Buck Hollow Sporting Goods - click or touch to visit their website Midwest Habitat Company

My DIY flag/warm floor/hotel on ice

Hardcorehunter

Hardcorehunter

UL Shelter/Stove Geek
I just got into ice fishing this year, and am loving it. Bow season ends in January, and other then predator hunting, waiting for turkey season used to be a long wait. Not anymore!! I started ice fishing in one of my bow hunting blinds, and decided to get a better setup. I bought this Eskimo Quickfish 6 on sale for $260 and a new Eskimo Mako 10" auger on sale for $279. I decided I had to make a cool flag for my 70"X144" shelter, so buddy's would know where I was on the ice. I made this 3'X5' flag using ripstop nylon, and it is a two sided flag. It took me approx 20 hrs and was a real PITA to make, but the hard work paid off. My floor is 3/8" rolled waterproof rubber-like commerical mat, that I bought at Lowes. Cost was $90. It comes 36" wide, and I bought 2 sections, 11' long each. This gives me one uncovered foot in my shelter to keep food and beer cold on. I cut oversize auger holes in it, and setup is actually quite easy. I also use 6" lag bolts/washers and 18 volt drill to secure shelter to ice and to mount my flag pole. Pole is 1.5" PVC, and works great. I made a cover for my auger motor and auger too, so it will stay in good looking shape. I am planning on getting another QF6 for next year, linking the two together via of the doors, and we are planning some trips up north, and have a sleeping quarter in one, and the other for fishing. No hotel bill, and fish round the clock. Btw, this Eskimo shelter is well built and has great features. I can easily set it up by myself. I am very satisfied with it.

246kjyq.jpg


o0qk3t.jpg


jjkxaq.jpg

xej39i.jpg

2zfl3pv.jpg


2lb2how.jpg







292wenp.jpg



1zck669.jpg

Parts for flag pole.

3518shs.jpg

Cover I made for my auger motor and auger

x2sxvb.jpg


2udz6gp.jpg
 
Last edited:
Pretty sweet setup! I actually miss ice fishing. Some great memories with my dad. :way:

Are you out on Lake Laverne? :D
 
I'll be very suprised if you don't get water over that floor if you plan on spending several days in it while keeping it heated. Great setup, though. You can't beat the Quickfish pop-ups when it comes to price and roominess. I'd gladly trade off my big 3 man Team Wild, bench-seat pop-up for a Quickfish!
 
very sweet setup!! i went with a clam nanook 2 man this year, it doesnt have quite the room yours does though, but its a nice tent. i havnt been out on the ice now for 2 or 3 weeks around here.
 
I am 6'3" & have several inches of headroom clearance in this shelter, in the entire shelter. It is nice to have that as a feature. I also like the fact that when the 2 large doors, which are on opposite ends, are unzipped and open, they have a large velcro setup, so the door fabric stays out of the way for loading gear into the shelter. The windows with the velcro clear plastic are nice for letting in light without letting in cold air, and the fact that they also have fabric covers that can be closed are a good feature. If we want to move, my buddy and I each grab a mat with one hand, and carry an end of the shelter with the other hand. The shelter will roll over, due to the roof being top heavy. Just hold it by the end hub, lift, let it roll over, keeping the roof off of the ice, and start walking. VERY easy. If we have a 3rd person, they drag the sled. Find fish, lay a mat over the newly drilled hole, put the other mat next to it, drill the 3 remaining holes through the mat holes, using the mats as a template, dump the slush off the mats, clean holes, place mats over clean holes, set shelter, anchor with lag bolts/18 volt drill, and start fishing.
 
HCH, of all the crazy stuff I did while at ISU, I never got around to fishing Lake Laverne, although I remember contemplating it. Good luck!
 
I used to fish lake Laverne at ISU with a pair of binos and a pillow on my lap along the jogging trail. Never did catch any fish though. :)
 
How do you like that popup shack?

I like the mobility idea of it so have contemplated getting one. I like a shack simply to get out of our elements this time of yr but have been fishing out of big wooden shacks that aren't moving anywhere but off the ice due to their size and weight.
 
Thanks BK...lol at L4R! Sask, it is a great shelter. They have a quickfish 3 which gets great reviews, and is perfect as a one to two man shelter. With all of the available larger portable shelters on the market(ameristep, glenns, eskimo, clam and api all have 6 man hub shelters) one no longer needs a permanent heavy shack, to have room and comfort. Chopping and prying those permanent shelters out of melted/refrozen ice is a drag. I have a buddy in MN that has spent two solid days freeing his shack from the lake. Not to mention, that some of the best fishing maybe when it is too thin to drive on, but plenty safe for one of these.
 
Not to mention, that some of the best fishing maybe when it is too thin to drive on, but plenty safe for one of these
Click to expand...

The best time here is mid to late March and the season closes on the end of March for 6 weeks. At that time there will be 48" plus of ice so driving isn't an issue but the work of getting the permanent structures on and then off with 2-3 feet of drifted snow just seems like too much work to me. The positives on the permanent structures are the wood stoves, the heating issue is what makes me most leary of the pop up shacks....yours looks like a sweet set up though.
 
Thank you! Makes for an enjoyable, portable, quick set up. I made a fleece transport/storage lantern bag for it tonight. Ice is holding steady in Central Iowa...hope it stays a few more weeks.
Look, no mermaid fins ;D
2011-03-06_19-19-13_425.jpg


2011-03-06_19-15-46_230.jpg


2011-03-06_19-16-15_355.jpg
 
Very nice set up. I have the Quickfish3 and love it. The only problem I have had is on Sugema one time it was really windy 20+ mph and the wind kept collapsing one side of the tent. Other than that it's great. Used it for 2 ice fishing seasons so far.
 
Thanks! Those qf3's are an excellent shelter. Any hub that is facing a heavy wind, should be staked out at the hub. I place either 72" inch nose into the wind on this qf6, and anchor with a 6" lag. When I set it up, I immediately do this, so I dont let the wind damage or blow my shelter away.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom