Desperation sets in!

Looks like people can’t wait any longer for the ice. Four boats of anglers breaking ice to get out to the channel at Atherley on Simcoe. Hope the firefighters don’t get a call. Saw a guy by Haliburton fishing out of a big keeless royalex canoe, on the ice. Actually looked pretty safe. He had a floater coat on and was using a Milles Lac ice chisel to push himself along. Canoe slid along like a knife through hot butter. I might actually give this a try on a little brookie lake. Forecast looks bleak for any good ice soon.

Callander Bay on Nip has been fishable on foot since the 1st. It was -20 last night as well with a few more cold/cool nights coming this week. Should lock up the mush on top. Maybe ski-doo/ATV ready on the bay by next Saturday or Sunday - I give it 60% chance but know there will be guys riding on it next weekend. Probably not me though - I like to see a consistent 10 inches before i ride on it.

Right now guys consistently reporting 4 to 6 inches black with 1 or 2 inches grey.

Big lakes around here have open places, small lakes have 2-3” of ice, 5-6” of slush, 2-3” of ice, 5-6” of slush, then 2-3” of ice. I guess the 3 feet of snow and warm weather made a mess.

Good ice here

I saw some boats headed to simcoe yesterday. Waters cold. I ain’t going.

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Originally Posted by Species8472

Callander Bay on Nip has been fishable on foot since the 1st. It was -20 last night as well with a few more cold/cool nights coming this week. Should lock up the mush on top. Maybe ski-doo/ATV ready on the bay by next Saturday or Sunday - I give it 60% chance but know there will be guys riding on it next weekend. Probably not me though - I like to see a consistent 10 inches before i ride on it.

Right now guys consistently reporting 4 to 6 inches black with 1 or 2 inches grey.

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I have been watching the "koke machine" report and you are spot on. Looking like North Bay is getting some cold weather next week which that should tighten things up.

Sure hope we have good ice mid March for our ice fishing adventure....so looking forward to it!!

A satellite image from the 7th from simcoe.
Was an awesome view looked like an ice bridge all the way to the island lol.
Open water on both sides it looked like a rd satellite pic looks like a tadpole.

The 8th in Port bolster was open water towards Beaverton but looked to be skimmed over towards Holmes point
Vb still had birds swimming around

Picks from yesterday sat is the 7th. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...6f1f2c1d3a.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...27f8f456df.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...19639bc231.jpg

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Keeping my fingers crossed. Weatherman shows -10 to -12 from Jan 15 to 17 in Kawarthas. Hopefully this will add a few inches of ice to make at least cautious walking nearshore possible.

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Originally Posted by huntnmachine

Sure hope we have good ice mid March for our ice fishing adventure....so looking forward to it!!

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Looking forward to it as well. I have fished the closer the last 5 years in a row and knock on wood so far have had enough ice for the ski-doo. That being said 2021 was close - 7 inches black with 3 inches grey. Ice was cracking, groaning and moving the entire 2 days and on the ride out the last day had to cross about 25 feet of open water. World of difference from 2022 - there was 22 inches black and 4 inches grey on the last day and if it's any consolation 2021 started out with better ice than 2022. 2022 was a no-go for the ski-doo on the opener similar to this year.

Hopefully we get our usual 2 weeks of safe-ish ice on Lk St clair in Feb... lol

Me too, but not looking good for us here in the sunny south

Will try to go out tomorrow I’ve had been fishable for a couple weeks but I haven’t had the time

Unfortunately the pictures I posted from the 8th has only lost ice this morning. Then I think by afternoon more ice pushed in definitely looked different down by Casey's.

Vb has zero ice still

Found some ice down in cooks Bay it's not safe yet was surprised to see , might give it a go next week for some jumbo perch if it stays.
On the bright side lots of whitefish will stay in the lake this season. Can't wait to sit over them lol. Could be a short season on the big lake..

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We drove up to Callander Bay yesterday morning and fished from 9 am till 2 pm. We walked out but there was enough ice that we could have brought the sleds. I would say there was at east 9 inches of good ice where we were. There were sleds and ATVs going a lot further out than us and there were quite a few big permanent huts out as well. It was nice to catch some fish through the ice, unfortunately none of ours were in the slot so no fish fry this time.

ouch.... I am dying to get out... can't imagine falling in a hole with the bow sticking out of the ice.... Canoe won't do him much good I'm afraid...

On Nip right now. Been out for 3 hours. Slow afternoon. 2 walleye both about 14 inches .

About 9.5 inches of ice. 8 black 1.5 white

Good to hear. Thanks for the update and good luck

Out on Callander bay for the day. -29 at the launch. Should be making ice. Lots of people putting out their seasonal huts today.

No trucks on the ice but lots of sleds, side by side and sleds.

Pike and perch seem to be the order of the day. Walter is being elusive

Nice slot sized walter 5 minutes ago

Nice you are into some fish not matter the brand....congrats Joe

Quite a few walkers on Cook's Bay today. Not sure of the conditions but they were in shallow.

Pike and perch were steady all day on Callander. Walleye started showing up mid/late afternoon. Caught half a dozen eyes with one being in the slot.

Today's view:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a6f8f1a6_k.jpg

Slot Wally - 16 inches on the nose:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d9a01492_k.jpg

Awesome looking set up Joe. Color coordinated and all. Seriously nice rig... It's been a while since I fished up there and back then there was no slot limit. Fished a couple of walleye tournaments out of Calander Bay back then as well. I also had some excellent blue bill shoots during the late fall up towards the other end of the lake... Nice stuff...

Changing it up today. 14 km down the south shore from fish bay today. 13 inches of ice. 2 nights at - 25 or -30 seem to have added some ice.

Good ice this weekend, looks like 14” now, followed by some slush and then 2”. Some warm weather coming, let’s hope the ice stays.

Beauty day on Nip today. Started really slow with just one perch and one walleye until 4 pm. Between 4 and 430 2 more walleye. Than nothing until 510 pm than all hell broke loose with 7 walleye in 20 minutes. Included 2 double headers a 17.5 inch slot keeper. And lastly a 24 inch tank that tangled my jigging rod line with my dead stick line. Got him back in the water looked at the tangled mess and called it a day.

Sounds like you had a great weekend.....congrats