Snow please!

Winters like these are few and far between and I can’t quite remember having as much snow in a winter since I was a kid.  I have to say, it’s awesome! I love living in Southern Ontario and experiencing the great outdoors in all four seasons.

If given the choice, I’d much rather have a winter with snow than without – maybe  because apartment living means no shoveling, but maybe it’s because there’s nothing quite like seeing the trees with a fresh coating of snow and feeling as if someone has just shaken up the snow globe. A winter with snow allows for some pretty awesome winter sport opportunities.

Working within the heart of the Dundas Valley, lunchtime hikes are a regular occurrence (I know –I’m lucky!). It’s amazing how a quick 15 or 20 minute hike can clear your head and not to mention, burn a few calories! I love hiking in the winter, seeing all the fresh tracks and figuring out what wildlife has recently trekked through the same spot - sweating less is a bonus too!

I even tried cross country skiing this year for the first time after a little (or a lot) of convincing. Having only downhill skied in the past, I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to just glide around but hitting the trails at Christie Lake helped me realize what all the hype was about. I fell over a few times, had some good laughs and a ton of fun.

I’m looking forward to having my first ice fishing experience at Valens Lake next month for the Ice Fishing Derby. Maybe I’ll even catch a big one and you can look forward to reading my next blog on that time I caught a fish that was thiiiiiiis big!

Having so many winter sports waiting at your doorstep, there’s no need to bundle up and hibernate all winter (well ok maybe just on those -40C…or even -30C days). Whether it’s a hike, skiing, snowshoeing or even fishing, you better hurry up and get outside before all that white stuff melts away…

Brittany Berlinghoff

Hamilton Conservation Authority

An unexpected start to the winter of 2014

 When it comes to Canadian weather, what a difference a year can make – let alone a

 decade…it has been a long time that staff have charted the entire Valens Lake reservoir as ice covered inside the month of November.  Plus – the extended weather forecast is also showing good ice holding and making conditions well into December of this year.  2014 is off to a great start for the ice fishing season.

For the ice angling community, this early return of winter and our old friend – Jack Frost, is a welcomed sight here in the banana belt of southern Ontario.  Traditionally, Valens Lake is one of the first water bodies to freeze and one of the first to reach safe ice conditions.

While the current ice conditions are clearly noted as Unsafe – it is a signal of seasonal transformations that generates tremendous interest and excitement for anglers bitten with the ice fishing passion.  Ice fishing today has outgrown its male dominance and stereotypes.  More and more women and children are taking up the sport and tagging along with Dad – spending the day in the Great Outdoors.

 

The staff at Valens Lake will be undertaking safe ice inspections and reporting their findings over the coming weeks.  Public access will be permitted for all on-ice activities once the reports confirm a safe consistent level of clear ice 6 inches across the reservoir.  Stay tuned to our website for regular updates and announcements.

Ice Fishing at Valens Lake is a “walk on” experience that is close to home for many anglers in southern Ontario,  A “catch and release” policy has been put into effect by the Hamilton Conservation Authority to protect the pan fish stocks from over harvest and to ensure the fishery at Valens Lake remains strong for generations to come.

Gordon R. Costie

Superintendent

Valens Lake Conservation Area

 

Where is the Ice?

January… the first "real" month of winter is about to pass us by and I have yet to find safe ice to go fishing here in the Greater Hamilton Area.

 

Typically by this time of year – I have made three or four ice fishing trips to local Conservation Areas such as Valens, Fifty Point, Binbrook, Pinehurst and even the Hamilton Harbor.  These locations have been reporting less than the recommended levels of safe ice and/or open water hazards that have kept me at home in my “man cave” – setting up ice fishing gear over and over again.

Frustration is running large amongst ice fishing enthusiasts.   Ice Fishing Derbies have been postponed or even cancelled outright due to the lack of ice producing cold temperatures.  The long range weather forecast is predicting February to be much of the same.   With temperatures clearly reporting above average levels for this time of year, you have got to start to wonder if we are running out of time for having the outdoor ice surface that we have become accustomed to, during our winters.

Plus it is not only the ice anglers that will lose out…add to the list those people who partake in ice skating, pond hockey, Ice Fest, even the cross country skiers are taking a hit.  Is this how we are to remember the winter of 2012?   Is this the effect of global warming and climate change all in one season?  What or how, do we predict our future winters will feel or look like?

As much as it is to my chagrin…I am still holding out to the thought of getting some time on the ice this winter.  With winter – “it’s never quite over, till it’s over”.

Gordon R. Costie

Superintendent

Valens Conservation Area