This story is published in the March 2021 issue of More of Our Canada Magazine.
The Hubs and I have been ice fishing together for over forty years. We live in Leask, which is in Central Saskatchewan. We are fortunate to reside in an area that sports an abundance of fishing lakes. We have tried our luck at lakes in our area including: Iroquois, Emerald, Big Shell, Cowan, Grassy, Lac La Peche, Memorial, Pratts, Martins, Big Sandy and D’Amour.
One must be tough to venture out on a prairie winter day to try and catch a fish through the ice. We started off using fishing tents or joining friends in their ice fishing shacks to shield us from winter’s icy bite.
The Hubs and his brother built several smaller shacks over the years. The last one we had was eight by sixteen feet. It was spacious, but heavy to move so we tended to leave it on one lake all winter. Our previous ice shacks were all heated by small, wood-burning stoves. Smoke would puff into the crisp winter air from a stovepipe that extended up through the roof.
When our daughter and son were kids, we often gathered at a lake with other families to spend the day enjoying the outdoors. The kids fished, played in the snow, skated and got rides on the snowmobile. Everyone brought food for snacking during the afternoon and a fish fry or wiener roast served as the evening meal. Sitting around a campfire capped off the day.
We decided it was time for a more mobile ice fishing shack. We purchased a 1972 sixteen-foot Travelaire camper trailer to convert into a travelling ice fishing unit. The tires had been replaced with new ones five years ago. The camper hadn't been used much since, so they were still in great shape.
This was an ambitious project and like most renovations it involved more work than anticipated. The first order of business was to gut the inside of the camper.
To achieve the open floor plan he envisioned, he removed the non-operable furnace, the stove, sink, fridge and table. The wiring and plumbing came out next.
He took out one side window and the roof vent and closed the openings in with plywood. The remainder of the roof and outside walls were left in their original state. The inside walls were left covered by the original panel board to preserve the retro seventies look.
The bench seats were remodelled to accommodate seating around the four fishing holes that were cut in each corner of the floor. All the benches, except the ones over the fender walls, open from the top to provide storage space. Plastic hole covers were installed to close the holes when not in use, when in transit and to keep critters out. When fishing, the hole covers are removed and plastic sleeves are inserted to block out light and drafts.
The long front and rear windows were covered with foil insulation to block out the daylight. You can see the fish swimming around the holes better if it is dark inside your shack.
The floor was still covered by the original tan and green linoleum. Walking on it in snow covered winter boots was too slippery, so he glued two by two-foot black foam rubber interlocking floor tiles. White quarter round moulding was added around the edges to secure the flooring.
The unit can sleep several people. There are two fold out beds and the original upper bunk was left in. The top cupboards on the other end of the camper from the bunk were also kept for storage purposes. For cooking, a propane camp stove is used outside. I also bring hot food in a thermos.
The seat cushion on one of the pull out beds remains. The other benches were covered with the same material as the floor to provide added warmth and comfort. We purchased a rectangular red table to match the decor. The table can be used inside or outside on nice days.
He decided a compact diesel heater would be safer for the grandkids than a wood stove. The heater is mounted to the floor inside the center bench. An air intake vent was installed on the side of the bench and heat blows into the camper through an air duct. The heater's plastic fuel tank is mounted to the hitch in an insulated wooden box. A small electric pump came with the heater kit. It runs off a rechargeable, twelve-volt deep cycle battery and pumps the fuel through a line running from the tank through the floor to the heater. The heater starts with the push of a button. A thermostat mounted on the wall controls the temperature or it can also be adjusted using its remote control. The heater easily keeps the camper at a comfortable temperature.
An LED light installed on the ceiling is wired to the twelve-volt battery which is also housed under the bench. This provides the lighting ambiance. New tail lights were installed for safe road travel. There is also a cell phone charging station installed in the bench that runs off the battery.
The fish camper tows nicely behind a truck and can also be pulled onto the lake with a quad.
Always be aware of ice safety requirements before venturing out on any lake. To support the weight of a half ton truck pulling a camper this size, there must be twelve to fifteen inches of ice. Check ice thickness using an ice auger before driving on.
Special thanks go to our friend, Jake, for his help and expertise on this project.
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