Ice Conditions Today for Lake Simcoe and surrounding lakes - Ice Watch Reports: Winter 2021

Last Updated: Saturday, January 13 2021 11.30 am.

Lake St. John near Orillia: 7" of ice. Good pike, walleye and crappie fishing. Depth: 20" of water. Good walking conditions.

Lake Couchichng: 7" of ice. Good walking conditions.

Lake Simcoe Ice Conditions & Fishing update from the ice hut operators
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This annual event with a $10,000 guarantee first place prize, takes place in Cooks Bay out of “Keffers” off Raynards Road in Keswick. Cooks Bay is one of the most heavily fished areas of the lake … and other than the occasional pike angler, almost all the angler effort is targeted towards yellow perch. Many believe this is why you generally find far more small perch here … as too many anglers are still apt to upgrade their catch and keep only the biggest ones for the fry pan. Still, having said that – some of the lake’s most amazing jumbo-king’s still reside here amongst all their smaller brethren and today my quest was to find out where these wily ol goats hang out within the general area where I would guess the organizers of the Lake Simcoe Ice Fishing Championships will put us come Sunday February 18, 2018.

1) Accept Climate Change! It’s taken me awhile to accept that in my neck-of-the-woods (Lake Simcoe 40 minutes north of Toronto ON) late season ice is nothing like it used to be and there are no signs this will change anytime soon. It seems like just a few short years ago that I would be writing about that glorious perch bite that really doesn’t begin until early April – long after all the huts had to be off and lake trout and whitefish season was closed. That bite often lasted until mid-April and would consistently see perch moving in shallow right next to adjacent spawning sites.  Days of 100 or more jumbos were not uncommon and we’d take great pride in breaking the magic two pound barrier time and again. Unfortunately – those magical days and that typical late ice period has changed dramatically – but the perch fishing can still be absolutely incredible if you adapt to the changing conditions and accept climate change!

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