Crescent Beach, February 2015

Today we had an exciting trip to Crescent Beach. The La Have River was frozen over. But the ferry was managing to keep the crossing clear.

The sea was a solid layer of ice, except for the pack ice on each side of the ferry. The ferry dragged itself through the blocks of ice.

Just getting onto Crescent Beach was quite a feat. The sea ice and snow made a solid bank.

There were loads of tree patterns in the sand, and ice stalactites.

It was good to walk on the sand without the fear of falling on ice.

The ferry was still keeping the route open as we drove home along the river.

Ice Fishing in Canada

Ice fishing is a completely new experience for us coming to Canada from the UK.  But for those who live by lakes or rivers it is a real winter sport. The river estuary of the La Have that runs to Bridgewater is very like the River Tay at Dundee as it goes upstream to Perth. Once the temperature goes to freezing the La Have freezes over completely. This is quite amazing as it is salt water. We saw our first ice fishers last year and then a couple of weeks ago they were out in force again.

There are various forms of shelter used by the fishermen. Some seem to have portable huts that look like garden sheds that they drag out onto the ice. These come complete with a stove for warmth and probably to cook the fish. Others have sort of tent like structures that are built on site.

The first rule of ice fishing is to be certain that the ice you are fishing on is safe. I have been reading that, a general rule, you should wait until there is a minimum of 6 inches of solid ice on a river or lake before attempting to fish on it. There are also different types of ice, and it is wise to familiarize yourself with all of them before beginning.

“Black ice,” is the name given to patches of ice that are mostly clear, and containing only air bubbles. Black ice is considered safer than the deceptively-named, “white ice,” which is not clear, and contains melted snow that has re-frozen. In general, ice fishing beginners should avoid white ice altogether.

I think I’ll avoid all ice!

Holes are cut in the ice with some form of auger and then the fisherman is ready to start. Some fishermen have  sonar units to show where the fish are, otherwise they miss out on the true joys of ice fishing!! Really?

But ice fishing is not a solitary sport. In fact all the books say that you must not do it alone, for safety reasons. Normally where you find one fishing hut you find several. It seems to be a real social event, with many groups totally engrossed in the sport.

I really enjoyed fishing for mackerel off the piers in the summer and always enjoyed sea fishing, but I can’t really see myself getting into this ice fishing. Maybe I’m just too old for this unfamiliar activity.