Saturday, March 21, 2015

Ice fishing - Lake Simcoe

For many years I have been planning to go for ice fishing but never really managed to gather enough willing power to make it into the cold. This year I finally called up an ice-hut owner end of february and booked a 4 person ice hut in Lake Simcoe for 220 dollars. The price seemed steep but it is seasonal and short business. On a Sunday morning we, the whole family, four of us, arrived at the hut operators office.




After payments were made we were boarded into this green van pulled by a snow mobile. This vehicle would take us to our ice hut located deep into the frozen lake. 






The view from inside the van, as we sat on wooden benches. 



Our hut, on totally frozen ground. 

360 degree around our ice hut. 





The ice hut was heated with propane burners. There was no light inside. We didn't take any with us either. So, had to keep the door ajar a little. Also, after a little bit it got a bit hot inside. 


Kids taking a trip to the washroom. They were pretty reluctant to come. Stayed miserable for the first two hours, as they had trouble finding stuff to do, beside picking on each other. Later, once the hut got warmed up and we ate our lunch (food we packed from home), they seemed to get into it a little bit.









Minnows, provided by the hut operators, to be used as fishing bait.





A picture is worth 1000 words.  Dropped three lines in the water. 2 of them genuine ice fishing short poles. The red one is made from a regular long fishing pole.



We stayed for about four hours, 12 to 4 PM, when the family had just enough. We packed up all stuff  and called the operators to take us to the parking lot.








We hopped in our car and drove back home, stopping at a Chinese restaurant to payback the family for coming with me to experience the joy of ice fishing.

It was a good experience. The operators advised us to come in January. That's when people catches fish. He felt sorry for us as we caught nothing. Regardless, determined to return next year, alone. In January, of course.