Sometimes, that pretty much sums up ice fishing. Sitting on a bucket, staring down a hole. Add to it wind that will freeze spit and fingers numbed to the point of being as useful as cocktail wieners  — well, the immediate appeal of ice fishing isn’t obvious.

Mind you, a quick flip to page 12 of the latest issue of Western Sportsman (on stands now) to see the 47-inch and 48-inch pike ice-caught in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and suddenly the draw becomes a bit more apparent.
Ice fishing is the great equalizer. Now, hot spots aren’t restricted to those of us blessed (or cursed) with boat ownership. A pair of boots, an ice auger and the simplest of fishing setups are all you need. (Gloves and a toque don’t hurt either.)
Back to the introduction — sitting on a bucket, staring down a hole. That’s how I felt last year on Gull Lake, near Lacombe, Alberta. Perhaps it was the added pressure of being in a high-dollar fishing derby that made my lack of success all the more apparent.

It was February, and Larry Bosiak had invited Sportsman staffers to fish in his famous derby, The Original Ice Fishing Contest. Although I had been aware of the derby for years, I hadn’t fished in it and wasn’t prepared for the overwhelming popularity of the event. By the time we strolled in, all the prime holes were occupied, relegating myself and my two buddies to the fringes and an eventual skunk.

We learned that when more than 2,800 people are fishing in one crowded section of a lake; you’ll catch a fish right away, or not at all. Not many a pike, perch, ling or walleye is going to hang around long with a few thousand hooks being dragged through the mud. The derby proved this, with almost every fish weighed in within the first 30 minutes of the five-hour event.
My lack of success — and the lack of success of about 2,703 of the other participants — casts an interesting light on The Original Ice Fishing Contest, actually. Derbies are often criticized for exploiting our resource for money — but when you consider that at Gull Lake last year, in one of Alberta’s largest fishing derbies, only 97 fish were caught between roughly 2,800 anglers (and all of them were released) there isn’t a lot of exploitation worth mentioning. Apply even a five per cent mortality rate to that figure and you have about five dead fish for more than 500 times as many fishermen. In fact, at all three locations the Original Ice Fishing Contest was held last year — Regina Beach, Dauphin Lake and Gull Lake — only 364 fish were weighed in, total.

That’s less than an average day on some lakes, derby or no derby. The apparent lack of success of so many anglers, however, doesn’t cast a bad light on the lake or the derby. It’s just common sense that only a fraction of the participants will weigh in. Consider it a lottery where instead of scratching a ticket, you drop a line.
I have no doubt my luck over this winter will be better than last. So will yours — especially if you take advantage of our most complete ice fishing guide, ever. In the Jan/Feb issue Brad Fenson outlines the best tactics for angling for catching Canada’s most popular fish species through the ice. Early, mid or late season, it will be your go-to guide. (It’s already become mine.) So good luck out there, and keep warm.