It’s not every year that ice huts appear on the inner bay of Lake Erie. Sometimes winters are too mild. But when the conditions are right, ice fishing is a big deal around here. Some people even walk out onto the ice, drill a hole and fish without the shelter of a hut. If you’re looking for some winter fun and maybe (hopefully) a few fresh caught Lake Erie perch, grab your fishing pole and start drilling! Or, you will find below a few links to places that will set you up and even take you out to your own heated hut!
We used to have our own hut. It was a project shared by several guys. The finished product was quite the achievement with design details that would be worthy of a show on HGTV. However, their big plans resulted in a big hut. A big heavy hut. It had to be “modified” in order to move it out of the building where it was constructed and towing that monstrosity to the fishing area proved to be a challenge. So the hut had a short life. Just a few seasons of “ice drinking” – our affectionate term due to the lack of fish caught.
We once had a small party in the hut while it was sitting in our driveway. And, the year we tapped our trees to make maple syrup we used the stove in the hut to boil down some sap one weekend. So I guess you can say it was useful.
The best ice fishing story was when Mr. H and a friend had accidentally dropped a bottle of something to keep them warm down the hole. In their efforts to retrieve the bottle, a Blackberry went down too. So, like all good fishermen, they rescued the bottle and left the phone on the bottom of the lake. The next day, our friend went to the hut and retrieved the phone. He left it on the dash of the truck in the sun while he fished. Later, it was left in a bag of rice for a day. The next day Mr. H called me from that phone! And it continued to work for another 6 months. I should’ve written to Blackberry to share that story.
Fortunately, there are a few local businesses who can set you up for a day of fishing and they look after almost everything!
Here in Long Point you can book an Ice Fishing hut with Jimmy Riggin.
On the other side of the bay, or back on the “mainland” you can book with Bayside Ice Fishing. or Collins Harbour.
Our friend Jim is an avid fisherman. Well, actually that would be an understatement. He’s a fish whisperer. I think he has a sixth sense about fishing. Even when no one else is catching, he is! Here’s a nice catch from one of his days out on the bay.
Perch is our favourite local fish. It’s mild and delicate. They are a smaller fish and cleaning them takes some practice. Lucky for us we can pay someone to clean them for us! Otherwise we’d make quite a mess. We like it best deep fried with a thin batter. And Jim is a master at that too.
Thanks for sharing your pictures Jim!
If you have some fresh catch to cook up, you might want to try Cornmeal Crusted Crappie and don’t forget Celery Bread.