I will preface this by saying that I am a bad Canadian, as this was my first time ever ice fishing. But better late than never as they say. With coronavirus travel restrictions in full swing, adventure options are limited to more local escapades. So it was fitting that I finally gave ice fishing a go.
I’m not going to lie.. the last 3 times I went (regular) fishing in my adult life, I never caught anything… and I am kind of happy about that. I have traumatic memories fishing at the lake as a kid, and the realization after finally reeling one in that I would actually have to deal with the fish. Luckily I have a brother for that. While I enjoy eating fish, I really do not like the whole wrestling the flopping fish and killing it part. Not for me. Even if they aren’t being eaten it is still too much for me to grab a hook out of its mouth.. and in the event the hook is swallowed I have to take a quick 5 while the situation is handled.
For me the fun of fishing is the meditative casting and reeling (and hoping I don’t catch anything). Ice fishing is a different beast entirely. While it is still nice to get out and enjoy the Canadian nature, there is much more of a yin feel to it compared to regular fishing. Sitting by your little hole with a rod, waiting for a fish to come by. Gazing into the icy portal to another world. The water was fairly clear and fairly shallow, so we were able to see the sandy bottom. From that point on it was a waiting game, lines set, hooks baited and clocks ticking.
A Time Tested Canadian Tradition
Ice fishing season usually begins around late December or early January and extends until the end of March when the ice begins to melt. There are a ton of ice fishing lakes around Alberta, and I am sure everyone you talk to has a favourite lake or a secret spot. Different lakes have different guidelines, but we chose Lac Ste Anne specifically because we were able to drive out on to the ice with the vehicle rather than hauling all the equipment ( myself included).
This worked out great and allowed us to set up a little home base for the afternoon. The lake “opened” at 10am and we got there just after 11pm, there were a some other huts out on the ice, but were few and far between. And judging by the lack of vehicles may have just been empty shelters set up for the season on a more permanent basis compared to our pop up huts.
Past the Point of No Return
First things first: get on the ice. The ice heave on the edge of the lake looked to be a formidable opponent that was going to bottom us out, or block us out completely. But after driving past a few unsuitable entrances we found a good spot to enter the massive skating rink. I can’t quite explain the slightly unnerving feeling of driving onto a lake. It is one thing on a snowmobile or as a person, but a fully loaded dodge caravan was another story.
Away we went, with the GPS showing us putting along into the blue water of the lake. Thankfully, there were no cracking sounds or broken ice, and my paranoia was soothed. But even though we were confident in the thickness of the ice, we still followed proper safety protocol. We rolled down the van windows a crack and took off our seatbelts. This didn’t help the paranoia that had recently dissipated, and I felt I would have bigger problems as a wheelchair user if the van went under than getting my seatbelt off. Thankfully we didn’t have to test out that theory. We kept lots of space between the vehicles and drove slowly toward the lucky spot near a jut off point.
Setting up Camp
Set up wise, I wasn’t very much help. I was a bit too preoccupied trying out my new mini ski attachments for my wheelchair. Coronovirus had kept me inside a bit too much this winter and it was nice to enjoy a classic Alberta combo of blue sunny skies.
So while everyone else did grunt work to help set up I just wheeled around. That is until I would inevitably hit a patch too icy for my wheels to get traction and someone would have to come give me a push. First thing was to drill some holes with the auger to see how thick the ice actually was, and to see how deep the water was below the ice. The gas powered augers made quick work of the thick ice and turned it to a mound of slush. After a few minutes we hit the water.
The snow and slush was cleared with the help of a snow shovel, and a tool that looked like a giant soup ladle strainer. Now it was time for the moment of truth. The ice was a solid 3ft (only really need 1ft to hold a truck), and there was about 2 or 3 feet of water to fish in. Satisfied with the outcome of the tester holes, 6 more holes were drilled. Then the pop up huts were pitched and placed over the holes.
