Warmer temperatures pose challenges for anglers eager to break the ice

Anglers at Gilford Road Park in Innisfil, Ont., on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021 (Craig Momney/CTV News)

With the recent warmer temperatures, ice fishers have had a difficult start to the season.

With less than an inch of ice on local bodies of water, anglers eagerly await colder temperatures.

"Just on shore there's probably about an inch, inch and a half right now for a couple hundred feet out, but, open water far as you can see," says Terry Goy, owner of Fish Hut Rentals in Innisfil.

While its a far cry from the recommended four inches, Goy's phone is still ringing off the hook for those looking to book an ice hut rental. With a warm end to the year, Goy's anticipating a shortened season, with plans for his huts to be out on Cooks Bay in early February.

Earlier modelling from Environment Canada suggested temperatures would be above average this winter.

However, Senior Climatologist Dave Phillips says modelling has changed — and those temperatures should be normal for the area.

"It's not going to be a real freeze-off. I'm going to say the first real ice fishing weather across Lake Simcoe and many areas is going to be closer to the end of January rather than the middle," Phillips says.

Whenever ice fishing season does begin, anglers are reminded to make sure that they have a valid fishing license before heading out on the ice.