I am looking for ideas for my ice fishing sled. Fishfinder setups , rod holders ( Homemade etc. ) and any other ideas that some of you may have designed . I know some of you have some Great looking stuff, are you willing to share?
AFDan52
Hey Dan, an easy and economical rod holder system are some 2" PVC pipes cut to about 8" and screwed to the flat back of your sled in as many places as you like. They work great and don’t weigh very much. They also double as plier holders or whatever else you can put in them.
If you use schedule 200 1" pvc pipe. It will fit most rods and not take up as much space. I also like to keep my battery in a small cooler with my fish finder mounted to the lid. This keeps the battery protected and if it is too cold you can put a toe warmer inside. Also a good place to put your bait and keep it from freezing.
Something I haven’t done yet, but am thinking about doing this week. Is to secure a small first aid kit to the back of my sled. I think I will just take two zip ties and mount it to the back of the sled. That way I will always have it with me. If I ever need it (knock on wood) I will just cut it off. That is also how I have my pvc rod holders mounted to my sled. Drilled small holes and zip tied the pipe to the sled.
It is important to be selective in the brand of sled you buy some of the lesser value one’s don’t slide so well. I recommend the 4ft. Jet Sled. I like the 4 foot because your most standard ice power augers fit well. Five gallon buckets fit good down the side of it. First of all your sled comes with a rope. Make sure you put washers behind the holes to keep the rope from pulling through. I’ve also drilled holes and put u-bolts on the inside of the sled, two on each side. That way my 3/4 inch pvc pipe fits in each hole. I took a tarp and sewed 4 sleeves in it. I then put pvc pipe in each sleeve. This makes a horse shoe wind block. Then your lawn chair fits perfectly in the sled. The u-bolts can have multiple uses such as for the wind block, for pole holders, and bungee rings to hold stuff on tight in travel. Another idea is to take a 3/8 inch drill bit and drill right at the edge of the fold on the sled this also holds the bungees from slipping so you can stack lots of gear on it and have it ride good behind the 4-wheeler. I keep my pvc pipe and tarp rolled up and in an extra folding cloth chair bag. I also put an eye bolt or a u-bolt in the middle of the back of the sled. That way I can have a spot to tie a buddies sled on to be pulled out with the same 4-wheeler. If you have any questions P.M. me. Pikeman GO FISH
Dan:
I have a great set up for my Fishfinder. I cut off the bottom half of a 5 gallon bucket 2 inches from the bottom. I used a sawzall and cut a 4 inch circle in the middle. I put my bucket base over an ice hole close to all my other holes and rest my fishfinder in the middle. I have found that it works perfectly.
hear is one of the best ice sled i have ever had. .
Ask the Tubedude for pictures of his setup, depthfinder, rod holders, etc. He’s got his setup done right.
I am working on some new stuff for this year (S’prise, s’prise). But I have a few pics of some of the things I have done, and a few that I have “snagged” from pics that others have posted.
A couple of the ideas I have come up with have really worked well. One is the 4 tube rod holder. It sits down in the sled, to move spots, and then comes right back out on the ice. It keeps rods upright and easy to grab, and reduces breakage. If you are towing a sled behind a snow machine or wheeler though, it is better to lash your rods down inside a tarp. Rollovers don’t do rods much good if they are upright.
The other thing I have enjoyed is my “quick draw” rod holders. They allow me to keep my rods by my side, while sitting in a chair, and to make a lightning fast grab without having to bend over or without getting line tangled in some other contrivance. These things are only glued at key joints so they break down to nothing for transport.
I apologize to the originators for any of the other pics I am including.
Some things I have done.
The framework for the rod holders is not fastened in to the sled. That way I can move things around or take the whole set up out and put it on the ice.