This story was originally published in March 2025.
Ice fishing shacks, or “bob houses” if you live in Vermont, have certainly evolved over the last half century.
As a young ice fisherman, I cut my teeth on a tiny home-built 4-foot-by-6-foot plywood “hut,” with one small plexiglass window, a door and Teflon-coated skis. The front had a big, galvanized eye bolt screwed into the frame.
As soon as the lake buttoned up with safe ice, you roped your ice home to the old 12-horsepower Ski-Doo and chugged it out onto the ice near the deep hole.
It was important to batten the shack down with some guy ropes frozen into the ice on the windward side.
A propane-fired “Buddy Heater,” or sometimes even a small wood stove, helped keep us toasty during a lunch of venison burgers or an afternoon cribbage game if the fishing was slow.
To a nighttime snow sledder, the ice shack could be a dangerous, and even deadly, navigational hazard unseen by the snowmobiler until it was too late. Thoughtful ice shack owners made sure that their shacks were festooned with some red reflectors that could be seen from a distance in snowmobile headlights.
For some of the more inventive and energetic ice anglers, there was pride in building the most elaborate, impressive ice fishing shack that was the envy of the ice angling community.
Years ago, my friend Tommy Russell invited me to his ice fishing Taj Mahal at Eagle Lake. It was a home away from home. It had lots of elbow room, along with a propane range, a television and bunks.
We fished, ate well and stayed overnight out on the ice.
You still see a few of the classic, old tar papered ice huts on Maine lakes, but increasingly the commercially purchased, insulated ice tents by Eskimo and other manufacturers have become the rage.
A zippered door, 360-degree plastic windows and quick assembly make these ideal for the ice angler who has the money for the toys.
Even on the coldest and windiest days, a Buddy Heater will break the chill in an ice tent in no time. The Otter company, which manufactures a light but rugged tote sled, markets one with a tent built in, complete with a big comfy seat.
A really well-built ice shack that belonged to my hunt club, The Skulkers of Seboeis, was not rendered obsolete by the modern, insulated ice tents. It underwent a “holey conversion.”
With some minor construction and paint, it has become our new and improved one-holer, from ice hut to outhouse.
With ice fishing season winding down, owners of ice fishing domiciles, regardless of size or design, are reminded by the Maine Warden Service that ice shacks or other temporary structures used for ice fishing must be removed in any area of the state in which there is a closed ice fishing season, by ice-out or three days after the close of ice fishing season, whichever is earlier.
They also must be removed by ice-out or March 31, whichever is earlier, where there is no close of the ice fishing season.
Check the state’s fishing rules if you’re not sure which applies to your favorite fishing hole.
V. Paul Reynolds is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide and host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network. He has written three books. Online purchase information is available at sportingjournal.com.
