I bet you’re looking for a review on Clam ice fishing houses… Am I Right? I know I’m right otherwise you wouldn’t have landed here. I review various fishing products from time to time.
The Research
With extensive research scouring the internet for facts and figures, watching videos, and talking to people that have used the products I tend to find some awesome products and once in a while some great deals! No better forum than the internet to find compare and review kick-butt quality products and services.
You can find anything and everything if you just do a little google search. That’s more than likely how you got to my website Tackle Box Talk.
Enough about me and how I research and how you got here. Let us dig into the topic at hand which is Clam Ice Fishing Houses! This is an exciting review for me because these ice houses are the creme de la creme of ice shacks. Some of them are a bit spendy but well worth it for what you get with them.
Suffice it to say you are probably an ice angler looking for a fishing house to purchase online or a miss guided soul searching for clams online LOL. I like to believe you’re an ice angler. I wouldn’t want to deal with a hungry clam eater anyway. 🙂
These shelters are anything but a shack! These Clam ice fishing houses are some of the best fishing houses on the market. They have been that way for many years.
The Clam Ice Team
The Clam corporation started what they call the Clam Ice Team over 20 years ago in 1997. Jason Mitchell is part of this team that travels up and down the ice belt as they call it. They are ice fishing professionals who are essentially ice fishing tour guides for Clam. They test out new products on the road educating and inspiring ice anglers of all ages as they go.
Jason has his own line-up of Clam ice fishing houses. Two of them to be exact and they are the two we will be reviewing in this article.
Clam Ice Fishing Houses
Clam has over 25 shelters in 3 different model types. The three models are:
- Pop-up Hub – 9 shelters – 2 thermal floors
- Fish Trap – 19 shelters
- Permanent – 1 shelter more like a trailer lol
These come at various prices from $300 all the way up to $10,000 for the big boy called The Clam Shack. The clam shack is the only one in the permanent model and it is a shack on wheels! Pick one up if you got the bucks. Pick me one up too while you’re at it. 🙂 Just wanted to brighten your day I couldn’t afford it either. I will be doing a separate review on just The Clam Shack in an upcoming post… So stay tuned for that.
Legend XL
The Legend XL Thermo by Clam will keep you warm on those cold blustery days of ice fishing on the lake. It’s made of strong 900 denier fabric that will keep the coldest of winds out while you stay toasty warm on the inside. And with 90 grams of insulation per square meter, you won’t find a more insulated ice fishing shelter. You will fish in comfort with its deluxe swivel seat that can slide back and forth and even left and right. This makes for an easy time maneuvering your fishing pole when you have a fish on the line.
Easy Set-up and Teardown
It doesn’t get much easier to set up and tear down these Clam ice fishing houses. With the 1 1/4″ Rapid Pole Slide Extreme (RPSX) life is easy only takes about a few minutes to set up or teardown. They have a new bigger thumb tab release so you can set up or tear down with or without your gloves or mittens.
There are no sharp edges on the pole frame because of the one-piece hoop pole design. The more often you would do this the faster you would be at it.
Jason Mit
chell Thermal 5000
Jason’s second one is called The JM 5000 Thermal Ice Shelter. This one is less expensive than the thermal x2 because it doesn’t come with a sled.
The 5000 is a 4 to 6-man shelter. Comes with an oversized carrying case made for easy repacking. It has an oversized skirt for extra snow banking that helps keep the wind and cold out.
Also has lab-tested hubs large ones for easy set-up and teardown. Like the thermal x2, it has the 900 denier fabric for heat in and moisture out. Flex-tested 11mm poles. Extra strap pockets and anchor straps 5 of them for windy conditions, which you are bound to run into on the ice. If that thing isn’t tied down your going to have a mess.
Specifications
- 50lbs
- 9 feet across
- Center Height 82″
- Inside area 63.5 sq ft
- Packing Size L 63″ x W 13″ x H 13″
This is a nice-looking strong shelter with plenty of room for 4 to 6 people. So it’s warm big and easy to set what more can you ask for and the price is right on this one at only $449.99! You can’t beat that for the quality you get.
Jason Mitchell 5000 Thermal
Those are the two Clam ice fishing houses for today. Click on the links and check them out. I know you will want to get one. Ice fishing season is just around the corner.
Feel free to leave questions or comments below and I will answer them to the best of my knowledge. Thanks for reading.
