Jan 16 Icefishing Lake Simcoe
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 12:56 pm
Matt came over to my place on Friday to sleep over so he can avoid the 3am early start to the day. We spent Friday evening watching the Leafs lost but added a positive note by catching a few fish on the fly on my computer 
We didn't get to bed until 12:30am...and I was up at 4am. I woke Matt up and then gave WD a wake-up call too.
Matt and I were to meet WD at BassPro at 5:15am, then we picked up Slug at a carpool on the 400. While WD and Slug went to grab bait at Innisfil, Matt and I headed north to meet RR. MuddyBuddy has outgrew his one-piece floater suit and I am the lucky bidder who will be inheriting it
WD and Slug showed up not long after we met up with RR and we had a mini 5min M&G After that, RR went home while we headed for the parking lot of Bear Point. Luckily, we got there just in time to take 2 of the last 3 parking spots. Phew!
The ice looks a little dicey near shore. There was about 1" of frozen slush making the ice looked very marbled. We walked out a bit to drill a hole to find 1" slush over 4" solid black. We stopped to considered a few options, but at the end, we decided to keep going with faith on our floater suits.
We got out further and drilled another hole to find 1" slush and 5" solid black. Finally, we got out to about 100 FOW and there we found 1" slush with 6" solid black.
As soon as we got there, there were fish showing on the graph. We took some time to send down the livebait rods before settling down to jigging.
I saw some fish suspended from 10-15 feet off bottom. While chatting with RR earlier, RR said that's the depth he caught his lakers and herring on Monday. So I progressively worked my Williams half-and-half a couple of feet up at a time, pausing and jigging for a while at each step.
Finally, I think it was about 12 feet off bottom when I got a small tap. I jiggled the spoon a little and my line went slack. I jiggled it some more and got another tap...but this time the fish held on enough for the hookset. It was putting up a decent fight on the medium-light rod.
When the fish came up, we saw a bit of silver and I was hoping it would be a cisco (lake herring). Finally, we have the head out of the hole and I did a bear paw scoop to put my first cisco onto the ice! Since it was a new species (118th) for me, I took a 20 second photo session with this fish and back in the hole it went.
118th species! Yeah baby! I tried for it for two years and finally got it done. Success is so sweet!
I dropped my Williams back down the hole and got another hit about 10min later...but the fish came off. It felt like another herring so the long distance release was okay since they are closed anyways. WD also missed a fish and we guessed it was a herring too.
There were fish showing up periodically with some suspended 10-20 feet off bottom. We jigged and jigged and watched our livebait rods...but there were very little action. At about 10am, Matt got a text from UncleBen about his morning off Innisfil Beach. UncleBen has landed 3 whitefish in 30 minutes so we were pondering the move.
I was all for it since action was really slow (and I caught my herring already). Just as I was packing up some gear, I saw my slip float quiver. Matt caught the little movement too as I went over to give the fish some line. The float was sinking slowly but deliberately enough to indicate a fish taking line. I waited until the line straightened out and set the hook.
My drag was not properly so for a while, the fish took all the line it wanted. I waited until the fish slowed down before adjusting the drag a little. Fianlly, I was able to gain line on it and about 3min later, we saw deep colour. At first, we thought it was a whitefish...until the fish swam directly under the hole to show a mossy green back with cream wavy lines. It was decent sized too so I played it carefully near the hole. Finally, I got the head to the hole and Matt scooped up the fish. It was a stocked laker...all 4lbs and 21" of it.
I think I was half asleep in this picture Nah...caught me blinking
So after that fish, we decided to stay a bit and see if the fish were moving in. We saw a few fish on the graph for a little bit but they didn't want to bite. After a while, we saw nothing. So the concensus was to move closer toward shore and fish our way back.
We made one move into 63 FOW. Matt saw a few fish on the Vex and finally, he made good on his story by teasing a fish 15 feet off bottom 8O It appeared to be a good fish and I went over to help him remove the transducer from the hole. We saw some deep colour and it was silver. When it came up the hole, we have to confirm that it was a whitefish since we were into some herring before...but it was a whitefish for sure. It was one of the smaller whitefish we've caught on ice. It was only about 3lbs but it was a natural.
