A new piece of ice fishing equipment is turning heads this season.
The “Hoverhut” is made in Parry Sound by the company “Air Rider” and can travel at speeds of up to 60 kilometres an hour.
“This is probably the world’s only flying ice fishing hut,” said Hoverhut owner Rocky Madsen. “Technically this is a boat that floats. That way we can go on thin ice and over pressure cracks. We were out in the middle of December on about one inch of ice and we fished.”
The Hoverhut has two engines – one for the lift and one to drive, and it is heated and comes with two removable fishing holes.
It can carry up to 5 people on either ice or water.
“We can get an extra month of ice fishing. We can come out 2 weeks earlier and 2 weeks later. Usually your first ice and your last ice is the best fishing, but that's where this machine comes in because we can fish right until there's no more ice left,” said Madsen.
He says driving the Hoverhut is similar to driving a truck on ball bearings, and it just takes a bit of practice until you get used to it.
“You can't fall through, you can't get wet, and there's no chance of going through the ice,” said angler Grant Smith. “It's a pretty comforting feeling especially when the ice is early or late.”
For more information about the Hoverhut, which retails at $60,000, go here.
