Cold snap has ice anglers eyeing thermometer

To say it's better late than never is definitely applicable to the local ice fishing scene.
The above-seasonal temperatures experienced in late December and extending into early January has been a definite drawback to the hard-water angling season on Lake Simcoe, a mecca for local ice piscatorial fanatics.
About the only places where there's some evidence of ice are in the southeast corner of Cook's Bay near Keswick and the shallow areas along the lake's east shoreline.
But even at that, there's not a lot of thickness — not enough for ice hut operators to put out their huts. And not enough to assure that it's safe for individuals to wet a line.
"I had hoped to be setting up huts by this weekend but it's definitely iffy right now," Leona Creber, proprietor of Port Bolster's Casey's Ice Huts, said Tuesday. "We went out walking on it on the weekend and had just two to three inches. And I heard some people have been walking out out of Virginia Beach."
Bob Avery, a spokesman from Bonnie Boats in Jackson's Point, says, in his vicinity, the ice fishing season has yet to start.
"We have open water on the large part of the lake," he said. "But we're still hoping that it will be cold enough over the next few days for us to get out by the first week of February.
"Beyond that, there's no sense for us to put out any huts," he said.
At this time last year, ice anglers were already venturing out onto the frozen lake due to an early arrival of Old Man Winter.
"Last year there were guys walking out (on Lake Simcoe) two weeks before Christmas and the majority of anglers got out just around New Year's," said Wil Wegman, an avid angler and spokesperson for Ministry of Natural Resources' Aurora office.
"This year, it'll be way later than normal. Normally at this time of the year we're usually out on the big body of water looking for whitefish and lake trout. This year, we are nowhere near that yet."
However, this week's cold snap may bring a smile to those who are chomping at the bit to get out on frozen pond.
Should the weatherman on the money, this would enable anglers to finally venture out on to the first areas that tradionally freeze over. Those include the traditional yellow perch feeding grounds in Cook's Bay and the eastern shoreline from Virgina Beach to Port Bolster.
But just because the surfaces will harden over doesn't guarantee equal ice thickness, Wegman is quick to point out.
While the safest route for anglers is to contact local ice hut operators, tackle shops or bait dealers to check on ice thickness, there are some precautionary steps they can take themselves. What is required for starters, Wegman suggested, is for four inches of solid, clear ice. This is the minimum amount needed for individuals to walk out in single file.
"There might be four inches of good, blue ice 50 metres from shore, but out 500 metres, that ice might only be two inches thick so we all need to drill plenty of test holes on the way out to ensure thickness," Wegman suggested. "A good idea is to wear ice pics and floater (survival) suits for safety reasons as well."
Despite what will be a shortened ice fishing campaign on Lake Simcoe, ice hut operators and local merchants still rely heavily on it. According to the most recent study conducted jointly by the ministry and Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority in 1992, the ice fishing campaign on Lake Simcoe generates $28 million to the local communities.
That, indeed, is a lot of money that this annual winter activity can generate to assist in the local economy.
Anglers between 18 and 65 wishing to get in on the ice fishing action are reminded to have a validated residential angling licence in their possession.
For further information on catch and possession limits, anglers can log on to the ministry's fishing website here