2012 Thorne Brothers Portable Shack Modification

I was able to attend my second Thorne Brothers Portable Modification event this weekend and it surely didn't disappoint.  Many of the major manufacturers were present with their new gear for the 2012-2013 season. We were also able to listen to really good seminars, and Thorne Brothers had their ice fishing gear out in full force.  For those weary ice heads who dream about ice fishing, this was a welcome relief from the long, hot summer with a chance to "talk shop" amongst fellow anglers and professionals in the industry.

While there didn't seem to be as many entries for modified shacks this year, there were still plenty present to give you some great ideas.  A nice addition to this year's event were some four wheelers with their modifications too.  More and more anglers are utilizing either snowmobiles, ATVs, or UTVs for transportation on the ice and it's nice to get some ideas on how to customize your rig.  Below are a couple of the examples which were present and what they added to their stock machines.

Quad w/ homemade auger mount, and mount for electronics

Close up of the previous quad

Probably my favorite modification of his set up; an assist for their ice shack onto the back rack

Smitty's Arctic Cat quad with Tiger Tracks and new Clam auger mount

Close up of Clam's new auger mount; seemed very sturdy

Below are some of the portable modifications which were also present.  There were some very imaginative and certainly creativity ideas in this year's entries.  I'll start off with probably my favorite modification because it would be most applicable to the way I like to fish (fast and mobile).  Tom Dobbins did an excellent job of combining the benefits of the StrikeMaster Glide Lite sled to a Fish Trap one man shack.  It's lightweight, everything is conveniently located, and most important is that your gear is secure while going across the ice.

PVC rod holders and support for heater and auger

Side view of his modifications

It seems that a lot of guys like to go the route of pvc for supporting and protecting their rod and reel combos. It's lightweight, readily available, and inexpensive. I found it on pretty much all of the portable modifications on Saturday. I also noticed a lot of guys were using LED lights to illuminate their shacks. Much like the pvc, the LEDs are lightweight and very reliable.

PVC rod holder on modified storage compartment

PVC rod holders, storage compartment, and LED lights.  Very neat!

Dimmer switches, rod holders, and 12 volt receptacle in previous ice shack

Every once in a while you are taken back by the work and craftsmanship of some individuals. The shack below was pretty much built from the "ice" up. There were compartments for storage, an overhead LED light bar, and a lot of other neat features.

I just thought this was cool!

As for new gear present at the event, those who attended were not disappointed.  13 Fishing had their Black Betty fly reel, along with some of their spinning rods and reels.  StrikeMaster had their new 4- stroke Honda powered auger and were running demo drills.  It was certainly quiet and did a nice job of cutting through the ice.  Frabill had their new digital tip up which I thought was a neat concept.  It has a digital display that tells you how much line has been taken out and how long the tip up has been tripped.  My only concern with its function would be battery life in cold weather.  Frabill also had their Jiggler combo, as well as the 241 fly reel at the event.  The boys from Cold Snap were also present with their reel wraps and blade covers.  Striker ice suits were also there with their line of float-able ice fishing suits.

Ardisam's new release this winter is their ION ice auger, which was also there and I believe they sold their first one at the event.  It is much shorter than a standard ice auger but you are able to purchase a 12" auger extension for use.  They state that the 40 volt lithium battery will cut 40, eight inch holes through two feet of ice with a fresh battery.  If you think that is not enough juice for how you fish, you can purchase spare batteries for $150 dollars a piece.

Last and certainly not least were the boys from Clam Corp and Ice Team.  They really went all out this season with new products and improvements on existing products.  A handful of new products that caught my eye were the Dave Genz Ice Spooler combos, the improved upon Jason Mitchell Meat Stick, the Ice Armor Jig Box, and Torch Lights.  I liked the Dave Genz Ice Spooler reels so much that I purchased a pair of them for this winter.  The price point and how the reel felt in my hand gave them the nod over the Frabill reels and the Black Betty.  Any of those fly reels will certainly help you reduce line coiling and jig spin; but in my opinion, for the money, it's gonna be tough to beat the Genz fly reels!

Clam also launched some new hub style shelters this winter.  While fishing out of a hub is not generally what I do, I can appreciate those who like how spacious and light weight their hubs are.  The hub that immediately caught my eye was the Six Pack hub; that thing was HUGE!  Clam did a great job of designing a shelter which maximizes the space and gives anglers ample room to fish.  Their relaunch of the X2 Thermal ice house was nice to see as well.  The shack is built like a brick *#& house and will certainly stand up to the rigors of long hauls across the ice behind snowmobiles and all terrain vehicles.  You have to see it in person to appreciate the improvements they have made, you won't be disappointed.