Guide to Ice Fishing Flooring: Comfort, Insulation, and Tips

• Enhanced Comfort: A cushioned floor eases knee strain and improves overall comfort, allowing you to stay out on the ice longer.
• Thermal Insulation: Flooring creates a barrier between your feet and the freezing ice, preventing the cold from seeping into your boots.
• Water Resistance: As heaters warm the shelter, ice can melt and create a wet, slushy floor. Waterproof flooring helps keep you dry and stable.

Several flooring options offer comfort, insulation, and durability for ice fishing. Here are some of the most effective materials:

Interlocking Gym Mats

• Material: High-density foam.
• Pros: Lightweight, portable, and easy to assemble and disassemble. They provide excellent insulation and cushioning for long hours on the ice.
• Setup Tips: Interlocking mats can be customized to your shelter’s layout, allowing you to leave gaps for fishing holes. For added stability, secure them with short screws for better traction on ice.
• Cons: Gym mats can slide if not secured, especially when the floor becomes wet.

Rubber Truck Bed Liner

• Material: Heavy-duty PVC rubber, typically ¾-inch thick.
• Pros: Durable, waterproof, and provides substantial insulation. Easy to clean and resistant to wear.
• Setup Tips: Cut to fit the shelter’s interior. Bed liners are heavier than foam mats, so they’re best for semi-permanent setups or larger hub shelters.
• Cons: They are heavy, making them less ideal for portable shelters. Cutting holes for fishing access can also reduce durability.

EVA Foam Tiles

• Material: Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) foam.
• Pros: EVA foam is waterproof, lightweight, and flexible, offering excellent insulation against the cold.
• Setup Tips: EVA foam tiles, like interlocking mats, can be arranged to suit any layout and are easy to store and transport. Ideal for solo anglers or smaller shelters.
• Cons: Tiles may shift when wet unless secured, and they don’t offer as much cushioning as thicker options.

Not all materials work well on the ice. Avoid these common options, as they may not withstand the harsh conditions or provide adequate comfort:

Indoor-Outdoor Carpet

• Cons: Although inexpensive, carpet absorbs water and fish slime, making it heavy and odorous. It quickly deteriorates and doesn’t insulate effectively, especially in freezing conditions.

Plywood

• Pros and Cons: While durable and providing excellent insulation in permanent shanties, plywood is heavy, cumbersome, and unsuitable for portable setups. Not practical for anglers who need easy transport.

Yoga Mats

• Cons: Lightweight and prone to rolling up, yoga mats offer minimal insulation and tend to shift around. They don’t handle moisture well and can be difficult to secure.

Once you’ve chosen the flooring, here are a few tips to make the setup more efficient and comfortable:

• Layer Insulation: If you plan to stay out in extreme cold, consider layering a thermal barrier under your flooring, such as a foam camping mat, to maximize insulation.
• Use Floor Mats: In addition to flooring, consider bringing a small rubber mat to stand on while fishing to reduce direct contact with the ice.
• Dry Mats After Use: Wet mats can lead to mildew and unpleasant odors, so be sure to dry your flooring thoroughly after each outing.
• Keep Floor Clean: Sweep away ice shavings and fish slime to avoid slippery and unpleasant conditions inside your shanty.

• Select flooring that balances comfort, insulation, and portability for your ice fishing shelter.
• Avoid absorbent or heavy materials like carpet, plywood, and yoga mats, which perform poorly on ice.
• Keep your floor clean and dry, and consider adding thermal layers for extra insulation on extremely cold days.