And so we kept fishing at 63 feet for a while. Matt and I would mark some fish on bottom or suspended. Some would come down to look at our lures or screamed up from bottom to check out our jigging...but there really wasn't any fish committing. Then...the bait school moved in. And this was what we saw for the next 20min...
Yes...that's bait from basically 62 feet all the way up to 48 feet...black with bait! On Matt's Vex, he said the school was at times at least 25 feet in height!
Here's Matt's Vex with only half the story...the camera couldn't keep up with the Vex's refresh rate...
We waited and waited for the school to pass and keep jigging hoping there were some predators following the school. But we found nada.
Twenty minutes later, it finally thinned out. As we were jigging, Matt pulled a fish off bottom and it slammed his jig. It was pulling decent but not like a big laker or whitefish. With deep colour, we saw silver and guessed it was another small whitefish, but when we got it up the hole, it was a big herring. Here's Matt with his PB herring...all 15-16" of it!
We lingered on at 63 feet of water to find very little after. So by about 1pm, we decided to move over to Innisfil for the afternoon. We had to make a stop for some pizza (Thanks for the pizza Matt) since we were all starving
After pizza, we got on the ice at 3pm. We found 86 FOW away from the main group of huts and people. We finally got set up and went down to business jigging.
While WD was on the phone speaking to his father, he got a hit on the Shoaldigger. Here's WD "fighting" the fish while on the phone
WD got a little razzing from Matt since WD was on the phone and not reeling the fish in The fish ended up tangling up 4 lines so we all took some time out to untangle lines. But what was most important was WD landing his first hardwater whitefish.
We fished some more and I think Slug said he missed a couple of hits. I had a couple of light bumps but couldn't connect. Matt were marking fish consistently that would come by to check out the lures but they would turn away as quickly.
By around 6pm, we all had enough. So on that note, we packed up and called it a day.
It was a trying bite for sure but we all had fun and lots of fresh air. Glad to be fishing with you guys again!
Okay...my break is over...back to the microscope...Until next time
We didn't get to bed until 12:30am...and I was up at 4am. I woke Matt up and then gave WD a wake-up call too.
Matt and I were to meet WD at BassPro at 5:15am, then we picked up Slug at a carpool on the 400. While WD and Slug went to grab bait at Innisfil, Matt and I headed north to meet RR. MuddyBuddy has outgrew his one-piece floater suit and I am the lucky bidder who will be inheriting it
WD and Slug showed up not long after we met up with RR and we had a mini 5min M&G
After that, RR went home while we headed for the parking lot of Bear Point. Luckily, we got there just in time to take 2 of the last 3 parking spots. Phew!
The ice looks a little dicey near shore. There was about 1" of frozen slush making the ice looked very marbled. We walked out a bit to drill a hole to find 1" slush over 4" solid black. We stopped to considered a few options, but at the end, we decided to keep going with faith on our floater suits.
We got out further and drilled another hole to find 1" slush and 5" solid black. Finally, we got out to about 100 FOW and there we found 1" slush with 6" solid black.
As soon as we got there, there were fish showing on the graph. We took some time to send down the livebait rods before settling down to jigging.
I saw some fish suspended from 10-15 feet off bottom. While chatting with RR earlier, RR said that's the depth he caught his lakers and herring on Monday. So I progressively worked my Williams half-and-half a couple of feet up at a time, pausing and jigging for a while at each step.
Finally, I think it was about 12 feet off bottom when I got a small tap. I jiggled the spoon a little and my line went slack. I jiggled it some more and got another tap...but this time the fish held on enough for the hookset.
It was putting up a decent fight on the medium-light rod.
When the fish came up, we saw a bit of silver and I was hoping it would be a cisco (lake herring). Finally, we have the head out of the hole and I did a bear paw scoop to put my first cisco onto the ice! Since it was a new species (118th) for me, I took a 20 second photo session with this fish and back in the hole it went.
