Creating A Great Ice Fishing Tote
Ice fishing is a great way to get outside during the winter and chase your favorite finned friends. Like every type of fishing, ice fishing can be done with minimal gear, or a crazy amount of expensive toys.
Our customized ice fishing tote.
I’ll be the first to admit that I like a certain amount of comfort while ice fishing, so Darrell and I take our Clam Yukon ice hut with us on most outings. This hut is fantastic for a day out on the ice, with two comfortable chairs and plenty of space to store things in the bottom. However, we couldn’t find a good way of organizing our gear, so we created our own ice fishing tote that fits nicely between the seats, is easy to move, and keeps everything in order between fishing trips.
The starting point was finding a rubber tote that would fit in the hut. A Rubbermaid Roughneck 68L Tote was the perfect size for us. I had no idea how we were actually going to set it up, but Darrell had it all worked out.
To begin with, he drilled holes on the sides and installed two bars in a cross pattern. The bars were put low enough in the tote to catch any tackles boxes that were stood on their ends. This allows us to compartmentalize the gear. Tackle boxes go in one corner (or two, depending on how many we brought), standing on end. Safety gear can go in another section, and soft baits in another.
Another feature is the PVC pipe that was cut into short lengths and bolted to the back of the tote, creating useful rod holders. If we were to make another one, I would space the pipe sections apart a little bit. Right now, the reels can get snagged on each other.
An additional piece of PVC mounted sideways at the front of the tote, with holes drilled through it, allows for storage of pliers and line cutters. This is a great feature when you’ve got an active fish on your line and you’re trying to release it quickly. Having the tools handy really helps.
A more organized view of the tote.
Cleaning the tote is simple. We take everything out, tip it over in a warm room, and let everything dry. If we’ve spilled something like Gulp in it, we just just wipe it out with a warm cloth.
Customizing the tote took less than an hour one evening, and all of the parts were picked up at Home Depot for pretty cheap. We’ve been using this for a few years now and love the ability to keep things organized and packed up for ice fishing trips. Last weekend we packed the tote up in anticipation of ice fishing; it always makes me feel a little more ready for the ice to get here.
argosgirl
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Sure looks like it will work fine. I don’t get out as much for ice fishing as I once did. I think it is the Geezer thing and liking to be warm. Anyway, best of luck to you during your ice fishing season. Keep us posted!
Mel, ice fishing is definitely not for people who like to be warm 🙂 The hut and my floater suit help to keep me warm, but the cold always seems to creep in at some point. That said, I really am looking forward to hitting the ice. We haven’t had time for fishing lately, but I’m still hopeful we may be able to spend Christmas on the ice.