Another in my series of ideas for getting around on the ice:

I wonder if you could build a hitch at the bottom of the motor frame and attach a rope to a sled? 

I think I prefer either the hovercraft or the awesome tracked vehicle I have already reviewed, but this one is probably far cheaper and would burn more calories.

Having already recommended the recently developed Russian hovercraft for ice fishing, I thought I would peer further into the future to see what we might be driving on the ice in coming years.

How about the Howe and Howe Technologies Mini Ripsaw?

It’s only 55 grand, and does over 40 miles per hour, but I think my ice fishing budget would be stretched a tad, so I’ll be sticking with an Arctic Cat.  But if anyone has the money to buy one, I’ll gladly test its capabilities for you.  And I’ll only charge you a couple grand to adapt my four wheeler ice auger carrier to it.

The ball dropped a little bit early on us in southeastern North Dakota overnight. We’re cleaning up from Phase I. Phase II is coming this afternoon, bringing subzero weather and another 6-12″ of snow on top of what got dumped/drifted last night.

My leisurely 35 mph drive this morning on Highway 75 between Breckenridge, MN and Wolverton, MN. There were a few pillow drifts nearly the size of my pickup.

I came upon a truck that had slid from the roadway and was receiving assistance from a sheriff’s deputy:

This is what I got to do when I got home:

I know–New Year’s Eve should be a time of reflection and celebration and positivity. Maybe when the tons of snow are all moved and I’m inside with a hot toddy on New Year’s Day, I’ll make some resolutions and look ahead.  Hey, it can only get better!

Being a practical guy, I can’t at this point justify buying a snowmobile just for ice fishing, so my four wheeler has to do double duty plowing snow and dragging my ice house around.  Now on my second four wheeler, I think I’ve figured a few things out, so I will share my tips for setting up an ATV to do business on the ice:

1.  AUGER CARRIER.  If you want to carry your auger on the four wheeler and not in the sled/shelter, which is a good way to go if you like to drill lots of holes and move around, you can make your own auger carrier for your machine without paying the excessively high prices the manufacturers want for their carriers.  I bought a plastic auger carrier from Otter, added some aluminum straps and a bit of wood, and mounted it to my Arctic Cat Speedrack system using 7/16″ coupling nuts.  The coupling nuts fit very snugly in the plastic inserts, and just need to be drilled for pins.  To give credit where credit is due, I wasn’t the original genius who thought of the coupling nut idea for the Speedrack system.  See pics below for my personal mods:

Auger carrier on rear rack of Arctic Cat 400 4x4.

2.  BUCKET CARRIER.  I added a bucket carrier on the right rear of my four wheeler because it’s handy for more than just ice fishing, and also because it’s nice for carrying my flasher and a couple of ice rods for those scouting runs.  Mine is a fairly inexpensive Mad Dog product. I had to redrill the mounting plates to make it work, but I like the simplicity of it.  I added some Goodyear heater hose around the metal rim to reduce rattles and jam-fit the bucket.  Another pic shows the bucket carrier and another view of the auger carrier:

3.  WINDSCREEN.  A windscreen is an essential piece to add for ice fishing in my area.  The wind never seems to stop blowing, and as snowmobilers know, it is COLD when you’re moving across open areas.  This is one piece that I was reluctant to DIY.  Arctic Cat makes a pretty nifty windscreen, so it was worth the money.

4.  SNOW PLOW.  Finally, the snow plow is an accessory that is not necessary for ice fishing, but I felt the need to address it since it is a common winter accessory and it comes into play when setting up the four wheeler for ice fishing.  First of all, my use of the snow plow includes plowing out the parking area for my utility trailer, which is used for hauling my four wheeler on ice fishing expeditions, so it does have an indirect use.  Plows also come in handy for clearing areas on the ice, but I often remove mine when setting out on expeditions where I think it might turn into a liability if I have to navigate deep snow.  This means that an easily removable plow is a good choice.  I have found none better than the Moose Utility Division plows.  It drops with two pins, and is tough as nails.  I choose to raise and lower my plow with my Warn winch and a synthetic winch cable, but it can also be done with a manual setup.

