four wheeler/snowmobile

[Dick Moore]

What form of transportation do most of you guys use when ice fishing. I usually use a snowmobile, but the last few kears on LOW we have bad snow conditions and water on the ice. I was thinking of switching to four wheelers (ATV) and probably being able to use them more often than I use my snowmobile. What do you think?
Dick Moore
Moore's Lures

[wawajake]

Yes
I am interested also to hear from actual users , how deep a snow they can drive thru , because salesmen tend to exagerate. Will they drive easily on a double wide snowmobile semi packed trail ? Will a two wheel drive model do it , or should we spend money on 4 wheel drive models if we are considering for snow, ice and lakes??
any thoughts ??

[Hondaman]

Buy a four wheeler! I would spend the extra $ and get a 4x4 you won`t go through snow good with A 2wheel drive. I have a honda 450 foreman es (electric shift) and love it . It has no problem in the snow.HAVE FUN!!!!

[s.f.]

i live on mighty mille lacs where the conditions have merited training for artic circle adventures. i've owned and run a snowmobile
for my ice fishing escapades since the early seventies. i always bought and used sleds that were best suited for pulling or trudging through slush, over ice ridges and through the snow dunes. then, because of guiding deer hunters during early november each year, i rounded up a fourwheeler. started leaving the sled at home that winter more and more. UNTIL, one time it took 3 hours to go a mile on the wheeler.
enough of that i thought! back to the sled for sure, right? well, a couple years ago i started using the automatic tranny wheelers. no more shifting to a lower gear when the snow got deep and losing momentum, and finally bogging down. geez... did that make a difference. wow! so...my vote goes to the wheeler. i use the sportsman 500 because it has the highest clearence on the market and of course...the auto tranny system. what a machine! haven't, no kidding, taken the sled out of the garage for two years. and...the wheeler get's used all year. not just fishing for ice. lol

#49

#49

[BGunn]

I run the same 4-wheeler as Hondaman for the last 3 years, a Honda 450ES. Here's a pic. of it;

http://ccorn.ne.mediaone.net/sixgunn6/honda.jpg


I put on a lift kit, and 4 Superswamper 12 X 12 X 27 mud tires. I have never been stuck, even pulling 4 huts, a passenger on the ATV, and 2 others riding on the huts on glare ice! I fish mostly at Lake Simcoe, Ontario, that gets it's fair share of snow, slush, rain, and water sitting on the ice, But have had it to LOW this year, and Wamplers, in Mich. I have run thru as much as 18" of soft snow with never missing a beat, and 12 " of wet snow is not a problem either. I use to run chains on the rear tires, but have found that with the larger tires, it just isn't necessary, but I would recommend it if you are going to run stock tires.
One thing that I would highly recommend with what ever you get, take the time to take the machine apart, and waterproof ALL the electrical connections. When ice fishing, you run thru allot of slush, and water on the ice, and sooner or latter you will get water in something if you ice fish as much as I do. I took all the plastic off the machine, and cleaned all the electrical plugs with air, then liberially coated them with Dielectric Silicone Grease (Aval. at any auto store). Also, get all the screw on connectors, such as the battery, and start solenoid. I have never had any problems with moisture since doing this.

[T-Mac]

Depends entirely on the amount of snow you'd be dealing with.
In a good "old fashioned" Minn/Ontario winter the snowmobile would be a better choice.
Now , out west, we get very little snow in the valleys where the reservoirs are, and snowmobiles don't work as well for ice fishing as ATV's do. Everybody uses ATV's here.
The ATV is nice because you can use it year 'round, but if you get 2-3' of snow, then wind creating drifts.... .. Well, I'm sure you can imagine.

[AquaMan]

I have had 2 snowmobiles for 5 years and haul them out of storage every fall, ride them a few times and haul them back in the Spring. Rode them a ton when I got them and not much anymore. Don't get me wrong, they are great sleds and have never broken down, but I find them to be more hassle then function. The last two years I have been on one twice. Needless to say, they are listed in the Star trib!

I will have an ATV next Fall. Year round use, more overall utility and I can put it in the back of the truck (Part of the reason for the truck) If there is too much snow, I won't go! But I can count those times on one hand. Even our worst snow storms would not have prevented me from fishing with the ATV. I just stay on the plowed roads. No big deal.

It really depends on where you live, what you have access to and what you prefer. Get the ATV if you want year round utility. Get the sleds if you want limited winter recreation. They are a blast...for a couple months.

AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It all begins and ends at the water's edge...