Ice
fishing shelters for
winter angling
First, a
clarification – ice fishing shelters are not the same thing as ice
fishing houses or shanties. A shelter is different in that it is
easily moved, whereas a house or ice shanty is usually permanent (or at
least semi-permanent). Fishing shelters can be made from pretty much
any handy wind-breaking material, and you'll see some pretty strange
concoctions on a busy Northern lake during hard freezes.
Probably the
single biggest advantage of shelters over houses is that portability.
Simply put, a shelter allows for fast and easy changing of your
fishing position on the frozen lake or river. An ice fishing hut tends
to be a pain in the neck if you decide later on that you don’t like
the spot you picked out when winter began.
The main
disadvantage of an ice shelter versus a more permanent and solid
structure is comfort. Depending on where you do your ice fishing, a
shelter might leave you shivering and miserable if the wind kicks up.
Most houses will afford you protection, even in the nastiest
conditions.
So what makes
a good shelter? You have some options. A popular set-up is a thick
tent with a wood floor. Many anglers attach nylon ropes to either side
of the base to drag it from spot to spot on the frozen surface. It’s
simple to build, lightweight, and very effective in more temperate
regions.
A shelter
works well in areas where it does not get frigidly cold (Indiana,
Ohio, Pennsylvania), but is not a good idea, generally, in the more
northern states, like the U.P. of Michigan, Wisconsin, Montana, etc.
Fishermen in those areas are better served with a more permanent ice
shanty or hut.
One of the
more ingenious ice fishing shelter designs is a sort of hybrid
shanty/shelter. This entails fashioning thick tarp or canvas around a
wooden door and back wall, and a wood floor. It’s lighter and thus
more portable, but if built with care will not let in the drafts that
a typical tent shelter does.
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