Accessibility wise the huts were great since they have no bottom, just had to lift the corner of the tent to fit me in. I was a bit nervous about accidentally wheeling into the holes, but it was once again unfounded paranoia since it’s not like my ski or wheel would fit down the hole anyways. The real fear was the possibility of dropping my phone or gopro down the hole. So I held on extra tight when snapping pictures.
Setting the Lines
Weather wise it was the perfect day for ice fishing, it was around 6°C, no wind, and the sunshine illuminated the water through the ice. I lined up just over top of the hole so I was able to look down and watch for fish. It is deceiving looking down the hole the ice only looks a foot or so deep because of the light refraction, but once you drop a hook down it is easier to see and gauge depth.
Different types of fish prefer different types of lures and bait. I tried out a couple different combinations. One with a florescent neon lure and a slimy little maggot. Then another with a shiny silver lure and a chunk of fish. Thankfully I had the luxury fishing experience and I didn’t have to put the bait on myself, or tie my lures. After a quick lesson how to jig and imitate an injured fish with the bait, I kept my eyes on the prize and waited for a nibble.
It feels like a whole other world in the tent, once your eyes adjust to the low light, the ice underneath looks like a LED lit floor. The sun radiating on the tent trapped the heat and made the tent super cozy inside. Since I only feel temperature on half my body I still made sure to wear warm boots, fleece lined leggings, wool socks, some gloves, a toque, a thick sweater and a puffy down vest to keep the heat in. I stayed nice and warm the whole time, the wheelchair rims got a bit cold as usual, but that’s what the gloves are for. It was good to dress in layers and adjust if need be.
Watching and Waiting
In the words of Tom Petty, ” waiting is the hardest part”… It was a whole lot of waiting and watching. I wasn’t 100% sure what I was looking for, or what to expect, but it was fun just to bob the hook around, chill and chat. Still the hours went by and there was not so much as even a nibble. Not for me at least. We put an underwater fishing camera down one of the holes to scope out the situation.
The water was a bit cloudy and visibility wasn’t great (possibly from being stirred up by the augers), but it was neat to get a live stream view of the alien world just beneath our feet. It spun around 360° and gave us eyes on two of the hooks. As well as a strategically placed rock that looked like a fish every time it came around. Not going to lie it fooled me more than once. Maybe I was just so desperate to see a fish that everything started to look like one.
Serendipitous Timing
It was nearing lunch time and Dad had the portable grill fired up. Even from inside the tent you could smell the fried onions cooking up. We slowly reeled our hooks in in defeat. Once they were up we caught a glimpse of commotion on the fish cam. Only to see a massive (2ft) burbot swim right between my hook and the camera. Almost if it were just waiting for us to go for some lunch. Impeccable timing from the universe. We lowered the hooks back down in a vain attempt to re-summon the fish from the depths, but it was never to be seen again. I think I scared it away with my excited yelling once I spotted it.
Accepting defeat we went for lunch. It was a gourmet experience on ice. Nothing fancy in its own right but was a deliciously simple lunch of bbq hot dogs, fried onions, toasted cheese buns, amplified by the sun shining and the bright blue sky. After eating away our fishless sorrows we doubled back to the huts for round two. Hoping for better luck, and feeling more confident having at least caught a glimpse of a fish.
At this point I begin to chalk it up to my bad fishing luck. Maybe the fish can sense my apprehension.. or maybe I’m not very good at keeping quiet and they stay away. Whatever the case, after another hour or so the expectations of catching or seeing anything else was waning. I made some least ditch efforts to deke out the fish by reeling my rod up a few times to no avail. It didn’t look like we would be having any fish for dinner tonight.
Shenanigans on Ice
We waited a little bit longer, but finally called it a day. After coming up fishless we made the best of the situation. We found a rope in the car and tested out the capacities of the wheel skis. They worked amazing, and would have worked perfectly if my tires had knobbier treads. Going to try adding some zip ties next time to get a bit of extra traction. The tow rope worked great and would work as an alternative to driving out on the ice. It was a smooth ride and the skis still had clearance to spin around and provide great maneuverability. I was super impressed. Usually the caster wheels get caught up on every little bump, but the skis alleviated that fear, so I could just glide around and have fun.
