Ice fishing off to booming start

[Spiel]

Ice fishing off to booming start

 

 

Jan 14, 2010

Bruce Hain / www.simcoe.com

 

 

Jim Broome has been looking forward to ice fishing season all year.

He has his newly built hut out on the ice on Little Cedar bay,

just off Cook’s Bay in Innisfil. / Stan Howe

 

 

It’s January and that means it’s ice fishing time for both local residents and those who come to Innisfil from afar.

 

Lake Simcoe and Cook’s Bay are two of southern Ontario’s favourite ice fishing locales and the frigid weather of the past 10 days has helped to kick start the 2010 season.

 

Vito and Sue Villani of Love to Fish Simcoe in Belle Ewart have been busy chatting up not only their regulars the past week, but have also welcomed many newcomers to their store on Ewart Street.

 

“I’ve been here for six years,” Villani says. “The ice is good, as long as you know where you’re going. It’s not ready for vehicles yet.”

 

In addition to all the supplies and equipment one would ever need, the Villanis rent 14 huts, now in place out a few hundred metres from shore at the 4th Line.

 

“We’ll be moving them farther out later this week for the whitefish,” he says. “Right now, they’re in about 20 feet of water for people catching perch.”

 

Despite a mild December, Villani says his fishing season, which runs until March 15, began just one day later than last year.

Business is booming.

 

“I ran out of fishing licenses this past weekend,” he says. “In a typical week, I get a lot of people, even all the way from northern Michigan and southern Ohio. There are a lot from the 519 area code, too.”

 

Customers have been happy with their catch, he says.

 

“The perch are biting and out by the islands, there are a lot of whitefish,” Villani says.

Jim Broome of Belle Ewart is one of the regulars at Love to Fish Simcoe.

 

“I like everything about ice fishing,” Broome says. “I’d rather sit in a hut than in a boat.”

This year, Broome probably has the most inspiring ice hut out on the lake.

 

A sub-contractor for a Toronto-based imaging company, Broome has built himself a hut plastered with digital images of tropical fish.

“I’ve been wanting to do it for years,” he says.

 

The edifice stands out on the frozen bay with its blue and black roof.

“It’s a real eye catcher,” Broome proudly reports. “It took about two weeks to build. The sides are fully imaged, like you would see on a city bus. People have stopped, pulled out their cameras and taken pictures.”

 

As to the fishing conditions, Broome says they couldn’t be any better. He also builds huts for other folk.

 

“The perch are biting like crazy,” he says. “As soon as you get to the bottom, you’re reeling back up with a fish.”

 

Steve Arnold of Innisfil is spending as much time as he can out on the bay this winter.

“I’ve been ice fishing for, let’s say, at least 20 years,” Arnold says laughing. “It’s fun, it’s a hobby and it breaks up the monotony of winter.”

 

Conditions to date this year have been “perfect” in Arnold’s opinion.

“The fishing has been just great,” he says. “There’s been a good catch of whitefish so far and no problem getting your limit.”

 

Socializing with your fellow fisher folk is a big attraction of the sport, too.

“I always make a lot of new friends out there,” Arnold says. “It’s a great way to spend your time.”

 

Fishing tips:

• Advise others where you plan to fish and when you will return

• Wear appropriate clothing, such as a floater suit

• Carry appropriate equipment, such as a set of ice picks

• Register ice huts where required, except tent-style huts with a base area of less than seven square metres

• Check ice thickness regularly with a spud bar or augur as they move further out on the ice

• Ice does not freeze at a uniform thickness across most lakes and rivers, particularly at the start of the winter season when near-shore ice is often much thicker and safer than ice farther out

• Ice that forms over flowing water, springs, pressure cracks, old ice holes or around the mouths of rivers and streams can be weaker than surrounding ice

• The strongest ice is clear blue in colour. White or opaque ice is much weaker, and ice with a honeycombed look should be avoided??

• Added precautions must be taken when travelling on frozen lakes or rivers

• A layer of heavy snow on a frozen lake or river can insulate the ice below and slow down freezing.

— Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources