6 Coolest Fish Houses for Ice Fishing
Odds are that if you love ice fishing that you may have found yourself daydreaming about a fish house. (Or a better fish house.) Sure, it’s not a hobby for everyone — we hear you, snowbirds! — but it is just the hobby for you. And the fact is that there are some really cool fish houses out there for the ice fishermen and women of the world.
So, let’s take a look at them! Then we’ll dive into why these fish particular houses top our list.
Tip of the Ice Fishing … Berg
We’ll save mention of the best ice fishing destinations for another article. But for any fishing newbies, it’s common for lakes to freeze over as temperatures drop n the colder parts of North America. So, when the ice is thick enough, you’ll see people bringing RVs (aka fish houses aka fish houses) onto the lakes and securing their spots. These fish houses typically have holes in the floor with lids and ice fishing enthusiasts remove a lid and cut a hole in the ice. After all, the desire for fishing doesn’t stop just because there’s a bit of ice between you and the fish.
If this is new to you, the most common question is: When is it safe to bring a trailer onto the ice? (Right?! You don’t wanna get that one wrong.) Typically, your local authorities will already have the answer to this, but here is a guideline.
- 4 inches. The average person can walk on and ice fish in the open air.
- 5–6 inches. People can ride an ATV, snowmobile, or UTV over the ice.
- 8–12 inches. Cars and quarter-ton trucks can safely drive on ice.
- 12–15 inches. Full-size pickup trucks can make it across the ice.
- 14–18 inches. Road construction equipment can create and maintain the ice road highways.
- 29-inches or more. Tanker semi-tractor trucks can drive across the ice to take supplies to remote communities.
What Are Fish Houses?
Fish house RVs are designed to very specifically take advantage of very cold weather. In fact, they really come into their own when the weather gets well below freezing so much so that you can actually drive on the lakes.
Many of these companies, including Glacier Ice House, are located in Minnesota — which is both the land of 1,000 lakes but is also a place where the temperatures can put a slight chill in the air. (OK, it’s downright freezing.)
Once it’s been determined that it’s safe to drive on the lakes, people do. The goal here is to bring your shed, shack or trailer onto the lake, drill a big hole (not that big, mind you) and then go fishing.
Apparently, this started with the original inhabitants of the area who were simply looking for a winter meal but now we “settlers” have caught the fever and, as we often do, doing something cool means somewhere, someone is trying to be cooler at whatever activity there is.
So, these fish house trailers have gone from simple home-made shacks that some locals slide onto the lake to downright fancy RVs. (Because the fish can’t tell the difference, but the Joneses can.)
The way these work is that there are holes in the floor that have lids that unscrew from them. You grab a seat, unscrew the lid, and get to fishing. Assuming you’ve already drilled your hole in the ice.
6 Fish Houses with a Big Cool Factor
Aluma Ice
One of the core features of these trailers are their hydraulic lift system, which can raise and lower the wheels of the trailer to set it onto the ice or bring it up for towing. The entire structure is a welded aluminum build with seamless exterior panels.
- Cedar tongue-and-groove ceiling and walls
- Spray foam insulation on floor, ceiling and walls
- Lighted fishing holes — up to 8
- Seamless composite exterior roof and side panels
- Dual-pane windows
- Cedar cabinets
CORE ICE
With an aluminum structure and all-composite walls and even cabinetry, CORE ICE makes Fish House and other trailers to order. The company boasts about an interior modular rail accessory system that can make their trailers more flexible in function. They also feature full interior and exterior rail lights that are dimmable along with optional lithium batteries to power the adventure.
A Truma Vario Heat system keeps things warm inside while you’re fishing and models are available with electric fireplaces to add to the warmth. There are models available with a 3/4 bath as well.
CORE ICE also makes hybrid skid-wheeled models with retractable wheels that then allow you to pull the trailer as a skid.
- Models with 4–8 fishing illuminated holes
- Truma furnace system
- Four-season water/plumbing system
- Available lithium power system
- Remote-controlled suspension/lift
- Prices range from $59,999–$99,999
Forest River Cherokee Gray Wolf
Perhaps the only fish house or ice house built by a major manufacturer Forest River’s Cherokee division offers their Grey Wolf fish houses in nine floorplans from 25 feet, 6 inches to 32 feet in overall length. These are all V-nose trailers built with wood construction and either fiberglass or aluminum skin.
Some of Cherokee’s stand-out features in general include offering a back-up camera as standard equipment which can also be used as an observation camera while you’re inside the trailer. Depending on the size of unit chosen there are up to eight fishing holes and models are available with all the traditional features of a travel trailer including holding tanks and plumbed-in toilets and showers.
The Gray Wolf line also includes travel trailers and toy haulers so you can bring along ATVs to help you get out onto the ice.
- 4–8 fishing holes available
- Toy hauler and travel trailer floorplans
- Included back-up camera
- A product of a large RV manufacturer
- MSRP: $45,000–$55,000
Glacier Fish House
In some ways. this is a traditional travel trailer in that it’s built with an aluminum skin over a wood frame. The design is a V-nose type with a single axle and there are the usual things like a three-burner stove with oven, microwave and audio system.
But the Glacier Fish House also is very unique in that there are eight holes in the floor that are capped with what looks like a screw top for a five-gallon bucket. That’s where you do your fishing.
Inside the trailer is finished in cedar planks, which is actually quite nice. There is a Happijack bed at the back along with flip-up bunks so this unit can sleep five. Just because the fish are down in that cold doesn’t mean the people fishing should be cold as well.
- Heated holding tanks
- Slide rooms available in some models
- Custom exterior wraps available
- Air conditioners for all-season usage
- Remote-controlled wheel lifts and awnings
- Full bathroom features
- Upgraded fish house furniture
- LED faux fireplace with 5,000-Btu heater
- Solar panel package
- Wheelchair door access
- Outdoor propane quick connect for a barbecue
Ice Castle Fish Houses
Ice Castle Fish Houses makes everything from very small single-axle trailers to larger tandem-axle travel trailers. The company states that their trailers are four-season capable and ready for just time on the ice or being used as a traditional travel trailer. There are models that are fiberglass-skinned and models that are corrugated “stick and tin” models – wood-framed with aluminum exteriors.
Ice Castle Fish Houses are also unique in that there are a few models that offer slide rooms which is not common in this type of RV.
- Available gas fireplace on some models
- Available slide rooms in some models
- Sizes from small ice shacks to large travel trailers
- Highly customizable
- Fish holes: 4–8
- Prices range from $25,000–$50,000
Yetti Outdoors
Voyager Industry’s Yetti Outdoors are built a little differently with the outer shells being built in one plant and then interiors fitted in a separate facility. With that method, the company sells both just the shells to those who want to customize them themselves or fully finished models.
Some of Yetti’s claims to fame include a faster-free exterior. They also use the iN•Command control system to enable owners to monitor their fish houses on their phone or with an included tablet interface.
The company makes three lines of Yetti Outdoors fish houses – Angler Edition, Grand Escape Edition and Traxx Edition. The company also offers hydraulic suspension systems on their larger models enabling owners to drop the trailer onto the ice at the touch of a button.
- Available as a blank canvas or finished trailer
- Cedar tongue-and groove walls and ceilings
- Rubber flooring
- Dual axles, electric brakes
- Removable tongue
- Fish holes: 4-8
- Prices from $19,000–$76,000
Marketplace Inventory
Tony Barthel
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