118th species! Yeah baby! I tried for it for two years and finally got it done. Success is so sweet!
I dropped my Williams back down the hole and got another hit about 10min later...but the fish came off. It felt like another herring so the long distance release was okay since they are closed anyways. WD also missed a fish and we guessed it was a herring too.
There were fish showing up periodically with some suspended 10-20 feet off bottom. We jigged and jigged and watched our livebait rods...but there were very little action. At about 10am, Matt got a text from UncleBen about his morning off Innisfil Beach. UncleBen has landed 3 whitefish in 30 minutes so we were pondering the move.
I was all for it since action was really slow (and I caught my herring already
). Just as I was packing up some gear, I saw my slip float quiver. Matt caught the little movement too as I went over to give the fish some line. The float was sinking slowly but deliberately enough to indicate a fish taking line. I waited until the line straightened out and set the hook.
My drag was not properly so for a while, the fish took all the line it wanted. I waited until the fish slowed down before adjusting the drag a little. Fianlly, I was able to gain line on it and about 3min later, we saw deep colour. At first, we thought it was a whitefish...until the fish swam directly under the hole to show a mossy green back with cream wavy lines. It was decent sized too so I played it carefully near the hole. Finally, I got the head to the hole and Matt scooped up the fish. It was a stocked laker...all 4lbs and 21" of it.
I think I was half asleep in this picture
Nah...caught me blinking
So after that fish, we decided to stay a bit and see if the fish were moving in. We saw a few fish on the graph for a little bit but they didn't want to bite. After a while, we saw nothing. So the concensus was to move closer toward shore and fish our way back.
We made one move into 63 FOW. Matt saw a few fish on the Vex and finally, he made good on his story by teasing a fish 15 feet off bottom 8O It appeared to be a good fish and I went over to help him remove the transducer from the hole. We saw some deep colour and it was silver. When it came up the hole, we have to confirm that it was a whitefish since we were into some herring before...but it was a whitefish for sure. It was one of the smaller whitefish we've caught on ice. It was only about 3lbs but it was a natural.
And so we kept fishing at 63 feet for a while. Matt and I would mark some fish on bottom or suspended. Some would come down to look at our lures or screamed up from bottom to check out our jigging...but there really wasn't any fish committing. Then...the bait school moved in. And this was what we saw for the next 20min...
Yes...that's bait from basically 62 feet all the way up to 48 feet...black with bait! On Matt's Vex, he said the school was at times at least 25 feet in height!
Here's Matt's Vex with only half the story...the camera couldn't keep up with the Vex's refresh rate...
We waited and waited for the school to pass and keep jigging hoping there were some predators following the school. But we found nada.
Twenty minutes later, it finally thinned out. As we were jigging, Matt pulled a fish off bottom and it slammed his jig. It was pulling decent but not like a big laker or whitefish. With deep colour, we saw silver and guessed it was another small whitefish, but when we got it up the hole, it was a big herring. Here's Matt with his PB herring...all 15-16" of it!
We lingered on at 63 feet of water to find very little after. So by about 1pm, we decided to move over to Innisfil for the afternoon. We had to make a stop for some pizza (Thanks for the pizza Matt) since we were all starving
After pizza, we got on the ice at 3pm. We found 86 FOW away from the main group of huts and people. We finally got set up and went down to business jigging.
While WD was on the phone speaking to his father, he got a hit on the Shoaldigger. Here's WD "fighting" the fish while on the phone
WD got a little razzing from Matt since WD was on the phone and not reeling the fish in
The fish ended up tangling up 4 lines so we all took some time out to untangle lines. But what was most important was WD landing his first hardwater whitefish.
We fished some more and I think Slug said he missed a couple of hits. I had a couple of light bumps but couldn't connect. Matt were marking fish consistently that would come by to check out the lures but they would turn away as quickly.
By around 6pm, we all had enough. So on that note, we packed up and called it a day.
It was a trying bite for sure but we all had fun and lots of fresh air. Glad to be fishing with you guys again!
Okay...my break is over...back to the microscope...Until next time