Lake Simcoe has been known for decades as "The Ice Fishing Capital of North America." Long before that, however, ice fishing was practiced by local aboriginal people who would spear lake trout or whitefish through holes which they had cut through the ice. Early ice fishermen had to be tough; to be successful, fishermen squatted over their holes for hours, their only protection from the biting cold and wind the clothing on their backs. Not surprisingly, many fishermen resorted to sheltering in animal skins. Taking a short but ingenious step, fishermen created windscreens, which eventually morphed into huts which were loaded onto sleighs and pulled onto the ice first by hand and then by  snowmobile.

As early as 1908, over 80 huts could be seen on any winter’s day off Jackson's Point, and  that number had risen to over 800 huts in 1949, and by 1970, there were 42 commercial fish hut operators on the lake. Nowadays, a 75-minute drive north of Toronto will put you in the middle of one of the most amazing fishing adventures you can imagine: thousands of people and thousands of temporary shelters scattered over the frozen surface of Lake Simcoe. What would be intolerable overcrowding in summer is a party in winter.

Lake Simcoe is a shallow lake of some 287 square miles. A good weekend may see 6,000 anglers, each with perhaps four holes, fishing for perch, walleye, pike, trout, herring, whitefish, bass and even Muskie. Winter weekends see fishermen all over Lake Simcoe, making it the most intensively fished lake in Ontario. Likely the most popular catch is perch – travelling in large schools, it is both plentiful and delicious.

Not too hard to understand why Lake Simcoe gained the moniker "The Ice Fishing Capital of North America." Georgina has hosted the Great Lake Simcoe Ice Derby for years, but a decade ago the region hosted the World Championships of Ice Fishing and international participants were blown away. Ever since those first global championships, Lake Simcoe is best known as "The Ice Fishing Capital of the World."

Every winter, hundreds of thousands of hard water (and we mean really hard water) fishing enthusiasts will venture onto Lake Simcoe in pursuit of one of the quintessential Canadian pastimes. You owe it to yourself to experience the charm and the beauty of Lake Simcoe in winter. We have literally dozens of experienced, enthusiastic outfitters who will be only too happy to help you get started. FishinOntario is the definitive online ice fishing resource – be sure to visit before booking your hard water adventure. Come join us!