Ice fishing is alive and well

Hoyt’s Landing, a river inlet in Springfield, has very little to block the momentum of a strong gust of wind. At this time of year, its surface is choppy like waves on a lake and is as slippery as, well, ice. Related story: Fishing brothers
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Ice Fishing is Alive and Well Submitted by admin on Tue, 03/04/2014 - 3:49pm By ANNE DEMPSEY The Shopper SPRINGFIELD, VT -Hoyt’s Landing, a river inlet in Springfield, has very little to block the momentum of a strong gust of wind. At this time of year, its surface is choppy like waves on a lake and is as slippery as, well, ice. Walking on it is tricky. Driving over it can be dangerous. (On Lake Champlain this weekend, a truck fell through the ice on Lake Champlain. Luckily, the people inside escaped through the windows unharmed.) About one dozen ice shanties are scattered across the frozen expanse. Most are wooden structures. One shanty’s outer walls and roof are made of corrugated metal. Another looks more like a tent. Some people stand or sit near their fishing holes with only layers of clothing to protect them from the elements. A young woman with long black shiny hair, dark eyes and flawless skin sits in a navy camp chair atop the ice, with her sleeves and pant legs rolled up. She laughs and explains that her internal thermostat needs adjusting. She’s holding a fishing pole whose baited line has been dropped through a hole in the ice. Her name is Jade Carr, a first year Wildlife Ecology student at the University of Maine. She’s fished in lakes, ponds and rivers during the warmer months since she was 4 or 5, but has only been ice fishing for the last five or six years. Carr is here with three generations of her family, from the North Springfield area. Her mother’s boyfriend hasn’t caught anything yet today. But there have been great days this season when he’s caught a lot of fish: bass, pumpkin seeds, perch, and calico. He believes there is no limit on the number of bass you can catch, but says pikes must be at least 28 inches long. A combination of rain and falling temperatures has frozen his shanty to the ice. He’s hoping that he can chisel the ice away from the structure with his ax. Andrew has a heater in his shanty. But all the fishing holes are outside, spread quite a distance from each other. A pop-up is centered over each of them. He spends his time strolling over the ice, scanning for the “pop-up” of any small bright orange flag. This is his signal to pull up a fish. He uses his shanty for breaks to warm up. Jade Carr’s grandfather points out the shanties that have woodstoves. He says others are equipped with gas heaters or electric heaters. Fires in metal barrels on top of the ice are no longer legal. Some fishermen cut a hole in the ice first and then haul their shanty on top of the hole. This way they can fish inside, out of the wind and perhaps even in a heated space. Two men pulling a sled full of equipment choose a spot to fish, not too near a neighbor. One of them starts up a gas powered auger. Each time the auger makes a sizeable dent in the ice, there is a “crack.” But nothing sinks. No one slips under the ice. According to Vermont state law, all shanties must be removed from the ice by March 29 at the latest. However to prevent shanties from sinking underwater, they must be removed before this date whenever the ice is softening quickly.