But before you haul your hut out onto the ice, don’t forget you need to register it with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests.
Registration is free and helps discourage anglers from abandoning their huts, which can end up in waterways and washed up on shorelines when the ice thaws.
Huts must be registered in Fisheries Management Zones (FMZ) 9 to 12 and 14 to 20. Sudbury is in FMZ 10.
Ice huts can be registered electronically here. Once registered, an ice-fishing hut can be used anywhere in Ontario.
Don’t forget:
- Registration numbers on ice huts must be at least 6.3 centimetres (2.5 inches) in height and clearly displayed on the outside of the hut.
- Tent-style ice huts made of cloth or synthetic fabric that have a base area of seven square metres (75.4 square feet) or less when erected do not need to be registered.
- It’s a good idea to place huts on 15-centimetre (six-inch) high wooden blocks to make it easier to remove them at the end of the season. Ice hut owners must keep the area around their huts clear of garbage.
- Ice hut removals are dependent on location. To check the removal date for your area, call your local ministry office.
- Ice huts must be removed from lakes before ice break-up, even if it is before the specified removal date. It is an offence under the Public Lands Act to leave an ice hut after ice break-up.
- Additional permits or authorizations may be required for those planning to use an ice fishing hut in a provincial park.
