Fairy Lake Ice Fishing – January 26, 2013
It’s amazing what some frigid temperatures can do for the ice. After a few -20C nights last week, the local lakes were covered in good, safe ice for the first time this year. I was really looking forward to walking on ice that wouldn’t get my heart racing, and that’s exactly what I found at Fairy Lake in Acton last Saturday.
Due to our need for some quiet (a.k.a. lazy) time after a hectic week, Darrell and I didn’t arrive at the lake until late morning. The sun was shining, there was a chill in the air, and there were quite a few people already on the ice. Despite the amount of people already out there fishing, I had Darrell drill a test hole before we wandered too far and we were rewarded with the sight of 9-inches of good ice. How wonderful!
Our normal spot was taken so we started drilling several holes near a drop-off that we had yet to fish in the winter. It didn’t take long before we started marking suspended crappie on the fish finder. That solid line on the fish finder always raises my heart rate in the best possible way. We each tied on our favorite crappie jigs and dropped lines down the holes. Crappie are finicky at the best of times, but these ones really did not want to bite. I cycled through my two most productive lures for the lake and lost a couple of light biters. Then those nice solid lines on the fish finder disappeared.
Since the finder was no longer marking fish I decided to pull out the secret weapon – my Aqua-Vu AV Micro. There are times when I think I have too much technology in my life, but I never feel that way when I’m using this underwater camera. I would sooner give up my iPhone than relinquish my latest toy. I gave the cable a couple of turns and my screen lit up with four crappie. It was mesmerizing to watch them as they inspected the camera, their big eyes filling the screen whenever they got right up to the lens. I told Darrell to keep fishing because they were there, then I went back to watching the screen. A fish finder will tell you if the fish are there, the camera lets you see what they are doing and how they are interacting. The camera is far more fun.
Eventually we both started catching some crappie – nothing of size but still a bundle of fun. Once I unhooked them I found it was hard to convince them to drop the angleworm so I could release them back down the hole. The bite was not strong – the fish were hesitant and constantly on the the move so we rotated between holes and pulled them out here and there.
Sure it’s a tiny fish, but look at the smile on Darrell’s face. Maybe we’ll catch this little guy again in a few years when he’s one of the slabs in the lake.
The tiny crappie bite switched over to the tiny pike bite as the hammer handles started to show some interest in our jigs. The fight doesn’t last long on 1-lb line unless you have the toothy critter hooked perfectly. I didn’t, and lost my lure when the line was cut. Darrell lost a couple and caught a couple.
Itty-bitty pike.
While it was not a big fish day, it was still a great day on the ice. We fished a new area for us, caught a few fish, learned more about the lake, and I spent a lot of time watching fish swim around on the camera. It was a wonderful day outside, getting some fresh air and meeting new people.
I have my doubts as to whether or not I’ll be on the ice this weekend. Several of the local lakes at conservation areas are once again closed after the mild temperatures and windy weather. I’m hoping to get a look at Fairy Lake and Guelph Lake tomorrow to see how they held up. If you head out, be careful and check the ice wherever you go. Please don’t assume that the ice is safe just because you see other anglers on it. Play it safe and we’ll all have a great ice fishing, when the weather chooses to cooperate.
argosgirl
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