Best hub style for spearing

[KenM1987]

I'm looking at buying a hub style house for spearing so I can scout more lakes. What have you guys found to be the best one?

[Neiko]

I have only been spearing for a few years. I started out using my X2 lined with black plastic. I sold that and ended up getting the Fatfish 949I and highly recommend it. Me and my buddy spear out of it together and go face to face which is nice as he can see what is coming underneath my side and I can for him. If you watch my video that was taken out of my Fatfish. It was -15 when we were fishing and only had the big buddy heater on low. Nice thing about the insulated is the moisture doesn't build up inside. If you only plan on having 1 person in the house I would go with the 767I. I did use my 949I to sleep in for opening deer hunting last weekend and it worked great. We kept the Big buddy on low and were more then enough comfortable in it. Only issue is they are not waterproof so we cover it with a tarp incase it rains when we sleep in it. My buddy just picked one up at Cab last weekend with all the deals and discount was only $183.

[MJ1657]

+1 on the 949I. I wouldn't be without mine.

[mrklean]

Don't think you can go wrong with any of the Eskimo hubs I had a Quickfish 3 and loved it sold that and bought a 949I cant wait to try it out, don't forget to build a floor whatever you get.

[Jdawg sk1]

I use a 949 non insulated and it works great plenty warm with a buddy. I do not have a floor but I do have some strips of carpet that it lay down to cut the light and provide some grip.

[Neighbor_guy]

Another vote for Eskimo products from the neighbor_guy camp.

I use a 767 non insulated when I use a porty, and like everyone else will not do so without a floor. If I used it more, or could have found one, I would have gotten a 767i. I can fish 2 adults or 2 adults and 2 kids in it very comfortably. With a 44"x34" hole.

[KenM1987]

I bought the 949i very impressed can't believe the room.

[MJ1657]

I bought the 949i very impressed can't believe the room.

Unreal isn't it??

[KenM1987]

I have a really nice permanent but hate moving it from lake to lake. I have a feeling it might not get much use this year. One complaint is I have no idea how you would ever get that strap that goes around the house itself back on there. I can't fold that up tight enough to even get it close

[MJ1657]

I'm having a bag made for my house at a canvas shop right now. Trying to stuff it in the stock bag on a cold day is almost impossible.

[jasonmichalski]

I love my shappell IH6000

[Dooley87]

I'm getting a polar fire (HT Enterprises) deluxe thermal hub. It's the only thermal hub on the market that is a black out house. I've heard nothing but good things and the price is really reasonable. $220 for the 2 man $300 for the 4 man which I'm going to get. It's base is 7'x7' so it's a size up from my eskimo quickfish 3. Plus the exterior is black too so it will soak up the sun and heat itself. Just like a cooler should only be white a fish house should only be black.

Here's a review on that house, only issue is you'll probably have to get it shipped to you.

Polar fire deluxe 4 review

[motownmasher]

how do these hold up on windy days?? is the setup similar to a ground blind with the center hubs?? ive used my clam which is ok, but if it's windy it flaps, and i have to cover it to stay dark enough.

[cherokee]

What kind of floor you guys building? Treated plywood? and what about size?

[Dooley87]

I just have a 6'x6' piece of black marine carpet that has the spear hole cut out, I can just roll it up and stow it in my sled. It's not as nice as a wood floor but way more mobile. It really darkens the inside of the house.

The polar fire house I'm getting is 7'x7' so I'm going to put my hole diagonally so a person can sit on opposite corners and see fish coming from all directions.

[cherokee]

Thanks - I too am going to upgrade soon as my old Mankato house is just about toast. I'm tired of the old aluminum poles and lugging the suitcase around. My sled broke when I got to my spot last weekend and ended up carrying the house off by hand. What a pain.

[Wolfpaak]

I just bought the eskimo 949i and am wondering how you guys rig the decoy line up in a hub.

Thanks,

Kenny

[mrklean]

I built a floor in mine and have PVC poles rigged from one side to the other cheap easy and it works

[eyesonly]

I don't spear fish but it looks really fun. Kind of like deer hunting. I would think my Eskimo 949I would be the perfect portable for spearing. I would think the height would be pretty good for that.

[Ole #1]

I just bought the eskimo 949i and am wondering how you guys rig the decoy line up in a hub.

Thanks,

Kenny

I spear out of my 949i and I use clamp on rattle reels for the decoy and sucker, it works awesome. Just clamp them to the poles and you're set. This way if a fish hits the sucker or decoy, it won't collapse the hub.

[Wolfpaak]

Thanks for the tips! I tried connecting a lantern to the "peak" with a big rubberband and it holds tight to the poles so think i'll give that a try too! As for windy conditions, its a little tough to set up but once it was it was good to go.

Thanks Again,

Kenny

[kirkatholomew]

What would you guys suggest for darkening a Clam Jason Mitchell 5-sided hub house? Trying to figure out a way to do it that doesn't involve a tarp over the roof.

[MJ1657]

I'm not familiar with that hub. 

Could you spray paint the inside? 

[mwal]

I had an insulated clam house and was unable to darken without tarping it which proved to be to much of a hassle so I sold it to a non spearer and bought a Eskimo quickfish 3. It is dark enough. I wish I would of got the insulated as they seem even darker. I also found the eskimo much easier to set up and take down. I had a heck of a time with the clam breaking hubs as well. I rejoiced when it left the driveway. LOL

Mwal

[husky]

Just getting into spearing. Do you use braid or mono to hang your decoys or suckers? How do you hang your decoys in a hub? What do you use for floor in a hub? Thanks

[MJ1657]

I just use the braided tip up line. I'll post some pics of my floor and decoy set up.

[MJ1657]

This is my floor set up. Folds in half and it's two pieces. I did it this way so it would fit in a 6'5" pickup box.

 

 

[MJ1657]

I found a pic of my decoy set up from a floor I used to have. It's not a great pic but enough. The round bar frame goes up then does a 90 so if hangs over the hole. I have a couple reels that slide onto the bar. 

[husky]

Looks great!  Pike aren't spooked by the braided line? 

[MJ1657]

19 minutes ago, husky said:

Looks great!  Pike aren't spooked by the braided line? 

Thanks

 

I haven't had any trouble with it spooking them. 

 

Another thing I've seen guys do is use fiberglass rods or posts and slide them up into the hub poles. Then they use some of those clamp on rattle reels to hand decoys.