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Posted

Hoping you guys can help me out. I'm in the market for a new portable and cant decide on the Clam2000 or the frabill Refuge. So if anyone has one or the other let me know what you think thanks.

Posted

Between those 2 I'd say clam. I personally own am otter outdoors pro thermal resort and wouldn't want anything else. When people look in they are shocked by its size and warmth. Best house I ever bought

Posted

I currently own one of each right now. I have a sled style frabill guardian and a hub style clam Bigfoot xl2000. I have previously owed clam sled style flip over houses but I like my guardian much better. As for the hub style pop up shelters this is my first..... But for the size (7.5x7.5') and price ($229 new) I found it hard to consider other brands.

But both frabill and clam make high quality products and I think it all comes down to personal preference (and whether you like black or blue better). It's like he age old ford/chevy, vexilar/marcum, jiffy/strikemaster debates...... Find a store that has both on display and spend a few minutes sitting in each and then get on the ice!

Posted

Thanks for the info mosquitoman, the only problem I have is I cant find a store with the frabill on the floor. One more question do either of them get condensation on the inside walls?

Posted

I know my otter gets zero condensation. Can't say for the others as I don't know

Posted

I just did this same dance a couple month ago. A couple of the things I looked at was the was the size of the sled. Fishable space. And, total weight.

If you end up buying from Scheels. Do a bunch of research online and find the best price on the house you want. Scheels will price match it. Minus and shipping costs.

Posted

Any thermal shelter will get less condensation on the inside. With most shelters having vents built in it has reduced it quite a bit in my opinion. But it all depends on the temperature outside your house compared to the temp inside. Condensation can and will always occur at some point, non thermal houses just have a thinner barrier between the temperature differences and show the condensation a lot sooner. The condensation I have seen in my houses has never had a negative impact on any fishing trip I have taken so I could not justify the extra weight and $ of the thermal. Again it's all personal preference!

Posted

Hoping you guys can help me out. I'm in the market for a new portable and cant decide on the Clam2000 or the frabill Refuge. So if anyone has one or the other let me know what you think thanks.

If this was past I would say the Clam 2000 was JUNK! I own one from 4-5 years ago. The way the fabric was attached to the molded plastic base floor was by screws that had no nuts. So the screws would wear and loose as well as the base itself become all deformed.

However earlier last month I looked at a current model Clam 2000 and was surprised that the quality was a lot better as with all Clam products this year.

I also had seen the Frabill refuge and that it was solid too. At this point the base of the Clam feels a little more sturdier however I like the design of the Frabill refuge better. Its base feels nicer and the flip out covers appears to be easier to open.

Its best if you just go out and examined both cabins before you make up your mind about a purchase.

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • monstermoose78
      Ok the ice was 15-16 inches and less than 2 inches of snow. It’s was -15 this morning and the weekend looks to be cold again. The fish were there but not biting with change in weather. 
    • Dash 1
      I guess the vikings are a lot like fishing.  Very entertaining but frustrating at times. I've probably been cheering the vikings for 50 plus years  that i can remember and once again it's all about (there's always next year).  
    • Dash 1
      I remember Jeno's boxed pizza years ago.  Mom made it every Saturday night while dad and I watched All Star Wrestling.  
    • smurfy
      Chef boyardee box pizza. Good stuff 
    • smurfy
    • leech~~
      Smurf, still trying to get his lure jigging down when using the camera!  🤭   https://www.facebook.com/reel/517510734635573
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the South Shore... Ice fishing is going great on the south shore of Lake of the Woods, with resorts and outfitters reporting thickening ice conditions with two feet of ice in some areas.  Many ice roads are now open to 1 ton vehicles pulling a wheelhouse.  Every road has different weight limits, check with each resort for details before traveling up and out on the ice.      Some good fishing this past week.  As a rule, fishing activity is happening in 28 - 32 feet of water.  Resorts do just about everything they can to get customers on fish and this past week, some resorts made some long runs, resetting fish houses in new areas miles off shore.  Most are reporting good fishing as a rule.     It is common to sort through some small walleyes and saugers to get your keepers on LOW.  Naturally, some big fish are showing up, especially in deeper water.  In addition, this has been a very good year for jumbo perch with good numbers being caught.  Other fish in the mix are eelpout (burbot), pike, tullibees and an occasional sturgeon.      Anglers are using the one-two punch of jigging in one hole and deadsticking the second hole. In the jigging hole, a jigging spoon tipped with a minnow head or tail in gold / pink, gold / glow red, glow white / pink, or Wonder Bread have worked well.     Especially in the deeper water, some anglers are finding success on rippin raps or using jigging spoons with a rattle as well.     On the deadstick, a small jig with a live minnow hooked behind the dorsal fin set 6 inches - a foot off of the bottom is working well.  One day the jigging line catches most of the fish, the other day a deadstick is hot.     Electronics are very helpful to see suspended fish, know when fish are coming through and adjust your presentation to the mood of each fish.  Most resorts, outfitters and bait shops in the area rent electronics by the day.   On the Rainy River... The Rainy River is still producing some nice walleyes and saugers, primarily in the mornings and evenings.  A jig and minnow working well.   Catch-and-release sturgeon fishing continues to be good for those targeting them.  An oversized hole, or three holes drilled together, with nightcrawlers or frozen emerald shiners on a sturgeon rig fished on the bottom are what anglers are using.     Ice conditions on the river can vary significantly due to the current. To stay safe and maximize success, always work with a local resort or outfitter familiar with river conditions.    Up at the NW Angle... Ice fishing continues to be very good up at the Northwest Angle. Resorts have fish houses set up on various pieces of structure as well as adjacent to structure in deep mud.  A consistent mix of walleyes, saugers, jumbo perch, pike and tullibees in the mix.     Shallow structure is best right away in the morning and as the sun starts going down in the late afternoon.  Mud is more of a slower bite but all day.   The ice road from Jerry's on the mainland (Angle Inlet, MN) to island resorts (as of this past week) was open to 1 ton vehicles.  Guests drive right to their island resort after picking up a road pass at Jerry's or Point North Services.  Venmo is also available at all resorts.  Work through your resort for specifics.   Ice fishing is in full swing across Lake of the Woods and there are openings for lodging, fish house rentals, sleeper fish house rentals and meal plans across the area.  Ice fishing is extended on LOW with fish houses allowed on the ice through March 31st, walleye / sauger season open through April 14th and a pike season that never closes.  
    • Brianf.
      From your fingertips to God's ears...  Finally got some snow!   Several inches of new snow fell before and during the weekend.  Sunday eve when we left, the high winds had already begun to create some drifting on the lake.  It was fun riding for sure.  Lots of folks on the lake this past weekend too.  We fueled up the sleds at Shamrock and saw as many people fishing in that area as I've ever seen in the Winter on Lake Vermilion.     Our weekend results were decent.  Jeff and I and a buddy caught probably 50 walleyes between the three of us, mostly fishing a jig/plastics with our three biggest being 24", 25", and 25.5".  We also got one large pike of unknown length.  During the midday on Sunday, we targeted whitefish and Jeff managed one big one.  We released all of our fish, except for three small walleyes that our buddy wanted to bring home for a meal.  Definitely a fun weekend on Lake V!   
    • leech~~
      The Vikings are the Vikings so it's nothing new.  It is kind of sad that Darnold's off season stock is now going to drop like a rock after these last two games. It kind of shows he's not a big game guy.  🤔
    • smurfy
      I'm blaming leech... his food selection has been lacking game days recently  🤣
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