With those mods, I think just about any 4×4 four wheeler can be turned into a relatively capable ice fishing machine.  Many folks would also add tire chains to the list, and I agree that they make a big difference in traction.  I have not, however, found a set that I like very much.  So far, I have had good luck with my machine in four wheel drive, and of course, it doesn’t hurt to ride an Arctic Cat which has significantly better ground clearance than other machines.

One final recommendation is to use a fixed hitch for towing ice shelters and sleds.  The first time I tried to tow my shelter with a rope, and stopped a little bit too fast, I realized I had a lot more control over what I was towing with a fixed tow bar.  Several companies make universal ones, and most ice shelter/sled companies make one for their products.

Enjoy the ice fishing season, and be safe!

Ahh, to regain one’s youth.  I took a trip down memory lane on the Internet today as I found pictures of the little Benelli motorcycles that were sold in the 70s.  I remember when my dad completely went out of character one day and brought home not one, but two motorcycles!  I was knee-high to a grasshopper so I thought they were pretty cool.  My older brother, who was probably about 14, was less impressed than I was.  The little one was a 50cc Benelli about the size of a minibike (but with a horrifying top speed!).  The slightly larger one was a 65cc dirt bike like the one in the picture.  My brother used it very avidly, to the point of basically driving it into the ground.  It probably wasn’t quite the 125 he wanted, but it got him around on his rural paper route.

These little motorcycles (and other Benellis) have their own little niche on the internet at www.mybenellis.com

I kind of miss my little 50 (and seeing my father ride it around–a scene typical of an America’s Funniest Home Videos clip!).  It was the last motorcycle I owned or rode.

We had family friends who were into the little Honda motorcycles in the 70s.  They had the ubiquitous Honda 50 and a Trail 90, probably the coolest outdoorsman motorcyle around.  I confess to dreaming about one day restoring a Trail 90, but others have already had the same idea, so it doesn’t seem as original as it once did.  I see that Honda has reintroduced the Honda “Monkey” 50cc in Japan.  Maybe they will offer one over here if the child toy lead ban doesn’t shut them down here.  As a side note, if you haven’t heard about that debacle, read this article: Lead Ban Stops Youth ATV and Motorcycle Sales). I like the Polaris solution–put warning labels on them and sell them anyway.

For your viewing pleasure, a Honda Monkey from their corporate website and a very mint Trail 90 that is no longer for sale over at www.hondamotorcycles-used motorcycles.com:

Probably influenced by his attraction to such things as the Trail 90, my brother recently picked up what has been a very good (and practical) motorcyle for an outdoorsy guy.  I envy his Kawasaki Super Sherpa 250 (which is a 2006 model he picked up with very few miles).  I am happy to see that Kawasaki has reintroduced the Super Sherpa, which went away, at least from the U.S., for a couple of years.  I like the lower seat.  I’m not much for motocross style bikes.  I’m not much for motorcycles at all, but I think I could get used to tooling around on a Sherpa in the summer.  Go to Motorcylistonline.com’s breakdown of specifications for more info.

Kawasaki Super Sherpa 250

Finally, I don’t think motorcycles get any more interesting for outdoor applications than the Rokon Ranger, which is still in production.  Ever since seeing a couple of early Rokons in a guy’s storage garage, I have been semi-obsessed with them.  The pictures of them traversing snowy trails, desert dunes, and basically any terrain one can imagine, captures the imagination.  These are power tools, not motorcycles in the traditional sense.  Two wheel drive makes them very unique, although it’s not an idea that’s been lost on inventors over the years.  

What would I buy if I had unlimited quantities of money and an understanding wife who wouldn’t ask questions about why I need another set of wheels beyond my Arctic Cat 400 four wheeler?

I’d probably have to swallow my pride and copy my older brother, who would undoubtedly be pleased to set the example for me yet again in our lives.  The Super Sherpa would have to be the first choice.  Although I could re-enact and capture some of my fathers joeie de vivre on a Honda Monkey.  I’m sure my daughters would enjoy taking video and sending it in to America’s Funniest Home Videos.  It’s almost as fun of an image as the clown car at the circus.