In plane sight: Saskatchewan fishers show off unique ice fishing shack

A few people ice fishing on Last Mountain Lake have taken the term “fly fishing” a little too seriously.

Lee Saretsky is one of four people who have turned an old airplane they found on Facebook Marketplace into their own private ice shack.

Saretsky spoke Tuesday on The Evan Bray Show about the shack and said it took quite a bit of work to get it where it is now.

“It was pretty rough on the inside,” Saretsky said. “All the seats were stripped out and insulation was hanging all over, but it was all intact — the shell and everything. We had to silicone a window in, but it was perfect for what we wanted.

“We cleaned it all out, got it spray-foamed by a guy in Lumsden — Greener Solutions — and then I made an aircraft carrier for it, a drill stem and an axle, and then we made some skis out of some sea channel. We bolt that right on where the tires go once we get to the lake, and made a front ski for it and then bus seats and a couple captain’s chairs and insulators and away we go.”

Saretsky said the shack is being called Ice Force One, with he and the rest of the crew referring to themselves as the Wrong brothers.

He said the work on the shack is not yet complete and there are still some ideas.

“We’re throwing around the idea of a drink cart, but it’s kind of in the way,” said Saretsky.

The aircraft is currently resting on the tarmac of Last Mountain Lake.

According to FishingBooker.com, Last Mountain Lake hit the top spot for the best fishing destination in Canada this year. Also known as Long Lake, Last Mountain Lake has prized walleye and perch species and is the largest naturally formed lake in southern Saskatchewan.

Also on the list of best fishing destinations were Lake Ontario, the Cowichan River, the Bow River, Lake Dauphin, Saguenay, North Lake, Bras d’Or Lake, the Grander River, and the French River.

The interior of the plane has been sprayed with foam insulation. (Derek Davis Ice Shack Nation/Facebook)