Island Lake Ice Fishing – January 8, 2012

The view from the parking lot. Look at all that ice and all those huts!

It’s hard to believe that my hard-water season did not start until January 8th this year! Last season I was hitting the ice a day or two after Christmas, but the mild weather this year has not been kind to ice anglers.

It was with great relief and excitement that a phone call to Island Lake Conservation Area in Orangeville yesterday morning confirmed the ice was in good shape and open for fishing.

A good deal of time was spent packing up the truck – we had a lot of new gear to play with and we wanted to bring all of it!

Arriving at the conservation area it became obvious we were not the only ones eager to hit the ice. Indeed, throughout the day there was a steady stream of anglers drilling holes and wetting lines. It was great to see a lot of young kids out on the ice, and even better to hear and see the excitement when they landed a fish.

Our new hut - I don't ever want to go back to fishing without it!

Darrell and I joined the sea of huts and begin to set up. As this was our first outing  of the season, there were a few kinks to work out and the process took longer than normal.

After the hut was up, rods were rigged and holes were drilled it finally happened – I got a line wet for the first time in weeks! There really is nothing better than being out fishing, and the length of time between outings made this trip even more wonderful. Once again I was searching for fish and loving every minute of it.

While it was a beautiful day with excellent ice conditions – the main part of the lake saw 7-8 inches of ice – the fishing proved to be slow for us. Darrell caught some perch on a tiny white jig, each fish coming in was smaller than the last, and I lost a pike at the hole on a silver and blue spoon. My preference for not using live bait may have contributed to the slower bite, as other anglers using minnows seemed to have some better luck. One angler we spoke to at the end of the day said his group had managed 13 pike, the largest being 3-4lbs.

With any luck the ice will stick around for a bit. I an hoping to get out again next weekend. If you are planning on hitting the ice, pay attention to any signs posted on the lake. Yesterday, everything past the beach was closed due to thin ice conditions. If you are planning a trip to Island Lake you can always call ahead, 1-800-367-890, to make sure the conditions are safe.

CVC Trout Spawning Survey

Yesterday I had the privilege of taking part in a trout spawning survey organized by Credit Valley Conservation (CVC). It was the first time I had participated in such an event and even though I had no idea what to expect, I had eagerly filled out the registration for Darrell and myself.

The weather could not have been more perfect for a day on the river. The snow from Friday had disappeared and the sun shone bright as we parked at the check-in point on Forks of The Credit.

The sign welcoming visitors to the Credit River

The side of the road was soon lined with vehicles as survey participants began to show up. I had been told that quite a few people did sign up for the survey, but I surprised at the sheer number of people out for the Saturday morning event. We had a group of Scouts with their parents, a few biologists, and a few anglers (such as ourselves), looking to help out.

Waders were required for the survey and the CVC was well-equipped to handle the demand.

Talking to some of my group members.

There were three reaches of the river that were to be included in this survey, so the participants were divided up. Darrell and I decided to join the group that had the farthest walk, although I really hadn’t accounted for how long a walk that would be in waders!

Before the groups were sent off, we received instruction from Jon Clayton, an aquatic biologist with CVC, as to how we would identify redds (the ‘nest’ where fish spawn) and how to catalog our findings. When we came across an area that looked like a redd we had to decide how confident we were in that conclusion, and what type of fish made it. We were looking for redds belonging to brook trout, brown trout and, hopefully, atlantic salmon.

Receiving in-the-water instruction from Jon on what to look for. There were a few redds in the area that served as our guideline for the rest of the day.

After the instructions were done we broke into our groups and set off to our location. Our group certainly had a bit of a hike as our starting point was in Forks of the Credit Provincial Park. I was immediately struck by what a great group of people I was with. Our leader was Pat Kelly, a CVC volunteer whom also represents both the Izaak Walton Flyfishing Club and Trout Unlimited. Pat’s knowledge was immediately evident as he started pointing out various pools in the river and telling us about some of the landmarks. He was so friendly and interested in teaching all of us. I was thrilled to be around someone so knowledgeable.

