SnowDog on the Berry

[dubob]

I fished Strawberry today using the marina shuttle. 4 adults 2 kids, $160. Ouch! Been looking at used snowmobiles and SnowDogs. I got to visit with a guy and his wife motoring around the lake on his new dog. He said it did great and he was happy with it. It looked really sweet. On the way back to the marina some of the slushy areas were deep. The snowmobile was roosting icy water all over my sled. I was wondering if any of you dog owners have experience on Stawberry with the SnowDog in the slush. Better or worse than a snowmobile?  I love the simplicity, and storability, and weight of the dog but it must be able to do the berry.

For the average ice fisherman that isn't getting paid to do it, there is no such thing as one machine that will do it all.  I've had quads, snowmobiles, and now a Snowdog.  They all have their niche.  Since I'm only 2 months in to owning the Dog, my experience isn't as vast as what Jay has.  I'll run the dog for at least 2 full seasons before making a decision as to keeping it long term or not.  They do tip over easily and they will get bogged down in slush on occasion.  But so do snowmobiles and quads get booged down in slush.  Much easier to get the Dog un-bogged because of the lighter weight.  I have no clue about what the maximum snow depth is for the Dog and I hope I never find out.  It goes very good on ice, but can fishtail a little.  Probably run better after I stud the track.  Snow will slow it down a bit as I found out last week pulling a couple of well fed fishermen and 4 sleds of gear in about 6 inches of new snow on Rockport.  But it got us there and back just fine.  I have mostly done the Berry in March of the last 4 ice seasons and I don't recall any conditions we saw that wouldn't be doable with a Dog.  But by March, the snow is very well packed down and crusty for the most part with an occasion patch of slush.  Never fish it early season, so can't say what the conditions are like in Jan & Feb.  Again, there isn't one machine that will do it all.  You analyze your needs and goals and make a decision that best fits that scenario.   Good luck and tight lines to you.