Fish-Hawk.Net

Scarkner and I were fishing ( to be specific I was fishing and he was catching) on Shirley's Bay last night and he had me hypnotized with his underwater camera! Felt like we were searching for the Titanic... But I digress.

What shocked me in that underwater view was the amount of current. We were in the shack area and I always assumed that under the Ice there, it would be super calm, but by 7pm the current seemed to have picked up... Lots of swirls and eddys and it was even angling the lines slightly.

In hindsight, it makes sense how quickly the Ice clears in the spring. Not just sunshine at work!

Now for my inevitable question: How can we utilze that current for fishing when in a fixed location under the ice...?

Rod

Well for a start Walleye and current always seem to go together, so that's a good start.

As for the fluctuating current at Shirleys, or anywhere on the Ottawa for that matter, that's not unusual at all. There were some days at the point where I could put my heavier two way spreader down the center of the hole, and then other days where I had to start the line at the upstream edge of the hole to keep the line from rubbing up against the ice. Usually this happens after mild weather like we've just had with melting and some rain requiring upstream dams to release more water. We've had some good fishing at those times too.
Yesterday I was visiting a friend in Almonte who's condo overlooks the falls in town. The water was bucking through there big time compared to the week before where it was just trickling through comparatively. They had opened up the dam in Appleton to spill more water. It even blew out part of the sandbag dyke that had been built in the summer to allow for the construction of the generating station.

This can certainly pose a risk early season when thinner ice wears out from underneath, so always something to be aware of.

Cheers

We have it big time out here on the St. Lawrence and it changes daily depending on the Power Dam and also the water level goes up and down quick. Down 2 ft with this heavy east wind for the last 4 days. Be careful as current eats the ice out from underneath and a couple yrs ago we had a few guys found out when they fell through the ice in the channel.