Fishing · Ontario
Northwest Outfitters
A Kenora outfitter offering guided open-water trips and ice castle rentals on Lake of the Woods, known for great fishing and shore lunches, though two recent groups had heaters fail in deep cold.
What visitors say
Northwest Outfitters runs guided fishing and winter ice castle rentals on Lake of the Woods out of Kenora. Most reviewers are delighted, describing a young, hard-working guide who communicates quickly before the trip and gets clients on fish fast.
In winter, the ice castles are the main product. Guests describe clean, comfortable trailers set up and ready, with an auger, forward-facing sonar hooked to a TV and minnows delivered, and the outfitter moves them around to stay on fish. Reports include non-stop perch and a 31-inch lake trout, and the outfitter will also place a guest's own ice castle on the lake.
Open-water trips get praise too. A father and son reached their limit in under two hours, and a company team-building group had three knowledgeable guides and a cooked shore lunch.
The most recent reviews are a warning, though. Two groups last winter had their ice castle heat fail overnight at -30 to -40, one blaming mice-chewed lines and the other a loose fuse, and felt the response was poor. If you're booking a winter stay, ask about backup heat and what happens if something breaks, and bring a way to stay warm.
Summarised from visitor reviews on Google Maps. Based on 22 Google reviews. Details change — confirm hours, prices and bookings with Northwest Outfitters directly.