The Ice Fishermen Are Back!
The other day, late in the afternoon, the dogs exploded with barking. Usually, that happens when an unfamiliar delivery truck comes down the driveway. This time, it was the almost predictable annual arrival of a good friend who had come to park his pickup truck and then walk out to test the thickness of the ice.
Sure enough, he walked a couple of hundred yards offshore, put a drill bit to work through the ice, and a good solid 3 or 4 inches of ice core was revealed. It was time to fish!
He was back about an hour later, just at dusk, with a old ice-fishing pal… and soon their tent was up, a good fishing hole had been bored through the ice, and the fishing began.
I didn’t see him come off the ice that night, but expect that he probably had a couple of good-sized walleye with him when he headed for home.
I know that he also fishes in the summer, when the lake is open water. But, there is nothing like the intensity, challenge and outdoor experience of ice fishing.
Yet, I must admit, that it is something I have never done. I observe it every year, but have no interest in bundling up in layers of warm clothing topped with a hood and knit hat and sitting out on a frozen lake waiting for the fish to bite.
That takes a special person, and it is not me.
Interestingly, the next morning, a Saturday, when I went, as usual, at 6:30 a.m. to Hogan’s Hut to get the newspaper, there were pickup trucks and fishermen everywhere buying everything from bait, to fishing tackle, to breakfast sandwiches. The word was out…the lake was open for ice fishing!
Of course, what the whole experience reveals again is the overwhelming appeal of Chautauqua Lake as a fishing resource and outdoor sporting destination. It has always amazed me how this highly-used lake continues to be such an excellent fishery – even in the heart of winter.
It looks now like we could be at the start of an “old-fashioned” winter. We have had a lot of snow–the Village of Mayville website says 89 inches so far, and more cold and snow is expected. We have already seen snowmobiles zipping down the frozen lake… another outdoor “magnet” for those who enjoy winter.
When they come, the snowmobilers give way to the ice fishermen, who have been there first and staked out their claim to what the lake can give. There really isn’t any law, that I know of, regulating this–there is just mutual respect between the ice fishermen and snowmobile riders that they both can enjoy what the ice brings.
And, for those of you who, like me, enjoy a warm fire instead of ice fishing — I would only suggest that you take a drive around the lake some sunny, cold day and look at what is going on. It is beautiful out there on the lake – even in the dead of winter!
Rolland Kidder is a Stow resident.