We set out from Toronto fully equipped, thanks to Kris at Fish On Line, on the morning of Jan. 6/ 2006, six rods and all the tackle a man could need out on the ice. Our destination was Lake Nipissing more specifically Ice Bungalows of Lake Nipissing. The drive took about 4 hours including a stop in Beaverton to pick up "a key" member of our fishing group - Larry. This was my first time fishing without a boat and I had never experienced driving on a frozen lake.

In the beginning it was very unsettling being in a car but when you realize that there is 14-18 inches of ice beneath you and up ahead you see a 3/4 ton diesel, well you come to your senses and get on with the fishing.

If you are planning a trip where you will be staying out on the ice in a hut/bungalow it is important to heed some advice, bring a radio or something that connects you to the outside world. In our case we got some extra fishing time because hwy 11 was blocked both ways by a tractor trailer accident. Had we not known we would have been jammed in traffic instead of waiting it out in the hut and we ended up catching a little pike and walleye - keeper. 

It is important to bring paper plates and plastic cups. We didn't and ended up using a lot of our drinking water to wash dishes and needless to say we all had to wash the dishes at some point and that eats into your fishing time.  Out on the ice the facilities are rough so bring extra rolls of toilet paper. They supply paper but not nearly enough. Nothing is more uncomfortable than doing without and waiting for the guy to come around.

After 7:00 pm the fishing ceases - period - not even a nibble. Bring a poker set or some kind of game to pass the time. On the first day we arrived at 10:00 am approx. unloaded and began fishing right away. The fishing was very lean, we caught just 2 walleye and both were under the slot limit and big enough to eat. On the second day everybody woke between 6:45-8:00 am and the fishing started right away. It was on this day that all of Kris' good advice paid off. I had purchased a heavy action Milts 30" lime green rod with metallic purple Milts reel and I strung the reel with Technium 10 lbs test. These recommendations paid of tremendously for Larry who had borrowed this combo for our excursion. Quietly Larry was jigging away and then slam "fish on." The rod was bent right over and the drag was squealing. Larry reeled and fought the fish up to the opening and the fish was jamming itself across the hole. Larry shouted for Herb to grab it. Herb got down on his knees and had to reach into the hole. Luckily the rig held while all this commotion transpired. After watching this take place I was very pleased with my purchases from Kris as everything held together like he said it would.

The fish was caught on a standard jig head with a live minnow on the end. In retrospect I have to say the Technium Fluoropolimer line performed incredibly well under some difficult conditions and Kris gave this spool to me for free along with some other purchases. I would rate the combo with the line 9/10 easily. In fact Larry bought it from me on the spot and I just repurchased all over again from Kris.

We continued to catch all day and at final count we had caught 10 under slot walleye 1 over slot walleye, and 1 in the slot (released 21" long) 2 pike and a little perch. If you like walleye, check out Ice Bungalows. Herb, my brother Damien and myself all caught our very first walleyes on this trip. Larry is an experienced angler and runs Early Bird charters out of Lagoon City on Lake Simcoe. His guiding trips are unsurpassed and he has become a good friend over the last couple of years. For additional info on Larry's spring, summer and fall guiding opportunities e-mail me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   Larry specializes in largemouth and smallmouth bass, pike, lake trout when fishing Simcoe. 

Mike