SIMCOE, ON – Known as the ice fishing capital of Canada, Lake Simcoe is a bustle of activity in winter with seasonal ice fishing villages dotted across the lake, fishing huts and bungalows full with anglers from near and far and even the Great Canadian Ice Fishing Championship each year. Winter mainstays on Lake Simcoe include lake trout, whitefish and northern pike but the lake is also a hotspot for jumbo yellow perch and black crappie.

For well-equipped anglers willing to fish in the open air and explore, the options are unlimited. Many resorts stay open all winter and can be used as home bases for ice anglers. On Lake Simcoe you can enjoy all the comforts of home in heated shanties, rented for reasonable rates, perched over the best fishing holes with on-ice transportation to the fishing grounds included. There are many choices for Lake Simcoe ice fishing hut and bungalow rentals, with many including the services of experienced guides, home cooked meals, vacation packages and even fish guarantees.

Dave's Fish Huts has been operating for 45 years and produces an 85% catch in average while Iceguidez.com guarantees its anglers at least one fish caught per day for the group or half the cost of the trip is refunded. Phillips Ice Hut rentals offers heated shanties over some of the best fishing holes and Tim Hale's Fish Huts offers the choice of cozy on shore cottage rentals. Sir-Catch-A-Lot Pro Guiding features half and full day excursions or try Simcoe Fishing Adventures for weekend vacation packages. And Love to Fish Simcoe provides transportation to your hut but ensures every 3-4 hours a guide checks in on the group in case they wish to call it a day a bit early.

Lake Simcoe is also the home to the Canadian Ice Fishing Championships February 19-20, 2011 with an estimated $20,000 in cash prizes to be awarded. Two person teams fish for 6 hours for two days and are awarded points based on the species and size of fish caught. The official host destination for the 2011 ice fishing championship is the Sutton Legion in Sutton West, Ontario.

For information on ice conditions, weather, Lake Simcoe hut and bungalow rentals and ice fishing derby's and tournament's, visit www.ontarioicefishing.net

About RTO7

Regional Tourism Organization 7 (RTO7) is a tourism organization encompassing the counties of Grey, Bruce and Simcoe in Ontario. RTO7 is led by a volunteer, industry-led board of directors consisting of 15 voting members drawn from private and non-private tourism businesses and organizations across Bruce, Grey and Simcoe to represent the interests of Region 7 tourism.RTO7 was incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation in December 2010 and the first board of directors http://region7transition.ca/cms/board> is in place. RTO7 will work collaboratively with its tourism partners and stakeholders to enrich the region's diverse tourism experiences in order to sustain and grow visitation, investment and tourism receipts. For more information, visit the website at www.region7transition.ca

Erin Sufrin
PUNCH Canada
416.360.6522
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