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Hey there, I'm new to the community. I will be staying at a cottage on Whitestone Lake over Christmas and hope to have suitable ice to fish with a group. This is a yearly tradition however we are new to the cottage and lake. Main question is how are the ice conditions in the area right now. With two weeks until we go it can only get thicker so I'm trying to see what the worst case would be (current conditions). Anyone been inthe area lately (near Perry Sound, Whitestone, Dunchurch)? we take ice safety seriously I normally go out there with one other guy on foot and auger some holes to take a measurement of the thickness. In the last three years we have had good conditions for a full ice rink even so I'm hopeful. Anyway if anyone know what the ice is looking like in that area (whitestone, perry sound, dunchurch) it would be greatly appreciated of you could share.

I'll definitely try out this technique for attracting perch. Seems to be a good way to draw them in. Plus it gives you more to do than just waiting around. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foGvaio1Cgc

I was able to get out to Shades Mill in Cambridge last weekend and we had 12" of ice. About 1-2 inches on top were not the best but solid clear ice the rest. Likely due to the slight thaw a couple weeks ago. Managed to pull in a nice pike.

How was the ice on Monday. Have you checked it since. Safe for sleds and gear?

Looking to head out on an ice fishing trip this coming February. I'm willing to travel within 3-4hours of Algonquin provincial park and looking to rent a cottage of some sort. The group I'm going with is looking to target pike through the ice the whole week we are gone. Any lakes or river with good pike ice fishing anyone would recommend? Thanks!

Has anyone ever done any hard water fishing at the mouth of the Beaver River near Collingwood? Is the ice safe there? My buddy wants to go up there tomorrow but I've never liked ice fishing rivers.

Good morning everyone! This is my first forum thread so to keep the story short.... This past weekend I was out fishing with my father out of Lefroy for perch! (Unfortunately no luck, But still beats a good day at work ) Ice conditions were great with over 16" of ice where we were setup. After our trip had concluded and I had offered to buy coffee from our local Timmies for the family (back in my home town of Mississauga) I had noticed that I had lost my Drivers License and Debit Cards! After frantically searching every inch and every pocket including my fathers, I had to admit to finally loosing my cards somewhere out on the lake. As this happened on Sunday, the following day I filed for new cards, with the impression that the cards are swimming somewhere amongst the fish! But to my surprise, on Wednesday February 4th, a strange envelope had showed up in the mail! Assuming it may be work of my girlfriend for the upcoming Valentines, I opened it expecting to see hearts and kisses only to find a Silver Holiday Greetings Card! Upon opening the card further, I read a delightful message from what I am assuming is another fellow angler and both of my cards attached! I would just like to say a special thank you, to whomever took the time to write up the message as well as mail me back my cards. It is the Lake Simcoe community which allows for all anglers to have such a great Ice Fishing experience although the only thing they may catch is a cold!

Last season I used a PiranhaMax 160 portable for ice fishing since I picked it up really cheap. With this unit I could see my jig down at 100ft (even my swivel above) so it worked ok. I am looking at the Humminbird 570 right now since I it looks like I can pick one up for $100 and put it in my portable pack to replace the 160. The plus I think would be the larger screen and much higher resolution. Question, what makes the "ice" models better for ice fishing? I know they have the special transducer, but this is no worry to me as I have the other one "rigged" up. Looking at a few models: Model Display Colour Greyscale Vert Hor Power Transducer PiranhaMax 160 4” no 4 level 160 128 800W Dual 60/20 Humminbird 570 5” no 12 level 640 320 2000W Dual 60/20 Humminbird ICE 345C 3.5” 256 TFT 320 240 2400W Dual 60/20 Lowrance Elite 4X 3.5” 256 TFT 320 240 2100W Dual 60/20 So looking at the specs, aside from the colour vs. greyscale (and TFT screen but I use mine almost always in the heated hut).......... the 570 should work just as good no? Maybe I am missing something? Thanks!! Burt