HUKDONFAWNIX Posted February 2, 2009 Report Posted February 2, 2009 Hello, I just got back from fishing on Nip and my outfitter of choice was Snowfari Adventures. I would give Ron & Donna's operation about a 7/10. Another member of this board referred them to me, since I had no clue who to pick out of all the outiftters up there. I would be lying if I said that what I have read on here in the last little while didn't distort my expectations, but I tried to approach this weekend with an open mind. This was our first trip up north for a weekend of ice fishing, so maybe my expectations were not as high as others? They were nice people, they stopped by to say hello and make sure we had enough propane, minnows and if the fish were biting. We caught one pickerel and a few perch the first day in our hut. The next morning, Ron stopped by and asked if we wanted to go out and try a couple of other spots - we were game. He took us out in his transporter and we sat out in the great outdoors trying to catch us some fish - we were successful. Another guy came out about 2 hrs later asking if we wanted to go back to our hut and two guys in our group were ready to go - pansies. LOL. Later that day we caught some more perch out of our hut, enough to have a feed. A couple of the guys in our hut had never had a shore "supper" before, so they were in for a treat. Both of them ate everything in sight and loved it so much that they were definitely willing to get up bright and early the next morning to catch more. So.....the next day we caught a few more perch and another pickerel from the hut and left before noon. Overall.... 1. The service was friendly, Ron & Donna run a hospitable operation. 2. Fishing was decent and from what I have heard the bite in Nip is "off" this year. So I think we did ok? 3. The bungalows were good and had enough room for 6 guys to play poker at night and still stumble around without tripping over one another - lol. What more could I ask for? I would be naive to think that the previous comments on this board didn't change Ron & Donna's perspective on customer service.....so maybe I benefited from them? Is that a bad thing? No, but I think the messages were received loud and clear and have possibly changed the whole situation for the better. Just my 2 cents.
4thgen Posted February 2, 2009 Report Posted February 2, 2009 It's good to hear that you had a good time, but you'll have to try another operator up there before you come to any conclusions. When you rent a hut, you should be expecting to catch fish out of it. The last time I was up at Nippissing, we rented from a place pretty close to North Bay -- I forget the name now. We caught 4 walleye, a pike, 4 herring and something like 40 perch throughout the day -- the action never stopped. From what I heard, it was a fairly typical day.
The Urban Fisherman Posted February 2, 2009 Report Posted February 2, 2009 wow - glad you had a good weekend! where's the pix? 4THgen - I think that if you're going out with a guide on soft water you should definitely slam some fish!!!! but I think hard water's a different story...you can't exactly pick up a 6 man bungalow and move it around day to day looking for fish. I've fished a spot through the ice and caught million perch, then gone out the next day, same time, same bait, same spot and caught SQUAT.... On the flip-side, if you're paying a guide to take you out on his/her sled and portable hut for the day, softwater rules apply in my opinion... cheers, UF
tonyb Posted February 2, 2009 Report Posted February 2, 2009 The biggest difference I see with Snofari and all the other operations out there is that Snowfari On-Ice Bungalows are basically 'home base' with day trips to small huts required to catch fish. The other operators have their on-ice bungalows setup where there are fish! so you can basically catch fish from your bungalow day and night, which is the whole point of spending the weekend in a ice bungalow in the first place. The report below from one of my previous years details what you should be expecting from your weekend on the ice...if you choose a reputable operator. http://www.gettinghooked.net/forums/showthread.php?t=587
Beats Posted February 2, 2009 Report Posted February 2, 2009 (edited) The biggest difference I see with Snofari and all the other operations out there is that Snowfari On-Ice Bungalows are basically 'home base' with day trips to small huts required to catch fish. The other operators have their on-ice bungalows setup where there are fish! so you can basically catch fish from your bungalow day and night, which is the whole point of spending the weekend in a ice bungalow in the first place. My thoughts exactly. Edited February 2, 2009 by Beats
Lowe Rider Posted February 2, 2009 Report Posted February 2, 2009 Good to hear you had a great time. Maybe that old tread made them stop, think and change their way of doing business.
boatman Posted February 3, 2009 Report Posted February 3, 2009 I too am glad you had a good experience with them. However, next time try a different provider. You are paying for a bungalo to fish from not to stage from. You can stage from the hotel.
Greencoachdog Posted February 3, 2009 Report Posted February 3, 2009 Some pictures would've been nice.
HUKDONFAWNIX Posted February 3, 2009 Author Report Posted February 3, 2009 My brother in law has the pics, so I will post them here soon. I agree that the bungalow should not be a staging point for our trip. I will most likely try another outfitter just to get a sense of good or bad operation. Quite frankly I can't say anything about Snowfari Adventures, we had a good time.
duber Posted February 3, 2009 Report Posted February 3, 2009 Good to hear. Sounds like Ron is trying to turn things around.Hope he does.Customer service and a friendly atmosphere is number one for me.A fish or two can't hurt either.
LeXXington Posted February 3, 2009 Report Posted February 3, 2009 Well anytime you come back happy and had fun thats all that matters, I OFC had some pull but in anycase.. Word of mouth Looking forward to the pics
diggyj Posted February 3, 2009 Report Posted February 3, 2009 Very nice to see a good review of this place. Seems the last report on Snowfari just ripped Ron and his ways. Glad you enjoyed your trip. Thanks for the positive report.
Gerritt Posted February 3, 2009 Report Posted February 3, 2009 Good to see you had a good time! Did he by chance know you were an OFC'r? G
freddyp Posted February 3, 2009 Report Posted February 3, 2009 Just got back from SNOWFARI! 1 day early even. Almost 2, didn't wanna miss the superbowl on his supplied TV! Yes I'm a new poster but have checked this site out a lot. Been fishing in Ice Bungalows on Nipissing 4 times w/ 4 different operators. Just never had a reason to post til now. Even emailed them the old thread, with my questions and concerns. They said it was a 1 or 2 time thing. Everything the old thread said is true. I would never go back. I even got into an arguement with the guy. I don't need to disect in sentace form. here's the pt form details: Sleeper Huts, very nice! Service, very poor. Communication- rare, mixed & missed by him. Transportation (as quoted) - non existent. Bungalow Location, worst ever!!! 2- 2 inch perch caught, 4 days 5 guys! Minnows supplied- 1.5 dozen, for 5 people. Day huts ($) - terrible. no seats, okay buckets, awkward, cold, lit myself! (did catch fish though!) Got stuck with both our jeeps when we were sent on our own to the day huts and the guy almost left us out there, then the arguement ensued! Renting a day hut wasn't exactly what I had planned or prepared for. Jer on pg 3 of: http://www.ofncommunity.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=27740 says it best! This guy definately leaves to question the point of a bungalow on the ice. Coulda got a hotel for cheaper then played his day hut game. DON'T GO!!!
snoil Posted February 3, 2009 Report Posted February 3, 2009 Too many negative posts for my $.I'd go elsewhere.
duber Posted February 3, 2009 Report Posted February 3, 2009 Guess old ways die hard!So will his bussiness if he don't turn things around. Too bad I thought he got the point.
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