Outdoors

Winter's return a boon for Simcoe ice anglers

That Old Man Winter sure likes to be a tease.
Especially to those who like to wet a line on frozen pond.
Hard-water angling enthusiasts who fish Lake Simcoe got an early taste of the action in late December when a sudden burst of winter solidified traditional first-ice areas along the southeastern shoreline and Cook’s Bay.
But that didn’t last long. In early January, above-average temperatures loosened Old Man Winter’s grip on those frozen surfaces, making conditions dangerous enough for ice hut operators to temporarily cease operations and prevent even the most ardent angler from venturing out.
But Old Man Winter has done an about face and returned to York Region, much to the pleasure of anglers and hut operators.
The return of normal weather conditions has enabled ice hut operators to resume business in those traditional first-ice areas, which now have anywhere from eight to 10 inches of ice.
And so far, the hard-water angling has been nothing short of sensational.
“The fishing has been phenomenal,” Leona Creber, operator of Casey’s Ice Huts in Port Bolster, said Tuesday as her customers chased yellow perch and whitefish. “It’s been amazing.”
Operating with 17 huts, Creber began her season Dec. 26. She pulled her huts off the ice when the mild spell came, but last week’s cold snap enabled her to put them back out on anywhere from eight to 10 inches of solid ice and in about 30 feet of water.
Anglers using live minnows for bait have experienced the most success, she said. But before the season concludes, she anticipated those who use artificial baits should have their fair share of success as well.
In Cook’s Bay, Rick Arsenault of Simcoe Fishing Adventures, commenced operations out of Keswick Dec. 28 before ceasing Jan. 11 when the warm weather arrived. He was back in business last Thursday.
While Cook’s Bay is frozen with eight to nine inches of ice, he warned areas beyond Roach’s Point remain unsafe.
Working with 14 huts in about 14 feet of water, Arsenault reported catches of yellow perch have picked up where they left off prior to the thaw. The key to success, he said, is for anglers to use small baits.
“We’re getting good fish (and) anything is working,” Arsenault said. “Live minnows, small artificial baits like black and silver jigging Rapalas, Swedish pimples, tear drop and even pumpkinseed-coloured tube jigs.”
For those who want to catch lake trout or whitefish, local hut operators said you’ll have to wait a bit longer and hope for an extended blast of winter air to harden surfaces in the deeper water.
Creber noted deeper sections just recently hardened, but cautioned against venturing out just yet.
For more on the ice fishing action on Lake Simcoe, call Creber at 705-437-1560, contact Arsenault at www.lakesimcoefishingadventures.com or check the lures and tours website, www.luresandtours.com

Guide, site keep anglers informed

An angler unfamiliar with fishing Lake Simcoe could face a stern challenge deciphering the optimal times and locations to wet a line, not to mention which tactics to employ.
And for those intending to prolong their stay in the area and are not familiar with restaurants, lodgings and other necessities in the area, further complications can arise.
But Charles Ross and Rosa Sharpe can make that planned expedition far more easier and enjoyable with a new guidebook and website, both called Lures and Tours.
“There has always been a lot of questions asked about where one can eat, get bait, angling licences, parking and in finding public access to the waterfront on Lake Simcoe,”  said Ross, a Sutton resident. “This really wasn’t a unique situation, but there was a need for something to make the connection between these steady repeat tourists and local businesses.
The idea behind Lures and Tours is to have information at  visitors’ fingertips, whether they were at home or travelling.
With backgrounds in sales and marketing along with their active involvement in various Lake Simcoe stakeholder committees, Ross and Sharpe launched Lures and Tours by creating a pocket-sized guide and the site was launched in 2005.
In devising their site, Ross, who also has a background in communications, said it was easy to do as they had laid down the foundation to what they wanted to extol to users.
“Lures and Tours’ concept was clear” to present what businesses and towns offer that anglers want in a directory format that’s attractive and efficient,” he said.
Within the directory, Ross said, there’s display advertisements that provides links to each client’s site as well as a handy search feature.
They also display GPS co-ordinates in their advertisements —something  they said anglers who visit the site appreciated almost immediately.
The site also features a photo gallery section with more than 800 images taken at various fishing events staged on Lake Simcoe.
“That generates a lot of activity when competitors come to browse the pictures from their latest tournament,” Ross said.
While the site has been a popular information tool, Ross was quick to note their free pocket-sized Desination Guide, stocked at various Ontario Travel Information centres across the province, has also been well-received.
The winter edition of the booklet is now available for download from their site.
Satisfied with what they’ve been able to achieve thus far, Ross and Sharpe haven’t stood pat. Last fall, they became a sponsor of the Aurora Bassmasters angling group and will assist them with projects and events by providing photography and broader Internet exposure of the club’s activities.
As well, the 2008 Lures and Tours Destination Guide will feature a full colour page highlighting the goals of the Aurora Bassmasters.
The pair’s effort helping to promote both the club and the sport fishery on Lake Simcoe and adjacent Lake Couchiching is a positive shot in the arm for tourism in Ontario, Aurora Bassmasters president Herb Quan said.
“They care about conserving this resource and are anxious to promote clubs like ours that volunteer their time to help protect it,” he added.