During the class discussion Monday,
we discussed how Lake Champlain froze over this past winter (2014-2015) and the
implications of the freeze over from a climate change perspective. However, we
only looked at Lake Champlain from an environmental perspective. From the
perspective of ice fishers, news of Lake Champlain freezing over couldn’t sound
better.
Ice fishing is a complicated sport
requiring a specific technical skill set and takes practice to achieve success.
Ice fishers, or anglers, use ice augers to drill through the ice then
have three options to catch fish: jig-fishing, tip-ups, or spear fishing. Jig
fishing is where the angler uses a small, light fishing rod with bait on the
tip and pulls up the rod occasionally, producing a “jig” effect. Tip-up fishing
is where the angler uses a tip up tool (see below), attaching a fishing line to
the tool and 3 pieces of bait to varying depths of the line. When the tool
tilts, the angler pulls up the line. Spear fishing is where an angler uses
decoys to draw fish to the surface before catching them on a spear. As if
freezing cold weather and icy conditions weren’t enough, ice fishing is
extremely challenging because fish metabolism slows down in the winter, thereby
making tugs on the line nearly impossible to detect.
Norm St. Pierre is the owner of
Norm’s Bait and Tackle at Crown Point in the Adirondack Park who sees hundreds
of ice fishermen pass through the Adirondacks every season. In the article
“Gold Under the Ice” from Adirondack Life,
Norm highlights the success of the Adirondack region, producing between 200,000
and 745,000 pounds of fish in the past year (partially due to the easy access
because of Lake Champlain’s freezing over).
Yet, anglers in the Adirondacks
still face many challenges, despite a prolonged time on the ice of Lake
Champlain. In the “Gold Under the Ice” article, one man Ross details how about
10% of anglers catch 90% of the fish, thus making it extremely hard for
newcomers to the sport. Additionally, high levels of mercury contaminating
lakes prevent anglers from selling the inedible fish.
Ice fishing is a challenging job
that is heavily reliant on external conditions and the skills fishermen have
using tools. Though many Adirondack anglers have had success recently, factors
such as mercury contamination still limit anglers. From my perspective, I could
see ice fishing either completely failing, where current anglers would need to
pay to ice fish or ice fishing could become a new, successful faction of the
tourist industry.
Information about Lake Champlain freezing over:
Ice Fishing – How To Article:
Adirondack Ice Fishing Article:
Mercury in New York Lakes Article:
Tip-up Picture:
Ice Fishing Picture:
I like how you mentioned that 10% of the anglers catch 90% of the fish. This is true in most aspects of fishing but is even more daunting with ice fishing because it requires much more patience in waiting for the fish to come to you. On open water you can easily move around or cast lures to find fish but on the ice you have to be confident in your location and be patient. It's something that keeps a lot of people from getting into ice fishing.
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