Here we are… mid March and that sordid prediction by a ground rodent seems far from bearing any truth… cold temperatures and winter just do not want to end!!
So, in keeping with the prophetic words of a winter lover – “if you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy in your life but still the same amount of snow” – we took to the chilly outdoors once again.
This time, we decided to have a little March Break“staycation” by renting The Lake House at Bay’s End… a spectacular AirBnB near the most easterly point of Lake Superior’s Thunder Bay… we were on a Whitefish mission, and this gave us easy access to the Bay.
After getting settled in, we set out by snowmobile to find “the spot” to plant our portable ice fishing shelter for the weekend.
And truthfully, we didn’t have to go far… just a few hundred yards out front of The Lake House to locate that 35 to 40 feet of water that, as a fishing guide, I find yields quite good results for one of Ontario’s tastiest fish – pan-fried, baked or smoked!
Although our start was mid-afternoon, it didn’t take long before a few nice eating-size Whitefish were laying on the ice… and the anticipation for the following day grew even more with our early success.
The next morning, a small fuel line issue with the snowmobile delayed our start a little bit. My partner, Janet, decided to walk out to our ice hut and by the time I got there she had the heater going, the graph turned on, and had already jigged up the first Whitefish of the day!
Several more fish quickly followed, and we had 6 on the ice by the time we went back to The Lake House for lunch.
As the day drew to a close, our fish count had increased to 9… 11 in total for the weekend – not too darn bad!
Wintertime public access to Lake Superior’s Bay’s End ice fishing can be found off the Eldorado Beach Road at O’Conner Point… there is limited parking on the roadway, so pay attention to the signs and avoid the tow away zones.
And, if you’re looking for a quaint local getaway – whether it’s for fishing, hiking, a sauna, snowshoeing, etc. – check out The Lake House at Bay’s End in Shuniah on their AirBnB site… Jonathon & Nancy will be happy to answer any and all questions you might have.
Good luck and be sure to enjoy this last part of Winter in our great outdoors!!
