Cold weather great news for ice fishing

CTV Barrie: Ice fishing With the cold and snow we have received - K.C. Colby looks at how ice conditions are in Kempenfelt Bay.

The cold weather is great news for people who enjoy ice fishing and enthusiasm is building for anglers to drop their lines.

It was a bone chilling -24 degrees Celsius on Kempenfelt Bay and Don Luchkiw with Bear Point Fish Huts Rentals loves it.

“It’s been 10 years since we’ve had ice on January 1^st with our huts on the ice so I’m estatic.”

On Wednesday Luchkiw took out 20 anglers, on Thursday he doubled that number.

Alan Dubinsky is back fishing for the second day in a row and after the day he’s had he might be back again tomorrow.

“There’s nothing better than coming out with your buddy – peace and quiet and catch dinner for the evening.”

Thomas Brittain owns The Bait Bucket in Barrie and says business, like the weather, is brisk.

“We’re pretty thankful that we have ice at the beginning of lake trout season, so it looks like we’re off to a good start.”

Bear Point Fish Huts run from the top of the 25^th Sideroad in Innisfil where Luchkiw says the ice is eight to ten inches thick.

“It is white ice, not solid black ice but it’s 8 to 10 inches so it’s fine to drive an ATV or whatever else you need to do.”

But Barrie Fire Chief John Lynn cautions those who venture onto the ice.

“Our philosophy is no ice is safe ice. It can be a foot think in one spot and two inches think in another depending on the undercurrent.”

Mike Young discovered that firsthand on Wednesday when he went out on Kemepenfelt Bay, east of Bear Point.

“We drilled down and my auger pretty much fell through the ice and then we decided to head back because it wasn’t safe.”

The minus thirty degree temperatures with the wind chill experienced on Thursday should help create some new ice and Environment Canada says it’s supposed to be almost as cold on Friday. But before you go out onto the ice you should always check with an ice hut operator to see how thick the ice is your planning to venture on.