Sled with a studded track. They will take you anywhere an ATV will, but 3X faster, and it doesn't matter how deep the snow gets. A friend has a 500cc ATV with chains and still can't always get where we want to fish. The speed part isn't really an issue until we fish bigger water like Devils Lake or Lake of the Woods, then it's nice to cover ground faster.

Its easier to mount lots of stuff onto a 4 wheeler than a snowmobile. The biggest determining factor is how much snow is on the lake. If you have a lot of snow obviously a snowmobile will be much better. The ultimate of course is an atv with tracks.

Good points so far. After owning both & currently owning an ATV, I am starting to lean back towards sleds. The #1 determining factor of me buying an ATV was that I had a permanant fish house to which only an ATV could pull. Now that I dont have that anymore I look in my garage & feel guilty as hell that I have a multi-season machine sitting there collecting dust. I guess it has come down to this: The only time I figure I will use my ATV this year is the time between 6" of ice & 12" of ice. After that you can either drive your truck out there or ride a sled. So you could be looking at about 3 weeks out of the ice fishing season, that you would be wishing you had an ATV & that's only if you dont have any snow during those 3 weeks. Ultimately, I might be looking to take another butt-kicking on getting rid of another ATV. Any more thoughts?

I have had both and like the other guy said the 4 wheeler is great for pulling permanets on about 2-3 weeks before anyone else can get out. Another reason I prefer having an ATV vs sled is that the ATV has reverse, I back it out of my truck, use it, drive it back in. Much less hassle that loading a sled in my truck. I probably wont own another sled unless I hit the powerball.

which one is cheaper to insure?

I vote 4-wheeler. they are just so much more universal. I know I wasn't supposed to put that into the criteria, but if.....and I say IF you ever need it in the summer, you can use the 4-wheeler and not the sled.

Other thing to consider is if you are making payments on something. I would rather make payments on something that I can use year round.

What about the spring fishing when the muddy shoreline takes over the 4-wheeler will run cirlce around a sled stuck in the mud.

Buy a nice 4 wheeler and a used snowmobile.



More and more I've thought the same thing.  I think I'm going to go for an ATV because:  1)  It doesn't snow much in ND anymore and usually if we do get good snow it is drifted and hard.  Plus, on the ice wind really makes drifts miserable.  2)  Warmer.  3)  As sportsman said, easy to modify.  4)  If I buy a sled, I want it to be a mountain sled.  Hifaxes and pullies take a beating if there is not adequate snow sifting to keep them lubricated and cool.  5)  Did I say warmer!  6)  More univeral...that is I can take it on shore if the need be without worrying about rocks etc.  7)  Smoother ride.  As I said in number one, the wind makes drifts hard on the lake and makes things tough on passengers and gear with snowmobilies.  8)  A little more dependable than a sled.  9)  Usable all winter (as well as all year) where as a snowmobile will only have an advantage of extreme snowfall.



So, I'd go with an ATV.  Or better yet check the classified soon and pickup a good used snowmobile to have in case of extreme weather.  I have both or access to both and 8 times out of ten I'd opt for the ATV.



Good topic!



Tim Sandstrom 

It's funny Tim, I just emailed one of my fishing friends & said the same thing. Maybe I just need both. Now, if I can onl convince my wife that I dont have too many toys already. Thanks for all your replies.

Sled all the way. If the fish are not biting..... crank up the sled and have some fun. The other reason is that I have been on the lake a few times where the weather comes up fast and will pretty much freeze up your ATV but the sled one pull and away you go. And in white out conditions you don't have to worry about getting buried and not getting out until spring. Two winters ago I had to use my sled and a GPS to get the whole family out of the ice house and back to safety. The weather came up and the truck was stuck. Luckly I brought my sled as well and we all got home that night.

There is no question that I would choose an ATV with good power. Much more versatile. I would add a set of tracks, not Mattracks, but the new tracks manufactured by AD BOUVIN (Ski Doo). They make models to fit any 4 wheeler. They are awesome, add only about 70 lbs to your 4 wheeler, retain about 90% of your wheel speed, and they will go anywhere. The only way you can stop them is if the water is too deep for your 4 wheeler. They turn as easy as tires and bolt onto the wheel lug nuts. Very easy to switch back to tires however, I leave my tracks on year around, unless I am going trail riding in the Black Hills. They have more track on the ground than any snowmobile.

They have a website and it is www.atvtracks.net and the model is the ADB Traxion tracks.

Awesone
11-15-05

Wanted to bring this topic back up with our latest winter trends with lots of snow. Anyone have a new opinion or added information. With permanent houses can you only pull those with a 4 wheeler or will a sled pull a permanent with ski's on it? Have we had too much snow to get on most lakes with a 4 wheeler the last few winters?

I was thinking a cheap snowmobile would be a ticket, but as others mention year round usability is hard to go wrong with.

Phil