Ice Bungalows — Local services in Nipissing Township

Last year, our trip was canceled due to a lack of ice, so we were especially excited for this year's outing. Adding to the anticipation, it was our first father-son trip — three "old-timers" paired with three young men, making for what should have been a memorable experience.

Unfortunately, our experience this time was deeply disappointing, marred by what can only be described as hostility from the operator himself — who also happens to be the owner. From the moment we arrived, his demeanor was abrasive. After leading us to our assigned bungalow, he immediately scolded us about not disposing of garbage down the ice holes and reminded us that cleaning up after ourselves was not his responsibility. He informed us he would check on us twice daily — once in the morning and again in the evening — and provided a cell number for emergencies.

Trying to keep things positive, I politely asked if there were any recommended spots nearby where we could set up our portable huts in case the fishing at the bungalow wasn’t promising. His reaction was shockingly defensive — “Don’t you think I put my bungalows on the fish?” — followed by an angry rant about others using his ice road without permission. It was an uncomfortable start, but I reminded the group that running an operation like this likely comes with its share of difficult customers, so we gave him the benefit of the doubt.

The bungalow itself was spacious and well-built, and that is the only reason I’m offering a 2-star review instead of 1. We opted for satellite service, but it felt like a waste of money — only six channels were available, three of which were in French — though we did manage to catch the hockey game on Saturday night, a small silver lining.

Sadly, things only went downhill from there. By Saturday morning, some of us weren’t feeling well — not from overindulging the night before, but seemingly from something else — which led to frequent trips to the outhouse. It quickly became clear the outhouse was full. When the owner checked in that morning, we asked if it could be emptied as a priority. He tersely responded that it would be done in “at least two hours.” Those two hours came and went without any action. In desperation, one of the young guys had to use the facilities at a neighboring bungalow, and eventually, we drove all the way to a Tim Hortons in North Bay just to use a bathroom.

Ironically, during our impromptu Tim's run, we met another operator who kindly gave us some tips on where to fish, what bait to use, and how to present it — a level of friendliness and professionalism we never received from our own host.

When we returned, some of the operator’s staff were finally there, changing garbage and emptying the outhouse. They were polite and asked if we needed anything, so we requested more minnows (specifically shiners) and additional water for washing dishes. Later that evening, the owner returned for his check-in, but instead of shiners, he brought chubs, the water, and a whole lot of attitude which left us bewildered and frustrated.

Sunday morning, hoping to salvage the weekend, we took our portable gear and drove closer to some islands to fish. We parked our vehicles off to the side and hiked about a kilometer toward shore. Though the weather was turning nasty, we caught a few fish before deciding to head back around 2 PM. About 300 yards from the bungalow, we got stuck in snowdrifts on the ice road. The owner, passing by in his machine, didn’t stop to check on us or offer help — he didn’t even acknowledge us as we struggled to dig ourselves out. That was the last time we saw him.

There was no Sunday evening check-in.

With some of the group needing to drive back to Windsor, we planned to leave early Monday morning at 6 AM. Since the owner didn’t show up Sunday night, we texted him at 5:30 AM, asking for the road to be cleared of drifts. Though he responded quickly, he didn’t actually arrive until 9 AM. Once again, he drove past us without a word — no greeting, no explanation for the delay.

Do not recommend these...

If you want an ice fishing experience right out of Deliverance... this is it. In my opinion theae guys are only out for one thing .. your money. You registered at an old shed where the guy running the place never introduced himself just told us to put the money on the work bench and after we did just jammed it in his pocket with no receipt. We were given sketchy directions to the bungalows and had to travel on an ice road that was not well maintained. When we got to the huts were told where ours was and werent taken there and shown how anything operated. The bungalow was a mess , oven and stove didnt work properly.. never did get oven to work.. heaters thermostat didnt work, holes were dirty with old food deposits in them and half frozen back in. We ran out of propane in the middle of the night . There werent enough dishes for 2 guys let alone our 5 in a 6 man bungalow, no cutlery,no coffee cups and no frying pans or pots. The guy out on the ice was arrogant and rude when we told him about the lack of dishes and running out of propane. We caught very few fish none of which we could keep.In fact no one around us was catching much and all and it was quite obvious these huts were nowhere near where the fish were. Other co workers were at a didderet outfitters on different part of lake and caught 38 pickerel to our 5.... The sunday that we left we had had snow and freezing rain we waited till 830 to see if they would come break a trail for us to get off the ice but didnt show. We broke our own trail and finally these fly by nighters ran into us about 500 yards from shore When i say ran into i mean that literally. Cousin Jeb driving a jacked up 4x4 hauling a trailer.. wouldnt move over after i had moved over as far as i could with out getting stuck and smoked my truck with his trailer. Now remember these guys are supposed to be keeping the roadway clear for clients. We went back to the "office" and i use that term loosely... where the guy running rhe place whos name i still dont know only responce to the whole incident with my truck was.. Its a big lake not my problem... As far as im concerned this is the worse outfitter i have ever delt and shouldnt even be considered if you want an good fishing experience

It is quite evident that these probably were nice bungalows 25 years ago but it is also apparent that there is no money being put back into them and they have no interest in customer...

We rented a four man bungalow from March 3 - 5. I was abit weary of the outfitter after reading some not so good reviews. We got there early in the morning the first day. The operator was quick to explain everything and get on his way. The first day we spent a lot of time in the hut fishing. It was slow! First fish in the hut was a tiny perch. Second and last fish from inside the hut was a out of slot walleye. We drilled probably about 16 holes out front of the hut and that’s when we started hitting fish. Total fish count was 17 landed only two from inside the hut. If you expect to slam fish inside your bungalow and not put in any work outside I can see why you might be disappointed. This ice bungalow stay was the highlight of my winter we had great weather we caught a decent amount of fish probably 60% were on tipups with minnows they supply. And the rest on assorted jigs. At night we were able to stay warm inside eat awesome meals and jigg for fish. Propane lights and gas stove make is so you really don’t need a generator to enjoy your stay we only used ours too charge phones. In conclusion I think ice bungalows did a great job and I wouldn’t take any of there bad reviews to heart. I will and would recommend these guys to anyone looking to have a fun weekend drinking and fishing and enjoying the experience of a ice bungalow you drive right too. Thanks ice bungalows for the great experience and memory’s I...