Ice Conditions – December 31, 2012
It looks like the nights haven’t been cold enough around to here to produce safe ice yet. Here is a rundown on some regular ice fishing spots in this area of Southern Ontario:
Fairy Lake (Acton) – Unsafe. There has been very little improvement in the ice. Holes drilled today were between 3 and 4.5 inches but with only about 2 inches of good black ice. The rest was very poor quality. There’s lots of slush on the ice which isn’t helping improve the situation. Darrell drilled one hole that was barely 3 inches and felt the ice underneath him start cracking. He got off the ice pretty quick.
Fairy Lake on December 31, 2012.
Guelph Lake – Unsafe. Three inches of ice. It’s a little harder than it was last time we checked, but there’s a lot of water on top and the ice is not forming quickly.
Bloomingdale Ponds – Unsafe. We checked these yesterday and they have a lot of water on top and the ice does not look good.
Belwood Lake – Unsafe. Not completely covered yet and what ice is there is maybe an inch-and-a-half. Check the Grand River Conservation Authority’s website for updates. They will post when the ice is safe enough for ice fishing.
Island Lake (Orangeville) – Unknown. Credit Valley Conservation monitors the ice conditions here. They closed the gates to the park for the holidays (ice was unsafe at that point) and will return on January 2, 2013. CVC will post the news as soon as the lake is open for ice fishing.
Puslinch Lake – I have not checked the ice here, or talked directly to someone in the area, but most of the reports I have read say it is unsafe. There are a group of guys out fishing this lake, and they have been for the past few days, but the ice near shore is in poor condition and out further is about 4 inches. Considering the other ice around here, I would not chance it. Don’t forget, access to Puslinch Lake is extremely difficult. You cannot park at McClintocks and it is difficult to park on many of the roads. It’s a public lake with very little public access.
Please remember to be safe whenever you hit the ice (and it may be awhile before you can do that around here). Take all safety precautions, test the ice as you go, and keep in mind that ice is never 100% safe. Everyone has their own preference for ice thickness and quality, just because you see someone out on the ice does not mean you should be out there.
If you’re itching to hit safe ice, I would suggest you drive north. There are plenty of ice reports online for lakes up north.
Stay safe and happy fishing!
argosgirl
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How have you been. Not sure if you remember me. I am that non twitter guy
Just seeing if you have been on guelph lake and is the ice good
Take care
Steff
Hi Steff! The earliest chance I’ll have to check Guelph will be tomorrow afternoon. There were guys out on both sides last weekend, although the ice was too rotten for me. The cold nights should have firmed it up. Happy fishing!