

In North America, ice fishing is often a social activity. They can be as basic as a bunk heater and holes or have satellite television, bathrooms, stoves, full-size beds and may appear to be more like a mobile home than a fishing house. The permanent shelters are made of wood or metal and usually have wheels for easy transport. The two most common types of portable houses are those with a shelter that flips behind the user when not needed, or pop up shelters with a door as the only way out. The portable houses are often made of a heavy material that is usually watertight. The two most commonly used types are portable and permanent. These are dragged or towed onto the lake using a vehicle such as a snowmobile, ATV or truck.


A structure with various local names, but often called an ice shanty, ice shack, fish house, shack, icehouse, bobhouse, or ice hut, is sometimes used. Larger, heated structures can make multiple day fishing trips possible. Longer fishing expeditions can be mounted with simple structures.
