A couple of weeks ago I got the word that Colpoys Bay had frozen and ice fishing was under way. My source told me that the fishing off Oxenden creek in 90’ of water was producing Chinook salmon and roe was the bait of choice.
It’s been over 20 yrs since I iced fished Colpoys back when Splake and Whities were the target species. As luck would have it I was going to have to wait 2 weeks before I would get a chance, and I spent every day watching the Wiarton temps hoping that ice would hold long enough to get out again. Last Thurs a plan was in place and day 1 was going to be Sat. 7:30am meeting my dock neighbour at Havelock Rd in Oxenden. I arrived in Wiarton Fri. at 5pm for a quick look at the ice, MINT and not a soul fishing! Off to the res for smokes and on to Alvanley to spend the night. Sat morning up at 6am, into Timmies and then on the road to Oxenden. Jim and his 2 young ones show up at appointed time and we gear up and head out onto the Bay, we’re not alone out there, a doz. huts and over 40 anglers are already setting up. Using the hand held GPS we move out to 90’ of water on the NE corner of the crowd. 200 yds north of us open water under us 8-10" of good solid ice sweet!
Setting up
We set up jigging rods with spoons and either a dead stick or tip up with chunks of skeined roe. By 9am the wind is blowing out of the north at 20k and were having to sheild the tip ups with tackle bags, 10am the wind has hit over 30k and the and the tip ups are converted to tip downs. the temps are dropping quick and the wind off the lake is damp and cuts right into your face but everyone keeps fishing.
By 11am the only fishermen left are the guys with huts or wind shelters and the 4 of us. The wind is near 50k now the water behind us is a heaving sea of pack ice and the ice were standing on is snapping and banging regularly with ever increasing volume. At 11:45 there is a bang behind me like nothing I’ve heard I turn just in time to see the ice split and lift right behind Jim, it sinks back down sending a spray skyward! Alright kids enough of this stuff we quickly pack up and scurry back to shore. Jim and the kids head back home and I make the drive back to Alvanley dissappointed but by no means beaten.
Saturday night we enjoy the St Paddies day festivities friends, food and fun. I quit early and head for bed if the wind dies there's still a couple of hours fishing to be had.
Sunday 7am I’m up and raring to go, skies are blue and there is zero wind. Grab a Timmies and on to Wiarton, this time I go right thru town and turn down the western shoreline. I stop in front of the Gov dock in the town of Colpoys to survey the bay. There is a big group of anglers back out off Oxenden other than that just one old guy fishing the open water where Colpoys creek spills into the bay. The creek is running pretty strong with the run off from mon/tues mild spell.
I walk down to see how he’s doing “missed two hits†he says, Ummm. I go back to the Jeep grab my ice gear and make my way out to the front of the creek, pop a test hole 6†of ice, good enough I drill another close enough that I can do a 2 fisted jig, tie on a mepps cyclops and a little cleo, both blue and siver my go to colour for bows.
Note the tripod I have a slew of scenery pics to bore you with. Any way I jigged here for over an hr with not a sniff, frustration and time are both driving me now. I survey the situation and decide I need to get right over that current I grab the auger and walk 30’ closer to the dock and current drill the test hole 4†of ice, OK pop another hole and move my rods to the new locale. 45mins pass still nothing it’s after 10 and I’m running out of time. I reel in both lines and make my way back to the Jeep grab my tackle bag and start digging and I find a baggie of pink marsh mallows, well what the hell. Back out on the ice I load 2 mallows on the cyclops treble drop both lures back down jig for 30 secs and stop for a smoke. Get it lit and reach down with my left hand to give the cyclops a little bounce and Wham! Dang rod near came out of my hand, the drags singing and I got me a fish on! A couple of good strong runs and finally he succumbs to the rod.
Ok I need some practice with the tripod. Any way I fished on till 11am but that was it for the morning. At least I left the bay a happy fisherman!
Hope you enjoy
fishforfun that big ol rainbow must have been a blast through the ice. Gotta love bows.