I have never been ice fishing before but I saw that ice fishing is open right now on Valens lake conservation area in Flamborough. Does anyone know if the ice fishing there is any good? How do I locate fish though the ice? and is there a way other than an auger to get though the ice to fish?
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.
To fish through the ice, you gotta make holes. Whether by auger, chainsaw or chisel. Most people use augers, either hand or power. The only exception to the "gotta make holes" rule is that sometimes if you go to a popular spot on a weekend afternoon when temperatures are right around or above 0, you can use holes left by other people (mild temperatures required so they aren't frozen over), but I'm not sure I'd want to count on that.
I don't know where you're based, but would Orangeville be within driving range for you? Because at Island Lake Conservation Area over there they'll drill holes for you for a small fee, might be one way to try out ice fishing without getting an auger. I've actually been there a few times this season, was thinking I'd write a report, but don't wait for that to happen.
How to find fish under the ice is a very big question, which most of the talk on ice fishing forums and publications is largely based around. It involves knowing the geography (and ideally the bathymetry) of the lake, and how your target species interacts with that. Or looking at where people are catching fish. When it comes to panfish like perch and sunfish, you can usually feel them nibbling within a minute or so if you find the right spot, but for larger game fish you need to hunker down and wait a bit so it takes some trial and error.
Okay, Thanks for the tips. Island lake might be doable because I live near Dundas