It may seem counterintuitive, but one of the best ways to get through the winter is to actually embrace it by renting an ice fishing hut at Petrie Island and drilling a hole in the ice.

People have been ice fishing at Petrie Island for decades. In its heyday, prior to the COVID pandemic, you could find over 100 huts on the ice just to the east of Tweddle Road and south of the Oziles’ Marina.

Today, there are half that number – owned or rented by a mix of weekend anglers, hobbyists and old-timers who have been ice fishing at Petrie Island for years.

One of those old-timers is Al MacIntyre, who first came to Petrie Island in 1981. After moving away from Ottawa for a number of years, he moved back to Orléans in 2000 and built the cabin he still uses four or five days a week. In all those years the biggest fish he caught was a giant muskie.

Unlike most ice fishermen who drill a hole outside, MacIntyre drilled his hole inside his hut which is equipped with a pair of propane heaters.

When he’s not keeping an eye on his line, MacIntyre is face-timing with a group of 10 other ice fisherman across Canada who all met through social media.

Now in his 70s, MacIntyre says the things he likes most about his favorite past time is the social aspect.

“You meet all kinds of people down here and they all share a love of fishing,” says MacIntyre.

Richard Beaudoin has been ice fishing at Petrie Island since the early 1980s when he used to tag along with his grandfather as a young boy.

Five years ago, he was hired by the marina to run the ice fishing village which entails managing the rentals and dragging the huts on to the ice in early January when it’s thick enough to support them, and then dragging them back on the shore near the end of February.

Space for each hut is allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Derek Horsley has been coming to Petrie Island for the past 12 years. Although the fish have been scarce this year due to lower-than-normal water levels, he keeps coming back to get away from all the noise and the hustle and bustle that comes with living in the city.

“I love fishing and I love the people,” says Horsley, who is often joined by his girl-friend and his eldest son who has his own cabin.

Getting away from it all is the primary reason why most people enjoy ice fishing, along with the challenge of actually catching a fish. It’s also a great way to spend some quality family time, providing your family also enjoys spending the better part of their day out on the ice.

When most people hear the words “ice fishing”, they immediately think of someone staring at a hole in the ice, waiting for a fish to take the bait.

The reality is much different. While most ice fisherman love to be outdoors, espe-cially when it’s nice outside, they mostly spend their time in a cozy ice fishing hut which have evolved over the years.

While you can still see the more “rustic” type of ice shacks on Petrie Island that have little more than four walls and a small wood stove in the middle, most huts today are equipped with everything from a propane stove to a computer monitor that can be connected to a laptop on which they can watch their favourite show on Netflix using the wi-fi hotspot on their smartphone.

These are not your grandfather’s garden variety ice huts. And almost all of them have a generator outside.

The only thing they’re lacking is a fridge. But when you’re fishing on the ice, you don’t really need one – just put everything outside the door.

If you’ve never tried ice fishing or are thinking of dipping your toe in the icy cold water, you can rent a hut and equipment from the Oziles’ Marina at Petrie Island. You can find them at oziles.com or email piifa.info@gmail.com.