A bitter cold bonus: ice fishing has started at Island Lake

January 18, 2018 · 0 Comments

By Todd Taylor
The record-breaking cold that has lingered in this part of Canada since well before Christmas finally produced a bonus for area residents.
With temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below normal for this time of the year, ice has long since formed on Island Lake and Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) has decided it’s safe to permit ice fishing.
Heated hut rentals are $26 per person for a half-day (4.5 hours) and $36 maximum per day per person weekdays or $55.54 for weekends and holidays, plus a $1.77 per-person reservation fee (HST is added to all transactions).
CVC members receive a 15 per cent discount on all rentals, and seniors qualify for a 20 per cent discount.
Reservations are available by phone or online up to 3:30 p.m. the previous day. After that, rentals are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Check for hut availability by calling 1-800-367-0890.
CVC allows phone cancellations up to reservation time and getting a full refund minus the reservation fee of $1.77 plus HST per unit. No refunds are permitted for no-shows or cancellations after reservation time.
All hut rentals include:
• dozen minnows per hut,
• one inside and one outside hole per person,
• benches and coat hooks.
CVC defines half days as any 4.5 hours from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Full-day rentals apply to all rentals outside of these time restrictions. There’s a minimum of one adult per hut.