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| Ontario Canada Ice Fishing more Information --- Ontario Ice Fishing - More Info - Links |
 
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General Ice Fishing Information Ice fishing is the sport of catching fish with lines with hooks through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Fisherman may sit on a stool on the open expanse of a frozen lake or sit in a heated cabin on the ice, some with bunks and amenities. Locations Ice fishing is a popular pastime in Central and Northern Ontario. Around the Great Lakes Shore and many Northern Inland Lakes are popular. Except for Lake Erie, the Great Lakes seldom freeze over entirely, but bays of the Great Lakes do freeze and are popular ice fishing spots, with northern pike, rainbow and yellow perch being the most common catches. Shelters Many fisherman fish with no protective structure, merely heavy coats and gloves and other winter wear. Longer fishing expeditions can be mounted with simple structures. Larger, heated structures can make multi-day fishing trips possible. A structure with various local names, but often called an ice shanty, ice shack, fish house, or ice hut, is sometimes used. These are dragged or tailored from shore using a vehicle such as a snowmobile or truck, to a suitable location on the lake. Some fish houses are elaborate, and can be equipped with lights, heat, bunks, cooking facilities, and the like. At the opposite extreme are portable, tent-like structures, which are designed to be easily moved. In Ontario, ice fishing is good a social activity. Not infrequently, the consumption of copious amounts of alcohol is involved. Some resorts have fish houses that are rented out by the day (called ice huts); often, shuttle service via snowmobile is provided, eliminating any need for sobriety on the part of the participants. On some Ontario lakes there are lines of fish huts often develop over underwater ridges or other areas where fish are particularly plentiful. Fishing equipment Ice fishing gear is highly specialized. First, an ice spade, saw or auger is required to cut a circular hole or larger rectangular hole in the ice. Power augers are sometimes used. A strainer is sometimes required to remove new ice as it forms. Three main types of fishing occur. Small, light fishing rods with small, brightly colored lures may be used in jigging for fish. Tip-ups, which carry a line attached to a flag that "tips up" when a strike occurs, allow unattended or less-intensive fishing. The line is dragged in by hand with no reel. Spearing through ice is one of the oldest and most ingenious fishing methods of the Native Americans. For centuries, Natives have relied on chisels to cut holes in ice for winter fishing. From the fur trade era to the mid-twentieth century, ice chisels came in a variety of shapes and sizes, including those with wide and narrow blades. Early blades were made of native copper and later blades were made of iron. Natives used two types of spearing tents before the early 1900s. One type was seven-feet tall and allowed the fisherman to sit down with a long-handled spear extending outside the framework of the tent. The second type, still used today, is a crawl-in type, which covers about two-thirds of the fisherman's prone body. It is designed for use with a short-handled spear. Becoming increasingly popular is the use of a fish finder. This tells you the depth of the fish, which can be useful when trying to catch them. There are also underwater cameras available now. These allow you to view the fish and watch how they react to your lure presentation. |
Dangers Ice needs to freeze to at least four inches in depth to support walking humans, and a foot to support vehicles. However, care must be taken, because sometimes ice will break and move with currents, leaving open areas which refreeze with much thinner ice. On the Great Lakes, offshore winds can break off miles-wide pans of ice stranding large numbers of fisherman. Late-winter warm spells can destroy the texture of the ice, which, while still of the required thickness, will not adequately support weight. It is called "rotten ice" and is exceedingly dangerous. Some ice-fishermen will continue to fish, but will carry a pole horizontally to hold them, if they fall through. Fisherman may carry a self-rescue device made of two screwdrivers connected by a string to help pull them back onto the ice out of the water. A certain number of cars, trucks, SUVs, snowmobiles, and fish houses fall through the ice each year and people die. Current environmental regulations require the speedy recovery of the vehicle or structure in this situation. Divers must be hired, and when the trouble occurs far from shore, helicopters are employed for hoisting. Another risk associated with ice fishing is carbon monoxide poisoning from fish hut heaters. On cold nights the ice is very noisy and booming sounds like cannon fire can be heard from within it. Social implications Ice fishing has long been considered a "quasi-sport", in that some people claim that very little skill is really involved and that success is dependent upon just good fortune. This has led many other sportspersons to consider ice fishing to be merely a pastime for people who have few constructive or edifying activities in their lives. However, research by the AIFA (American Ice Fishing Association) has shown that ice fishing can have very calming and relaxing effects for the fishermen/fisherwomen. The AIFA also concluded that ice fishing not only helps manage the fish species population, but also contributes to both community economic growth and to the emotional well being of the participants |
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