Ice huts coming off lake
By Chris Simon

Lucky's Son's Fish Hut Rentals owner Chad Paiero will be pulling his ice huts off Lake Simcoe by March 15. That's the last day huts are allowed to be on the ice, according to provincial regulations.

In just a few days, ice fishing season will start drawing to a close.

According to provincial regulations, ice huts must be off of Lake Simcoe by March 15. Failure to do so could result in fines of up to $1,000 and three years imprisonment, depending on the severity of the offence.

Although the ice fishing season has been short, and recent weather has been ideal, conditions can quickly change on the lake, said Lucky's Son's Fish Hut Rentals owner Chad Paiero.

"After the 15th, the ice gets all punky in some spots. If it gets too bad, you won't be able to get your hut off. Huts end up floating into shore, boats could hit the huts, it's more littering than anything," he said. "The date set is actually a pretty good date, because it does go downhill quick. It's better to get your hut off while it's safe.

"If you still want to walk out and fish, you can do it, and you don't have to worry about the hassle of unsafe ice."

Paiero's family-run business currently has about 15 huts on the lake. He says business has been very busy since Lucky's Son's got their first huts onto the lake at the end of January. Often, most of the huts were booked several days in advance.

"The year has been really good ... one of the best for fishing. It got off to a slow start, we had early ice, then it melted," he said. "Our first hut rental was around (the end of) January. There's lots of fish in the bay this year; we haven't had one group that was skunked."

Unlike many other areas of the lake, shallow water off the shores of Lefroy, Belle Ewart and Gilford have allowed for about one and a half months of ideal fishing conditions.

Though the season has been short when compared to other years, anglers have been making the most out of their time on the lake. Everyone who rented from Paiero's company caught plenty of fish, including perch, whitefish and trout.

In fact, the short season seems to encourage ice fishing.

"When there's a shorter season, people seem to jam pack to get their ice fishing in," he said. "When it's a longer year, people seem to think they have lots of time to ice fish. This year has been really good for repeat business, cause they keep catching fish."

Recent snowfall could make ice hut removal difficult. Owners need to ensure their huts are separated from the ice, before attempting to remove them.

Once separated, Paiero uses sleighs and either All-Terrain Vehicles, snowmobiles or trucks to pull the huts to shore.

"There's only one other year I remember where we had to battle snow to get the huts off," he said. "A lot of times, when it's mild and cold, mild and cold, your hut will sink into the ice. That means a lot of chipping and heavy bars. Sometimes, it's harder to chip it out of the ice than it is to actually move it. Hopefully, the milder weather (forecasted for) this weekend will loosen the huts off the ice and we'll be able to take them in without a problem."