And Remember, You Can Catch Your Fish and Eat ’em 2
In need of Ice Fishing House Supplies? CLICK HERE
This was actually a really enjoyable review, thanks! My question for you is which one would you actually recommend. Taking in to account the price difference but also the corners the Jason Mitchell Thermal 5000 have actually cut to get that price difference. Are you missing out on much if you do decide to go with the second one, or have they managed to make a product just as good, for less money?
The Thermal x2 is so expensive compared to the jm 5000 is because the x2 comes with a sled and the 5000 just sites on the ice but is still warm and comfortable.
Thanks for your review of clam ice fishing houses. Would you say the less expensive one is still really good quality and keeps in as much heat as the more expensive ones? What makes the ones that cost up to $10,000 so much better? I imagine the most important thing here is the ability of these things to keep you warm and safe from frost bite and hypothermia.
The $10,000 one is more of a mobile home an ice house on wheels. The less expensive one just doesn’t have the sled with it and no floor or seats in it. It’s more of a tent on ice but still warm and comfortable inside if you pack the snow around the outside to keep the wind from coming in from underneath. Some of these do have insulated floors you can buy for them.
I didn’t actually know there were portable ice fishing houses like these. I think it’s a great product and it looks very lightweight and portable. I think for the price point it’s quite worth it, epecially if you are an avid ice fisher. It would make the time much more enjoyable to stay warm and have a nice place to visit with friends while fishing. I like that you’ve included videos so people can actually get a feel for the actual product and just how much space and other features it provides. Great resource!
I didn’t imagine those houses exist… the cold there is hard, yes? Have you used some of them? What is on the floor of the houses? The only ones I have seen are for camping in summer, the sand in on the floor cover by some kind of canvas, how are those for the extreme cold weather? I liked to know about those Clam Ice Fishing Houses.;)
Yes it gets cold here in Wisconsin in the winter months. You can get ice houses with or without floors in them and some are built right onto a sled for easy transport and set-up.
HI there,
Great review, I really liked the reading!
My husband loves to fish and soon he will be fishing with friends in the cold. So I am looking for a fishing house, that way he will be able to protect himselve from the cold. I saw the video, and I really like how easy it is to build the house. It also looks very comfortable inside. They will be four people to go on this fishing trip. So I was wondering which one would be best?Also, I would like to know if there is a warranty?
Thank you for this excellent post!
The Jason Mitchell Thermal 5000 would be the one he would want to use ice fishing since he is having four people in it. Here’s the warranty information from Clam’s website:
‘Clam’s warranty covers manufacturer defects for products purchased through a certified Clam Dealer. This warranty does not cover cracked windows, tent tears, broken or bent poles due to high wind or unattended use. The part will be replaced or repaired (manufacturer’s option). Warranty coverage time-frame is listed on the front page of the product Owner’s Manual.’
Hope this helped.
Hello Cory,
I love everything that has to do with fishing.
Of the models of ice fishing house that you expose, I would look for the one that is able to accommodate 4 fishermen.
After observing the video, it is easy and quick to build these ice houses in the place.
It is also very interesting as an insulator of the external cold and the external support on windy days.
I will consult with friends before making the purchase.
Anyway thank you very much!
Claudio
Good day,
I have to tell you that I thought these ice houses only happen in movies! But been a city girl/ woman I guess anything is possible. In particular for a sport person who enjoys sitting in the cold catching fish. Again been a city woman does not seem like something I would do but would certainly like to try. Always up for a new adventure. With this being said if I were into ice fishing I would certainly like to be as comfortable as possible. I would consider the purchase of an ice house.
The only question I have is how do you keep the ice house from blowing away? Do you use some type of weight or ice pick or what? Do you need to layer in clothing?
Thank you for the article it was most interesting and maybe I will try ice fishing someday.
Best on your endeavors,
Lady Esther
I will answer your last question first. Yes, dress warm it usually at least 30 degrees Fahrenheit when your out fishing so you should dress in layers so that if you get warm in the ice house you can shed some of the layers of clothes.
To keep the shelter from blowing away you can use a ice anchor to hold it down and or keep it attached to the sled depending on what type of ice shelter your using. The shelters without the floors usually have extra material around the outside edges that you can pack with snow to keep the wind from blowing underneath and thus keeping it warm on the inside and keeping it from flying away in the wind.