The other four members of our group were biologists. Some had more experience with fish than others, but they were all there to learn and everyone took time to chat with each other. It was nice to hang around a group of people who could take about fish all day long!

Finally at our starting point

We eventually reached our starting location and two people were dispatched to the other side of the river for a better overall view. We were told to stay out of the river as much as possible so we walked along the bank and kept an eye out for an area with lighter color and a bit of a depression. It was apparent pretty quickly that identifying a redd would not be easy.

It was a few minutes up the river when we came across our first suspected redd. The color was a little lighter than the surrounding area, indicating a fish may have fanned the gravel away. A closer look revealed a bit of a depression and a consensus was reached to call it a category 3 redd – meaning it looked like a possible redd, but we weren’t sure and there was no fish found near it. After recording the location and taking some pictures we continued up the river.

A sign near the river outlines the regulations. I wish more people would actually pay attention to these signs and the regulations!

A sign showing the fish of the Credit River. If you ask me, the brown on that sign looks more like a rainbow trout than a brown trout.

We came across more possible redds and would discuss each one before deciding whether to mark it down or not. Pat was a great leader and always let the group consensus take it, and he would make arguments for and against the location being a redd.

While I enjoyed the walk, the conversations, and the search for redds, I was really hoping to see some fish. The first one we spotted was a sucker and it got us all excited to finally see a fish. Then we came across an incredibly dark fish that looked like it was sitting on a redd.

An incredibly dark fish that caused a lot of excitement and discussion.

We were all excited to come this fish and the cameras quickly came out. While others moved in inspect the redd, Darrell, Pat and I were more intrigued by the fish. It didn’t spook at us and looked like it may be in its last days. Whether it was a brown trout or an atlantic salmon, we weren’t sure. We had a closer look as the fish was only inches from us, and from that view the spots were more visible, making me fairly confident this was a brown trout. It was an odd fish to come across and provoked a lot of discussion afterwards.

We came across some interesting structures along the river which Pat was quick to point out as a project he had been involved in with the CVC youth corps. The structures are debris catchers – logs tied together with wire and weighted with rocks, designed to catch debris as it floats down the river, thereby providing structure for the fish to relate to.

A closer look at the debris catcher

A better idea of the size of a debris catcher.

As we neared the end of our reach there was one more exciting event – watching a large atlantic salmon swim by. He came out of nowhere and I didn’t see him until he was swimming by Darrell, but it was a nice sized healthy fish. Darrell saw the large kype that let us know it was a male. It’s possible we could both be wrong about it being an atlantic, as it’s not always easy to tell when they’re in the water. But we’re both pretty confident that it was an atlantic, not a brown. What a treat!

Leaving the Credit River...

It was an incredible day on the river and another amazing learning experience. The Credit River is an absolute jewel and I now have a few more spots to hit for brookies next year. Huge thanks to the CVC for providing the opportunity for people to be involved in something like this spawning survey. It was an incredible learning experience and I met a lot of wonderful people. It’s nice to spend some time helping a fishery that provides so many great angling opportunities.

To participate in upcoming CVC events, check out their Events Calendar.

Watch a video interview with Pat Kelly.

Credit Valley Conservation is on Facebook. Like their page to keep track of current information, including contests.

 

 

 

Sugar Maple Joy

Last week I was lucky enough to win 5 sugar maples from Credit Valley Conservation in celebration of National Tree Day in Canada (it was September 21st).

I was so excited to be getting some new trees for the homestead and arranging their pick-up was quick and easy. Huge thanks to Bethany at Credit Valley Conservation for arranging everything! She was an absolute pleasure to deal with.

I planted the trees earlier this week and have been enjoying them for the past few days. It’s fun to walk around and look at these young trees, full of life.

Here are a few pictures of my treasures:

And to think they may one day get this big:

Credit Valley Conservation is an amazing organization and I have a lot of great memories from time spent in their conservation areas. Please take the time to check out their website.

