How to Build a Pop-Up Fishing Shanty

When the mercury drops well below freezing and winds are howling across the frozen lakes, it's ice fishing season. In order to stay warm and comfortable, shanties are built on the ice. A shanty does not have to be an elaborate affair, but it does need to provide a barrier between you and the elements. A portable, pop-up shanty is handy because it packs down after use, so you can take it down and set it up with relative ease.

Things You'll Need

  • Plywood
  • Power saw
  • Measuring tape and marker
  • Power sander
  • 2-by4-foot timber
  • Power drill
  • Wood screws
  • Telescoping canopy poles
  • Metal elbow brackets
  • Tarps
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Instructions

    • 1

      Measure out the floor of the shanty on the plywood. Because it is a pop-up, keep the size smaller than a stationary shanty would be. A reasonable size is 4 by 6 feet. Mark out the floor shape on the plywood and cut it out with the power saw.

    • 2

      Cut a 1-foot-diameter circle in the center of the plywood. This is where the ice hole is aligned for fishing on the inside of the shelter.

    • 3

      Sand down the edges of the plywood. Measure out four 4-inch lengths of the 2-by-4-foot timber and cut them out of the main timber. Screw one 4-inch length to each corner of the plywood base.

    • 4

      Screw one elbow bracket to each corner timber on the plywood platform, such that the elbow hole is facing up. Slide a telescoping pole into each elbow so there are four poles, one in each corner of the shanty.

    • 5

      Extend each telescoping pole up to its full and open position. Spread a tarp over the four poles. Stake out the tarp to the ice at each corner using one ice screw for each corner of the tarp through the grommet, if your tarp is so equipped. Leave one side of the shanty partially open so the tarp flaps form a rudimentary door.

    • 6

      Remove the tarp and fold down the poles when you are ready to pack the shanty up. Fold the tarp and remove the poles. Place the gear into the center of the plywood floor for transport.