ice fishing Valens Lake in Flamborough

[MuskieBait]

Used to fish there a lot...used to be very good...but some 10 years ago, the intense fishing pressure and weekly fishing crowds fished out the lake. The park installed mandatory catch and release policy for a few years, and now it is still recommended that you catch and release.

I haven't been back, but speak to others who fished it recently, it hasn't been that good.

Fish will move by the season. I recommend that you read up on how each phase of the ice season affects fish movement. It will help you to narrow down where to locate fish.

There are two way to locate fish once you have narrowed down certain areas. Both involves drilling holes. 1) Drop a line and see if you get bites. 2) Use a sonar and see if you get marks. Sometimes you can be marking fish but still not get any bites. They can be a tough crowd at times.

There are a number of ways to make holes through the ice. Auger is your best bet. A spud is good for early ice...but if there's more than 6" of ice, it'll be a lot more work. Ice saw seems to be popular if you need to make a much larger hole, but I haven't seen anyone use one in person...just know it is possible. A chainsaw is possible too, but Valens will likely not allow you to use a chainsaw on property. Both ice saw and chainsaw are used to make larger rectangular holes in the ice, and these large holes can become hazard (people stepping in and falling into the water), so they are generally discouraged.