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March of the Ice Huts

The deadline for taking your ice hut off the lake is April 1st. Another ice fishing season on Lake Nipissing has ended. And by all indications, it has been a good one.
The deadline for taking your ice hut off the lake is April 1st.

Another ice fishing season on Lake Nipissing has ended. And by all indications, it has been a good one. Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) conservation officer, Mike Regis says he and fellow officers have been hearing it’s been a strong season for walleye.

“They’ve been biting pretty steady right across the lake all winter. The perch fishing was somewhat slower than last year.” Regis said.

But now with warmer temperatures moving into the North Bay area, Regis is advising anglers get their ice huts off the lake soon, preferably before the April 1st deadline. He says conditions are improving right now as the snow compresses. But once the ice gets too slushy, huts will bog down and be harder to move. And if they’re left past the deadline, owners could face fines.

“The minimum fine for leaving a hut on one of the lakes, Lake Nipissing let’s say, is $150 plus surcharge, plus court costs, so you’re up around $200. If we have to go out and get your hut you could also be liable for costs that we incur.” Regis warned.

Inevitably there are a few stragglers that get caught by the weather or circumstances and miss the deadline. Regis says patrols will go out to deal with those huts. “As the day approaches, or shortly thereafter, between us and some of our partners, we’ll remove the huts that are left out there.” It’s just a matter of checking the mandatory registration numbers on each hut and tracking down their owners.

He says there are several hundred huts still on the lake. Many others have been taken off already by their owners. Regis says compliance is mostly very good. “There’s an investment in an ice hut so generally they’re not going to be left behind.”

The walleye season on Lake Nipissing doesn’t open again in most parts of the lake until May 20th.