Orangevile conservation area

[CRAPPIE]

Hi Fellow members,

 

Just want to know whether the Orangeville conservation area open to ice fishing yet and do they allow you to take a few panfish for the fry pan?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

[Jon]

Yes and yes. Tough to find crappies in the winter, though.

 

Jon

[Acountdeleted]

Tough to find anything at Island Lake. I went for a few hours last tuesday and it was rough. Really weedy there which is good, its just tough to find open spots.

[johnnyb]

I was out on Friday, got 4 pike. Nothing crazy....between 17 and 23 inches....but great fights on the light rod. I don't think I would have caught a THING if it weren't for a friendly old timer I was chatting with.

He never stops moving the salted minnow that he has on a jig. Actually, he stores his minnows in barley...doesn't like salties. I had salties though,,,,had no trouble.

I had one on a dead stick, and was jigging flashy spoons, rattling lures, etc, to bring in fish. Not a sniff. After the old guy iced 4 pike to my none, I decided to take his advice on moving the minnow around. Plain jighead and a dead minnow....just bob the rod tip so the minnow doesn't sit still, and hang on! I still switched between that and the loud lures to draw fish in,...but they weren't interested in hitting lures.

As for panfish....I don't know. Shallow water for crappies, and a long walk to the back where there is supposedly deeper water.