which would you choose

[babaganoush]

im in the market for a new toy for ice fishing and having trouble deciding what to go with

atv or a sled

which would be better and why

[ccmtcanada]

Is this primarily for ice fishing or just overall recreation?

 

I'd probably go with the ATV....use it year round.

[Terry]

many years an ATV is your best bet on Simcoe, but the last 2 years a ski-doo has been your best bet....

on the other hand I get to use my ATV year round and fish back lakes in the summer

[Jen]

Having had first hand experience the last couple of months I would say go with the ATV, the possibilities are endless....

 

With a sled you can count them on two hands...The possible uses that is...

Edited March 18, 2008 by Jen

[Stoty]

ATV

[Hookset]

ATV.....no contest

[Joey]

Sled.

 

I saw Terry trying to cross that pressure crack on his ATV - Yikes - no thanks.

 

Joey

[Jay T]

ATV, hands down.

[irishfield]

I watched Terry's workout going up Lake Temagami in February.... SLED. I have an ATV.. can't be bothered to plate it.

[Pinch]

ATV, hands down.

 

I would have to say an ATV, however, Ive never owned a sled. I was torn between the two when I bought my ATV in December. My main use was going to be for ice fishing, and I ultimately decided on the ATV. The main reason was I could use the ATV all year round.

 

Since I bought it Ive been out on a couple of trails, ripped round the garden a few times with the kids, plowed the driveway countless times, and been ice fishing a couple of times.

 

So far Ive had far more use out of it with things that I didn't intend!

 

This winter has been great for sledding, or so Ive heard, but at the same time, last year all I heard was people complaining about how bad the winter was for sledding!

 

For me buying a sled was awfully expensive if I could only use it a couple of months out of the year!

[Puckhead]

ATV - as others mentioned - you can use it year round.

[huntervasili]

Gotta love ATV's can use em and enjoy them year round

[fishindevil]

Well you sure can use the ATV,all year and my bud lives in bancroft and for a big part of the ice-fishing season he uses his quad,most of the times its perfect,and carries tons of stuff,and pulls the huts in & out so i think you will get much more bang for your buck getting a 4 wheeler !!!! they are sooooo nice too...cheers & good luck...get shopping

[babaganoush]

i guess atv it is

i knew the atv would be more versatile but when ever im ice fishing and i see the sleds whip pass me at 10 000 mph it seems fun to me

now my next question would be which brands and models to look for and how much maintenance is required every year to keep these machines running and how hard is it to maintain because i am a dummy when it comes to cars and stuff

[bassslinger]

A sled is a far superior machine for ice fishing. There are times when an ATV can be nice but when it gets slushy or deep with snow a ATV simply sucks. A sled will get you there and back with zero snow (studded track) or major snow.....You will be waving bye- bye to the ATV's. I made a 10 thousand dollar ATV mistake one winter.

[tinbanger]

I'm thinkin sled

 

a) lower cost to buy ( used)

lower cost to buy (used)

 

Don't see many lower priced ATvs on the market ,but hoping to pick up a used sled this year for a decent $

 

TB

[waterwolf]

no contest , sleds are way too specific in their intended use. depreciation sucks too,, atv's are like hogs with regards to resale .

atv's are work horses , pull trailers , carry bulky items ,,, let's see a sled with a plow attached . i appreciate the need for sleds in some cases but overall the atv is much more functional and a better investment financially. just more fun ,,,longer season.

just my experience with these machines talking , yours may be totally different . good luck choosing your new toy .

Edited March 19, 2008 by waterwolf

[Muskieman]

Depends on the primary purpose...

 

#1 if you plan on back country ice fishing then forget about an ATV...a Sled is what you would need.

 

Lake like Temagami, Gull.... Emerald .Red Cedar .forget it.. most lake in northern Ontario that are that are not Fished that much and or have many arms [ far from the main access] are usually a nightmare for ATV's.

 

Like Nipissing or Simcoe that have roads that lead you to the hot spots...are generally very ATV friendly although we own one of each ...last weekend I used the old sled..but have used my ATV

most times for Nipissing.

 

As for times used ATV hands down.... An advantage of living in Sturgeon Falls is that

we have an ATV By-Law ... they may be used anywhere in town at anytime of day any day of the year...You actually meet up with ATV every day at an intersection...but you may NOT drive down hwy 17 which runs through down..same law applies to an ATV as it does to a Car.

[Sinker]

If your talking PRIMARILY ice fishing. Get a sled......can't be beat on the ice, I don't care what you say.

 

A 4 wheeler is WAY more versitile though.....hands down........year round use, and lots of toys for them.

 

Sleds are cheap. The best way to go is to get a nice wheeler, and a used cheap utility sled. Best of both worlds. You don't need a fancy sled for icefishing. I run a 96' 340 2 up ,and have never had a problem on the ice. Cheap in all aspects.....purchase/maintenance/insurance/plates etc.

 

Next toy for me is gonna be an ATV though.....

 

Sinker

[huntervasili]

Honda's are pretty good from what I have seen... have friends with honda's 3 and 4 wheelers... still running the 3 wheeler is 89 I believe and my friends 4 wheeler which I get to ride a bunch since he has a bike now is a 92, going great. Some really good stuff on the market no doubt but it has a nice price tag too

[Bernie]

I have both. But if I were to have a choice of one only it would be an ATV. More versatile. And if you get an ATV try to get one that has minimum 500 cc. Just in case you decide to get a set of tracks for it someday. Track technology has improved greatly in the last couple years. They are lighter and roll much easier than past editions. They have redesigned the front track to allow better steering. I have tried several different types in various conditions. Tried a Can-am 650 in 2 ft of snow with the Apache kit last winter and it was amazing. The downside of tracks is the amount of snow that swirls up from them. But I would bet they would compete well with a snowmachine in the deep snow.

If you go this route you also have one instead of two machines to maintain.

[Terry]

OK

 

why do people use me as an example of why not to buy an ATV....is it me or the ATV that's the problem.....

 

don't say it Wayne......

 

 

it wasn't the best looking crossing of a pressure crack on an ATV

but I made it and any crossing you can walk away from is a good crossing

[Moosebunk]

Get both.

[Moosebunk]

Actually, you did say for ice fishing. Go SLED. 250 Bravo all the way - YO!!! Fan cool if it's just ice yer running (no overheating), workhorse, climbs, light weight for getting unstuck, two guys can lift it into a truck cab, it'll run water pretty darn good too for those days you find the shoreline is 10-20 feet across water from the ice. I hope to keep mine running forever.

 

There are few places a sled won't go in winter, but get deep snow in the bush or on the lake and the 4 wheeler has troubles. Too big a sled and it can make for troubles in deep stuff.

[Sinker]

Sure, the tracks on an ATV are nice......but, I could buy 2 used sleds for the price of one set of tracks!!

 

For versitality.....ATV

For only icefishing......sled

 

Sinker