How to Build an Ice Fishing Hut

Ice fishing is an relaxing, but cold, winter sport. You can go out onto a frozen lake and just kick back, enjoying the crisp fresh air and waiting for a fish to take your bait. There isn't much thought involved, so it's a great way to unwind, and be by yourself. However, for the conditions to be met for a lake to be frozen enough for ice fishing, the temperatures are going to be pretty cold. Many people ice fish in temperatures below zero degrees Fahrenheit, or at least never above the freezing point. This leaves you exposed to the elements, and you wouldn't be able to last all day outside as if you would fishing in a boat on a hot summer day. The solution is to build an ice fishing hut to help keep you warm. This article will explore just that, how to build an ice fishing hut.

Things You'll Need

• tarp or outer shell of ice fishing hut
• wood
• 8 metal/aluminum poles- minimum
• portable heater-optional
• durable rope or pole connector
• chair

Instructions

How to Get Supplies

1. Decide the dimensions of your ice fishing hut. You want a hut that is big enough for you to sit inside of and not hit the roof with your head. You also need to have enough room in front of your feet to dig a good size hole, and room to move to get the fish out of the hole when you catch one on your line. You also need room for any other equipment you might have with you.

2. Pick out a base for your ice fishing hut. You can use some type of sturdy wood, like spruce, for the base. Make sure it is the size you need to have room inside the hut, but is also small enough to fit into your truck bed.

3. Get some type of metal or sturdy aluminum poles to make up the perimeter, like with a tent. Make sure these have the dimensions needed to make the ice fishing hut the size you want it. You need to something to connect the poles together, at 90 degree angles perendicular to each other.

4. Purchase material to make up the cover. Usually, tarp will work well. Pick a material that is durable but doesn't add unnecessary weight, and is waterproof. Fire retardant materials can be useful as well if your heater were to start flames inside the tent.

5. You will also need something to drill a large round hole into the base of the ice fishing hut, as well as holes into the wood where the poles will go.

How to Build the Hut

1. Get the base of the ice fishing hut, and drill a large round hole into it, which is where you will fish.

2. Drill holes where you will place the poles, on the four corners of the ice fishing hut.

3. Place the poles in position, so that you have four poles sticking up into the air on the four corners. Now, you need four more poles to connect these four poles together, at perpendicular angles to one another. You can use rope to tie the poles together, or buy some type of connector that will allow the poles to be fastened together. Think of a garment rack and how the poles from the floor meet the pole that goes across.

4. Place the tarp over the poles, and find a way to fasten it to the tarp. You could use the rope, or you could use a velcro system where velcro is on the poles and also on the tarp. Avoid using glue if you are going to need to disassemble the hut to move it from place to place.

5. Cut vents into the tarp so that you won't have ventilation issues if you use a heater inside.

6. Once you have created the ice fishing hut, you're ready to go. Tear it down and put it into your vehicle.

7. Take the ice fishing hut to the lake, with your heater, chair, and other ice fishing equipment! Set up the ice fishing hut and go fishing.

Tips & Warnings

• When deciding how big of an ice fishing hut to build and how heavy it will be, consider how you will get it back and forth to the frozen lake. You want to be able to fit your ice fishing hut into your truck and have a sled or something big enough to transport it out onto the lake.

• There are many websites that sell ready to build ice fishing huts, and even already built huts that just require assembly which would make it easier than to construct the hut from scratch. Simply do a search for 'ice fishing huts' to pull up the sites.

• Even though you have an ice fishing hut and a heater, this doesn't mean you're completely protected from the winter cold. Be sure to leave and go somewhere to get warm if you start to experience numbness in your extremities or feel you are getting frostbite.

• Make sure that your poles and tarp are easy to remove from the base so that you can transport the ice fishing hut to and from the lake. You don't want to build a hut that is unable to be torn down, and not have a way to get it to the lake.

Resources

• Ehow Article on How to Ice Fish