A Last Crack At The Ice
This past Sunday I made it out to Fairy Lake for what I figure will be my last ice fishing trip this season. It was a sunny but windy day, and the cold front that had moved in that night caused the temperature plummet and sure had the ice talking. Actually, it more of a yell or a shout, than gentle talking. Sitting in the hut almost made the noise worse. With each crack and each shudder I felt like the ice was tearing apart and found myself frequently looking out the windows. When Darrell caught me doing this he asked if I was looking for open water. I did not reply. Truth be told, it always takes a lot of courage for me to get on the ice at the beginning of each season, and it doesn’t take much to make me worry about whether the ice is safe.
On this day the ice was still eight to ten inches thick and did not appear to have suffered too much through the recent warm temperatures. The water, however, had changed drastically since our last visit. Where it had been slightly cloudy before, there was almost no visibility, and the colour was very different, almost the colour of an odd looking bowl of broccoli soup that has gone past it’s prime.
Due to the wind we decided to stay in the hut and not spend as much time searching as we normally would. We marked a good school of crappie on the sonar, but they were about as active as my 18-pound cat after he’s had dinner.
I started by trying some more active presentations, using lures that require more movement and give off a bigger vibration. I had a few fish move in for a better look, but that was the extent of the interest. I switched up the finesse presentations that usually work so well on this lake during the winter – in particular a Lindy Fat Boy tipped with a Gulp Alive red angle worm. I had to fish it painfully slow, almost dead-sticking it, but I finally got a bite.
That was about it for action though, we landed a couple of small ones, and eventually I started to get a chill so we packed up and headed in.
It wasn’t really the way I had hope to end my ice fishing season. I had visions of catching some trophy that would look great in pictures. But the fish never want to co-operate with those visions!
As always, it was just nice to get out and spend some time fishing. An afternoon to relax is always needed, and fishing just helps to clear my mind and reduce stress levels. There’s something therapeutic about selecting and tying on a lure. getting your line wet, and trying to convince a fish that it wants to eat your particular offering. At that time my mind finally seems capable of filtering out all the white noise, forgetting about work and bills and other stresses, and I can just exist and be happy. I was definitely in a happier place when I left the ice on Sunday (however, that was soon followed by what I call my ‘fishing hangover’ that shows up every Monday morning when I have to go to work instead of hitting the water).
If you ice fish in this area, be extra careful before deciding to head out again this season. Belwood Lake is now closed for ice fishing, and Credit Valley Conservation advises that you call ahead to check ice conditions before heading to Island Lake. With the forecast of warm temperatures, wind and rain, I would not be trusting any ice in this area. Fairy Lake and Guelph Lake may be best to be avoided until they are once again open water.
argosgirl
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Unfortunately, not every trip out can be successful. I consider a good day on late ice, especially with the winter we have had, getting off safe. The ice is pretty much shot here in Vermont so the boats are ready to be launched this weekend.