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by
Wil Wegman
illustration: Robert Biron
photo: Glen Hales |
January - Lake Trout,
Lake Simcoe, ON
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Lake Simcoe
is the most intensively fished inland lake in Ontario thanks
to its winter fishery, which draws more anglers than any other
time of year. And many of those anglers come for the chance
to catch a limit of eating-size lake trout, as well as the occasional
trophy. The hardwater laker season begins January 1 and lasts
until March 15, but it’s during the first month of the
year that ice anglers typically enjoy the finest fishing of
the season, if not the year. Why? Although there’s little
evidence of spawning among Simcoe’s stocked lakers, they
still go through the late-fall spawning motions of their wild
cousins. So come January, the fish can be found around typical
shallow spawning areas, such as rocky shoals, islands and points.
Early in January, for example, focus on 35 to 65 feet of water
around the islands and shoals north of Cook’s Bay at the
south end of the lake. They’re also hungry and, having
not experienced fishing pressure for the previous three months
(the open-water season closes September 30), they tend to be
easier to catch than later in the season. And one final bit
of advice: head for deeper water as the winter progresses.
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| BEYOND
LAKE TROUT |
| Lake
Simcoe ice anglers can also pursue whitefish (which
are often found in the same areas as lake trout),
yellow perch and northern pike (in shallower, weedier
areas). The lake also has a famed smallmouth and
largemouth bass fishery in the summer; walleye are
very rare and generally caught only incidentally. |
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TACKLE
AND TECHNIQUES
Look for active fish using a large, blue and silver jigging
Rapala or a gold or silver Williams spoon. If the action slows
down, or if you’re fishing two holes, a set line with
a single hook and minnow near the bottom (coupled with a stacker
line rigged with a minnow 10 feet or more off the bottom) can
pay dividends. Innovative Simcoe ice anglers have also had great
success jigging white or salt-and-pepper 1/8-ounce tube jigs.
GETTING THERE
Lake Simcoe is roughly an hour’s drive north of Toronto.
Take Highway 400 north to Barrie to access the lake’s
north end. To reach the south end, take Highway 48 north to
Sutton, or Highway 12 at the north end of Highway 404 to Keswick.
All three towns have a number of hut operators. |
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Beyond
Simcoe
Looking for more local laker hot spots? Also try:
• Boshkung Lake •
Twelve Mile Lake •
Gull Lake • Halls Lake
Local
experts
• Terry Goy, Terry
Goy Fish Hut Rentals, (905) 775-2754
• Casey Creber, Casey’s
Fish Huts, (705) 437-1560 |
For
more info
• Ontario Travel
Centre, 1-800-567-1140
• Ministry of Natural
Resources, Midhurst office (north end), (705) 725-7500;
Aurora office (south end), (905) 713-7400; fishinglakesimcoe.com |
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| BACK
TO HOT SPOTS |
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