). Even if you're not mechanically inclined, a friend who is will be much more familiar with a standard gas 2-stroke than a propane powered engine.

And hey, its cheaper too!

Bear wrote:

SEOO wrote:Either of those shelters would be a great choice I am a frabill guy but many of my buddies use clams If you will be dragging by hand lighter might be better if you have sled I would worry less about weight also consider getting runners you will thank me when you dont have a hole in the bottom of your hut

Do runners really make that much difference

depends how often u use it I cant count how many of my buddies have a hole in the bottom of their huts if you are towing on glare ice or any roads with a machine youll be lucky to get a couple years out of the sleigh especially if you transport guys sitting on their huts

some guys use skis instead of the hyfax runners but the sleigh will eventually wear down if you use nothing and are dragging it on a hard surface

I will definitely keep an eye on the sled. It has runners on it from the last guy. Looks decent at this moment.

As for the propane auger I did a good 2hrs of research and found they are only rated down to -20 which is pretty useless lol.
I'm going to check out an alder jiffy 2-stroke tonight I think.

Look at buying a flasher like a vexilar and your season on the ice will be 10x easier. Im just as excited as you are for ice season!

I actually already have a flasher for say.
It's the showdown or vertical pixel graph.

I absolutely love this thing and it's so much easier to use for ice fishing.
But as for my friend I'm trying to find him a good deal on a marcum or vexilar or even an other showdown.

i now live in Borden Ontario near Barrie. i realize this is an Ottawa valley forum but just curious if there is anyone in the area that may be whiling to get some ice time around here. and ill repay with some beer haha

If going propane for an auger, carry the cylinder in your jacket to keep it warm. Maybe carry two. On real cold days they can be an issue. Otherwise, a gas auger will eventually come on sale somewhere... then snatch it up. Under 18-inches a good FinnBore3 with sharp blades and you'll be fine. Good for ya too, and easier to lug around.