After the wheelchair on ice shenanigans were over, we packed up the gear and headed back to civilization. On the way back to the shore we it was crazy to see the damage from the ice heaves around the edge of the lake. It looked as if a bulldozer had crumpled everything like it was paper. It is wild to see the power of the ice and the force of nature. Within a couple minutes we were back to the ice heaved entrance and we passed back onto dry land. Driving through town back to the highway evokes a sense of simpler times and coming to the lake as a kid. A place quite literally frozen in time.
Passing trees and fields on the way home, enjoying the beauty of the countryside, I take time to contemplate the day. I decide that I have bad fishing luck having now went 4 for 4 without catching anything. But even if I couldn’t catch a fish to eat, I could still order sushi for dinner and get my wish. So spicy tuna rolls were just what the doctor ordered and were the perfect cap off to the day. Hopefully will be able to get out another time before the ice melts and break my unlucky streak. Notice to the fish: I’m coming for you.
Wheelchair Ice Fishing Video Highlights
[check out a video of highlights from the day]
Ice Fishing Equipment List
Make sure you are ready to go on your own ice fishing adventure, here is a checklist of needed supplies:
- WiN card and fishing license
- Fishing Rod
- Fishing Line
- Bait
- Fishing Lures
- Ice Auger
- Ice Scooper
- Warm Clothing + Gloves
- Chairs (if you don’t have your own 😉 )
- Ice Fishing Hut (optional)
- Lunch/Drinks
- Fishing Camera (optional)
Accessibility Considerations for Ice Fishing in a Manual Wheelchair
Being able to drive out on to the ice was a huge plus accessibility wise. It was nice to be able to unload from the vehicle and not have to worry about travelling too far. The ice surface was fairly clear of snow, and was a little bit bumpy. Usually this kind of terrain would be less than ideal in a wheelchair. The caster wheels/front wheels would get stuck and make it hard to get traction.
I was using wheelblades XL ski attachments on my caster wheels, they worked amazing for gliding over the ice and snow. I was really impressed. The limiting factor was spinning out on the ice when my big wheels couldn’t get any traction. With the low profile tread I have I wasn’t surprised. In the future I will try out some knobbier tires, or may just try adding some zip ties to my tires just to get a bit of bite into the ice. I will be able to zip around on the ice no problem once the tread problem is resolved.
Weight wise my chair is super light, so extra weight on the ice surface isn’t an issue. But it may be a different story for powerchair or scooter users. Make sure to check ice thickness and stay safe.
Getting in and out of the hut was a breeze. Since they were collapsible portable huts it was easy to lift it over top of me to get me into the hut. If it were a more permanent hut set up it may have been more difficult or impossible to fit into with a wheelchair.
Temperature regulation and sensory issues can make it dangerous for those with spinal cord injuries to be outside when it is super cold. Since there is an increased risk of frostbite and circulation issues. I made sure to wear lots of layers and thick fleece lined leggings. It was also a fairly warm day so I wasn’t concerned about my extremities getting too cold. It would be a different story if it had been -20°C or super windy. Be sure to be mindful of your temperature and bring heating packs or a portable heater with you for inside of the hut.
All in all it was a great way to enjoy some Canadian nature and spend the afternoon with good company.
More Information About Ice Fishing in Alberta
I am by no means an expert about ice fishing, so here are some links if you would like more info to plan a trip of your own:
- https://www.amatravel.ca/articles/alberta-ice-fishing
- https://www.travelalberta.com/ca/things-to-do/winter-outdoor-activities/ice-fishing/
- https://crackmacs.ca/lifestyle/ice-fishing-in-alberta/
- https://reelangling.com/index.php/guided-ice-fishing
