If a person was inclined to rent a shack from a resort which operations provide the best houses and service. I don’t want a dump, if i’m going to sit on a frozen lake I want some comfort involved. Also do they typically come out and check on you once or twice a day or do they point the shack out to you and say “there ya go.”
I have very minimal experience renting a house on ML, but did last year thru Appledoorns and was very impressed with both the house and the resort. They have stuck some $$$ into that place improving it!
All the one’s I’ve visited have escorted us out, opened it up with holes drilled and ready, heat on and went through the show and tell and questions spiel. Questions on gas lights, the stove/oven, the heater. Indoor potty is mandatory for me. They all come and check once a day…not twice. Shouldn’t need to unless you have a problem. Some will even offer to move you if slow fishing.
Good to ask as there are some “dumpy” options out there.
The nice one’s…
Those that I can personally vouch for, Mac’s Twin Bay, The Wharf Ice Cabins, Lybacks. Other’s I know are nice, Appledoorn’s, Hunters Point I believe has some new houses.
I stayed in a Mac’s Twin Bay house 2 seasons ago, it was nicer than some motel rooms I’ve been at.
I’ve stayed at Hunters and RED door. Both are great but Hunters houses are a little nicer. At least compared to the Red Door houses I’ve rented. Hunters are all knotty pine interior.
DT
I personally have rented from the Red Door a few times. I haven’t been too impressed with their houses and service. I rent a house one weekend a winter and invite friends and family up to fish. I use the Red Door because it is so close and convenient to our cabin. Each time, I have been shown where the house is on the map in the lodge when checking in and then venture out on my own to find it. I don’t mind that, I know the lake enough to find my way around. Once in a while they stop by and check on you, but not everyday. There was one time I payed to have the house for an extra day, when I got out to the house that morning they had shut the heat off and it took almost the whole time I was out there for it to warm back up(it was cold and windy and I think their heaters are a little undersized). I usually don’t stay overnight, I like to sleep in my own bed. The houses are clean and they have porta pottys on the ice to use.
Last winter I rented a day house from castaways. Here when checking in I was told to drive out to the last road and take a left, drive a little ways to a blue 8×12 house on the right. I eventually found it, with no markings indicating it was a rental house of castaways. You know how many blue 8×12 houses there are out there? Here nobody checked on us in the 2 days we were renting it. That was by far the dirtiest house I have ever been in. Looked like it had never been cleaned. Line clippings, dead minnows, cigarette butts all over. My wife and daughter came with and they thought it was nasty. It was really cheap to rent but you could at least give it a quick tidying up between customers. Especially when little kids could be in it.
You want Macs Twin bay.
fishingdm,
Even though I have a place on the west side, there is a good reason I’ll drive over to the east side. The one’s over there are nicer than any I’ve found on the west side. All the places I listed above that I have stayed, each one had a guy drive out to the fish house while I followed. They then opened it up for me and made sure I was familiar with everything. All those places also came to check in each day.
Castaways has their campground and a great bar/restaurant but is not considered an ice fishing resort business. They probably just rent some houses as a supplement.
Perhaps good that Dutchboy asks as there’s probably nothing better than personal experiences.
Dutch, You want nice? Skip all of the skid houses and go with a wheelhouse. Hunter Winfields has Ice Castles with Direct TV. Not cheap, but nice! Have not personally stayed in one, but know a guy who has. Also I have checked one out they had for sale. They turn them over every couple years, so you never end up in junk.
http://www.hunterwinfields.com/index.php/ice-fishing/wheel-houses/
-J.
Thanks for the reply’s guys. Very helpful. Thanks for the link JJ I didn’t know those were a option.
I knew about Winfields wheelhouses too, in fact I just saw last weekend they had them all staged and ready to roll out. I would add that Mac’s Twin Bay and The Wharf houses both had satellite TVs, although unless with the grandson I never turned it on. The skid houses will definitely offer more room than the wheelhouse but if it’s just you and maybe one other it may not matter. Might just come down to pricing. One thing worth mentioning, some will have half price for Sunday through Thursday night. That’s when I go.
I just might wanna take the grandkids for a day with their dad. You know how kids are especially if the weather is nice we will just throw them outside. They are 9 & 7 so there is a limited attention span.
I just might wanna take the grandkids for a day with their dad. You know how kids are especially if the weather is nice we will just throw them outside. They are 9 & 7 so there is a limited attention span.
There ya go…when they start getting too wound up inside, boot ’em outside…
gs4_1447.jpg
grandson1_1431.jpg
Lybacks is my go to when I head to Mile Lacs. Eddie the owner posts daily Ice and Fish Reports on his website. The guy truly cares about his customers and cares about the state of the Mile Lacs Fishery. The Ice shacks arent anything special but the workers will check on you through out the day making sure that you have everything you need.
Macs twin bay
I have stayed with Hunter’s Point several times and never had any problems. The sleepers are very nice and we have always caught fish.
I’ve rented from Hunter’s and Red Door a few times each. Hunters has nicer houses than Red Door for sure, plus the bar/restaurant on shore. I have been thinking about trying the Hunter Winfield’s Ice Castle option this year.
Lybacks is my go to when I head to Mile Lacs. Eddie the owner posts daily Ice and Fish Reports on his website. The guy truly cares about his customers and cares about the state of the Mile Lacs Fishery. The Ice shacks arent anything special but the workers will check on you through out the day making sure that you have everything you need.
Eddie Lyback does run a first class ice fishing business. It was started by his father (parents) a generation ago and they were one of the first to pioneer the ice fishing house rentals on Mille Lacs. I have been there a couple times and would gladly go back. The trip in the photos was when the temp dropped to -32 degrees. The heater in the house felt so good. So cold outside though, the alternator in my vehicle froze up, took the belt with it and than claimed the battery as well. Ouch!
Missing I suppose, which is nice is a bar/restaurant on site. Mac’s Twin Bay, The Wharf, and Hunters Point have those. Only one I have not been to is Hunter’s. Will need to try them too.
DSCN0213.jpg
DSCN0220.jpg
I’ve rented from Hunter Winfields a couple times now. No complaints. Other than fishing was slow.
I did a 12 hour rental with Twin Pines last year in February. It was awesome. We arrived at 7pm. Checked in at the bar, got the road map and headed out. The house was comfortable and holes were ready. We fished all night and left at 7am. It was only like $70. Very reasonable in my opinion.
I have stayed at Red Door, The Wharf, Twin Pines, Nitti’s, Macs and a few others. Never have I had a bad experience except once and that was at Walleye Dundee’s, which is thankfully closed. Never have I felt like I was in a scene of a horror movie until I stepped foot in their shack. We would have turn around and walked out had there been any openings anywhere else on the lake that weekend. We literally tried EVERYWHERE to get a different house, nope. It was a spur of the moment trip since my brother flew back from FL and wanted to fish…
I liked every other resort and outfitter, but some were nicer than others. My favorite was Nitti’s. Their sizing is realistic and very spacious for how many occupants they rate for and their staff is very friendly and attentive.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
