Ice Fishing
The 2005 ice fishing season in the
Lake Ontario region was incredible. Such a strong adjective to describe an outdoor activity might seem like an over-reaction; however, if you were there, you experienced some of the best hard water fishing in years. Ice was early, a safe thickness, and continued through the middle of March. If you counted anglers fishing Sodus Bay on any given weekend, you would easily spot 300-plus enthusiasts. And that's just Sodus; throw in Port, Blind, and East Bays, and you have some serious ice fishing taking place. That's how good it was!
Interest in ice fishing has catapulted, and the sport now ranks up there with watching football. All right, that might be an exaggeration; nevertheless fishing through ice continues to attract males, females, and entire families. The primary reason for the increase in popularity is the quarry. Basically, the fish are there; in numbers and in size, perch, pike, bluegills, crappies, and walleyes have been consistently caught through the ice. The cyclical populations of perch have been strong for nearly ten years, and this delicious table fare should continue, based on last year's wide variety of sizes.
Another significant factor attracting the masses to the sport of ice fishing is the equipment. Talk about "stuff." New-on-the-market products continue to amaze. Gone are the days of spuds, wool coats, tip-ups with 20 pound braided line, and 5-gallon pails to place your cold rear-end on. Now, you can ice fish in the Clam, which has an option of attaching to another ice hut. You can now connect with your ice buddy and pass the drinks and venison stew without stepping outside. Some of the new huts are connected to ATVs. Just drive out to your favorite location, drill a hole, and with a simple pull, enclose yourself with your machine...no need to worry about wind blowing your tent across the ice.
There are plenty of options for gear. The jigging enthusiast can use a super sensitive pole with line especially made for cold-water angling. Even the tasty bluegill will feel like a monster, as it darts around under your ice hole. All the new gear available has added the light touch to the sport; however, the most important change is clothing.
Innovations in cold and foul weather gear have put more people on the ice than any advances in equipment. If you're warm, you are a happy ice angler. GORE-TEX and Thinsulate have put warmth into jackets. Footwear has become lighter and able to keep your feet warm at -40 degrees. Mickey Mouse boots insulate so well, you need only light socks. And it goes on and on! You cannot use the "I am cold" excuse any more. Now that you're dressed and equipped, where do you drill that honey hole?
In Wayne County, Blind Sodus Bay in Red Creek is historically the first bay to freeze. If temperatures remain in the thirties, the south end has safe ice by mid-December, and if we stay in tundra conditions, the bay can be ice fished until the end of March. Blind Sodus, which is located off of State Route 104A near Fair Haven, has an excellent population of blue gills, perch and pike. Although all the embayments close to Lake Ontario have a consistent cold lake wind environment, Blind Sodus seems to escape the severe blows.
Port Bay, which lies east of Blind Sodus, is a 500-acre body of water that has an abundance of king-size perch. Perch of course, are a schooling fish, so anglers have to locate them; however, once the jumbos are found, the action is great. Tompkins and Graves Point are consistent hot spots. The southern end of the bay, which has an access road off of West Port Bay Road, usually provides blue gills early at first ice, and then perch the rest of the season. Blue gills also hang around the southeast side of the bay, usually in ten feet of water. However, they do move around. Locate the weeds and you should hook up.
Sodus Bay is the premier ice fishing location in western New York. This 3,140-acre bay has the ultimate list of species for any ice angler, novice or pro. Pike, walleye, perch, crappies, and blue gills. The pike are usually the first to hit, although last year was a slow starter for the mighty game fish. Anglers try near LeRoy Island for the season's first adventure. Once the ice reaches 3 to 4 inches, that's the hot spot. Directly off Connelly's Cove Restaurant is another action spot. Water depth is shallow, between 3 and 5 feet; however, pike roam that section of the bay.
As the season continues and the ice thickens, anglers can fish near Third Creek, off Shaker Heights. Often you have to travel out a mile or so, but you might hook into some nice walleyes. Speigel Drive is another hot spot, especially late in the season. Actually, there are plenty of hot spots. Look for the congregation of ice anglers, or better yet, ask at local bait shops. Bay Bridge Sport Shop and Davenport's Marina have all the information needed, and both establishments are open the entire year. You may also obtain weekly conditions at the Wayne County Fishing Hotline at (315) 946-5466 or the county web page, www.waynecountytourism.com.
Chris Kenyon is an Outdoor Columnist for The Sodus Record-Sun. He is a member of NYSOWA and The Outdoor Recreational Coordinator for Wayne County Tourism. He is also a freelance writer for several publications.