Island Lake Close Encounter

This past Sunday Darrell and I once again headed to Island Lake in search of bass and crappie. However, after a couple of hours on the water and no bites, we were starting to get frustrated. The fish finder was marking lots of suspending fish in the deepest part of the lake, but try as we might, nothing was interested.

As we moved off in search of ledges with greener weeds, Darrell started throwing a chartreuse chatterbait. I was focusing on my line when I heard, “I’ve got one!”. I didn’t need the yell to know that he had one, as Darrell’s hook-set is quite obvious – the whole boat moves. The rod got a good bend and soon enough I netted a little pike.

The wonderful fish that got the skunk out of the boat!

That pike seemed to set us on course for close encounters of the toothy kind!

Trolling back towards the parking lot I began to feel a little down. I really wanted to catch a fish. I needed to catch a fish. If I go too long without catching a fish I start to take it personally. Do I really not have the slightest clue what I’m doing? Did I scare all the fish away? Silly, yes, but sometimes it can’t be helped. So it was with great happiness that I finally felt a hit on my white chatterbait. I missed that fish but I felt like I was back in the game and I was ready for more!

And then it happened… All of a sudden it felt like my lure hit a brick wall. The rod almost jumped out of my hands and I knew this was the big girl of Island Lake. Yet, no sooner had I hit that brick wall than the line went slack. I reeled in my line only to find that the fluorocarbon leader had been sliced right through and my chatterbait was gone. I had a few choice words for that fish after she stole my lure, but the adrenaline was rushing and I was exhilarated with my close encounter!

Since trolling seemed to be working well I asked Darrell to take another circle and see what we could find. I tied on a white spinnerbait, adding a trailer to make it look like my chatterbait had, and tossed my line out. It didn’t take long before I had another solid hit. Only this time, I set the hook, started reeling, and my reel fell off the rod! I was juggling the reel, the rod and the line as Darrell was telling me to get my reel fastened back on the rod. By the time I did that the fish was gone.

After making sure the reel was secure, I took a couple of casts and finally reeled in a small pike. My catch for the day stood at one fish but the adrenaline rush of those misses just made my day.

I can’t wait until the next visit to Island Lake. Next time I’ll bring the wire leaders!

More Fun at Silver Creek Conservation Area

This past weekend Darrell, Jack and I once again headed for the Silver Creek Conservation Area.

Instead of starting at the main entrance we headed to the creek itself and spent some time exploring the creek and the original bridge that runs under 27 Sideroad.

The bridge is one of those true marvels that has survived over the years despite advancements in technology and construction. It’s a glimpse back to another time when workmanship was valued and things were built to last. Unfortunately, the mortar is starting to crumble and how long the bridge will survive is a question that must be asked. Various reports I have read have discussed the possibility of closing 27 Sideroad to traffic in hopes the bridge will survive longer, even when it is no longer safe for vehicles to cross.

The bridge and it’s surroundings make for an enchanting scene in the new fallen snow. We were the first to venture down the path that morning and the unspoiled beauty in front of us was one of the few times I have truly enjoyed snow in the past few months.

Slippery Slope Hiking at Silver Creek

There was no better way to celebrate Monday’s Family Day holiday than by going for a hike through the Silver Creek Conservation Area.

It was a beautiful day with the sun shining bright and my thermometer at home read -1 C so I dressed a little lighter than normal for a winter day. Of course, that turned out to be a mistake. It took five minutes after leaving the car for me to realize I was under-dressed. Another five minutes went by before I could no longer feel my face and I was suffering from brain-freeze thanks to the windchill and my lack of a hat. Darrell came to the rescue, as usual, by giving me his hat which immediately warmed me up.

Once I was able to forget the cold I began to take in the beauty around me. The first trail we chose showed us an amazing view that can only be seen during the winter when the leaves are on the ground. To look across the valley and up the slope on the other side was awe-inspiring. It was one of those moments when you feel incredibly small and insignificant. My pictures can’t do justice to the view.