Shackin´ Up: The right ice shanty for you

By: Dan Ladd
State of New York
Published: January 27, 2010

     Over the years I´ve seen all kinds of ice shanties out there on the hard water. Some folks like to have all the bells and whistles while others just want to be out of the wind. Ice shanties have sure evolved and today´s ice anglers have more options than ever. The most important factor is that your shanty allows for you to be comfortable and is an asset to your type of fishing. An ice shanty should enhance the experience, not hinder it.

The Old Standby

     When I was a teenager a member of our hunting crew kept a shanty on a local private lake each winter. This contraption was constructed of foam insulation on the inside with a light sheet-metal outer layer that appeared to have come off an old newspaper press. If you got bored you could read the Hartford Courant from 1974!

     It was set up nice, with comfortable seats and four jigging holes in the floor. But this shanty was a monster to move. I´ll never forget one March day when I helped my father and some of our hunting buddies, including the shanty´s owner, try to haul that thing off the slushy late-season ice. I towed it with my dad´s snowmobile while the rest of the guy´s pushed. It was a workout, at least for them!

     But the standard, home-made ice shanty still has it´s place. On big lakes like Lake George and Lake Champlain it´s not uncommon to see hundreds of shanties out there once the ice is deemed safe. Some are made from basic materials while others are custom designed to the max. I´ve even seen them with an outhouse and a satellite dish!

     Many anglers use an ATV to tow their shanties which has made portability part of the shanty´s design. You can build rails on the bottom or use old skis. I´ve even seen a large oil drum with metal rails on it. Quite often the anglers will leave the shanties near shore and just tow them out to where they want to fish for each outing. Therefore they are not confined to one area.

Gettin' Out On The Ice

     A good fishing buddy of mine currently has what I think is the perfect ice shanty. It´s an old mini-RV from the 1970s and is extremely lightweight. So much so that his ATV can haul it to wherever we want to go for the day. The inside is just as it always was with cushions seats and a stove for cooking. There´s nothing like getting out of the wind in this little shanty and cooking up some warm venison. He´s got holes in the floor for jigging too!

     Portable fishing shelters have really taken over the ice fishing market and with good reason: they work. Today´s ice anglers are more mobile than ever and they need something that can go up and down quickly. Most, but not all, of these modern shelters accommodate that need.

A Portable Pop-up

     I started out with small shanty that was simply a chair with a blind that folded over it. I took it to remote ponds and carried it great distances. It also fit in the small sled I use for ice fishing. I have since upgraded to two-person shanty that folds up and down quickly. The sled is part of the apparatus and there is room for my rods, packbasket, bait bucket and extra cloths. It is a bit heavier than my previous shanty but it also allows me and a partner to fish comfortably or get out of the wind while we watch our tip-ups.

     Following the trend, I have seen anglers use small tents and even hunting blinds to simply get out of the wind when they are on the ice. I´ve also seen some interesting creations with tarps, bungee cords and duct tape. Again, comfort is the key and that is what allows you to stay out there longer. And the longer you can stay out there, the better your chances are for success. Fish hard and be safe on the ice!
 

You can visit Dan at www.adkhunter.com