Wil Wegman

Question:

Hey Wil,
Me and two friends have been fishing Lake Simcoe for four years now. We go to the same place every year (Beaverton). One Day of perch fishing and then we go out deeper for the big fish and we have yet to land a lake trout or whitefish. Do you have any suggestions?

I would have to guess that mostly it's about being in the right place at the right time but are there any secrets to lureing them in? This year we've decided to put a little $5 trophy on the line for biggest fish. I play fair and would really love to see one of these come through the ice so I'll pass along your wisdom and the best angler wins!

Thanks,
Jeremy Dunlop

Answer:

Thanks for the question Jeremy. When it comes to ice fishing success on an ever-changing lake like Simcoe, I am a firm believer that mobility is key.  I would guess that the area you are focussing on for yellow perch is one you are still likely quite satisfied with? It appears though that after four years of trying that the vast adjacent deep water basin – where you would think the whities and lakers would roam, has proven to be ... well one big dud! So ... as you can probably guess ... my simple recommendation is to completely change locations. 

In order to do this most effectively – your choice of perch spots can easily remain the same but where you access the lake for deepwater lakers and whities might need to change.   Therefore, I would recommend you try accessing perhaps out of Jackson’s Point or out from Willow Beach.   A complete change in scenery is often the ticket .... and this goes one step further than just where you access the lake.   Once out there .... and fishing in a likely 65-95 foot location for these cold water species ... give yourselves a set time period before you ‘up and move’.   Being mobile doesn’t mean you need to move miles from one hole to the other.   I wish I had a dollar for every time I came up skunked in one hole but took a walk for a few hundred yards, punched another and then was rewarded with a nice trout or whitefish.   Catching fish thru the ice can be hard work and drilling a pile of holes to cover the water most effectively is often just par for the course.

As for some techniques and tricks that might up your odds – please refer to some of the ice fishing articles I’ve written and are posted on this site ... or at www.fishonlineca.com.    There are plenty there where I divulge a few secrets to help you ice more lake trout and whitefish on Simcoe.

Hope this helps Jeremy and I hope you and your friends have a terrific ice fishing season!

 Wil