Well, with ice fishing season here or approaching, and with fishing derbies scheduled, it’s that time again to review information from MassWildlife regarding ice thickness. A truck already went through the ice in Warwick, MA. Fortunately, no one was injured.
I recommend you read the great article on Page A4 of the January 13, 2023 Berkshire Eagle dealing with ice safety. Or you could click onto MassWildlife’s website https://www.mass.gov/news/stay-safe-on-the-ice-this-winter where there is important safety information listed. There is no need for me to reprint all of that information here.
But I would like to point out a couple of items:
One is the suggestion by MassWildlife that 4 inches of ice may be safe for ice fishing or other activities on foot. But they clearly stipulate that it is safe only on new clear/blue ice on lakes or ponds. Keep an eye on the ice especially this year because of the freeze/thaw days this winter. The ice may be cloudy and not as thick and hard as one thinks.
Another important suggestion is to always keep pets leashed while walking on or near ice. Well- meaning pet owners can easily become victims themselves when trying to assist their pets.
Obviously, rabbit hunters don’t keep their dogs on a leash for they work the bushes trying to kick up some bunnies and unfortunately, they’re apt to run onto dangerous ice pursuing them.
That happened to me a few years back while my beagle Jacques and I were hunting an area near the Housatonic River in Pittsfield. He was barking away running a bunny out of my sight when I heard ice breaking in the area where he was. I rushed over to find him and there he was in a frozen flooded area near the river some thirty feet away. Only his head was sticking out of the ice and he was looking at me for help. I had to try to save him, so I gingerly started walking out to try to reach him. To my delight, the water under the ice had receded and there was dry ground under that ice. When I reached Jacques, he was standing on dry ground under the ice, too. We really lucked out that day.
After that I never hunted him in the late fall or winter where there were ponds or rivers. Actually, I didn’t have to worry, for he never forgot that incident and never went on ice again, unless he went ice fishing with me. He loved to play Huskie and help me drag my ice fishing sled out onto the lakes. I brought a 30-foot lead so that he wouldn’t wander away and get into trouble near thin ice or try to bum a hot dog from other nearby ice fishermen.
Upcoming ice fishing derbies
The Lanesborough Volunteer Fireman’s Association will be sponsoring an ice fishing derby on Saturday, January 28 on Pontoosuc Lake. It will run from 6:000 am until 2:00 pm. Registration will be conducted behind the park on Narragansett Avenue. There will be a $15 entry fee for adults with kids 12 and under free. Each entry fee includes a chance at the door prize (Weber Grill).
The Coles Memorial Hard Water Fishing Derby is scheduled to take place on Goose Pond on Sunday, January 29 from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Dresser Hull, Terrace Hair Studio or on the ice near the boat ramp and must be purchased by 10:00 am in order to fish. Tickets cost $10.00 for adults and free for kids 12 and under. There will be cash prizes for adults. All proceeds will go towards a memorial donation to the boat ramp in the late Evan Colbert’s name.
Check to make sure there are no changes due to ice conditions,
Learn to ice fish with MassWildlife
Learn how to set up your rod, how to use a tip-up and how to bait your hook. Events are free, family friendly, and open to all skill levels. No fishing license or registration is required. Bring your own fishing equipment or borrow theirs. Limited gear and bait will be provided. Note: Events will be canceled if ice is less than 6 inches thick or if there is heavy rain or snow.
Such a class will be held on Cheshire Lake on February 19 from sunrise to 4:00 pm. Meet up and weigh in at Farnham’s Causeway. It is held in cooperation with the Cheshire Rod & Gun Club and the Adams Outdoorsmen for Youth.
There are also some nice ice fishing tutorial videos on the MassWildlife website.
Nice crappie hauled through the ice
Last Tuesday, January 17, Javius Johnson of Ashfield, MA caught a nice crappie out of Ashfield Lake. It weighed 1 lb 12 oz, was 16 inches long and had a girth of 11 ¾ inches He caught it on a shiner. I happened to be at the Onota Boat Livery in Pittsfield when Javius weighed it in. It was a beauty. 
Incidentally, Javius said that there were approximately 8 inches of ice on Ashfield Lake that day.
To be eligible for a bronze pin from the DFW Freshwater Sportfishing Awards Program Catch and Keep Category, the crappie had to weigh at least 1 lb 8 oz. If no one catches a larger crappie, Javius will receive a gold pin and be recognized at the awards ceremony later on this year (provided Covid doesn’t rear its ugly head again). In that case the pin and certificate will be mailed to him. Last year’s gold pin winning crappie weighed 2 lbs 13 oz and it came out of Quabbin Reservoir.
2022 Deer Harvest figures still not yet released
In his January report to the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen (BCLS), MA DFW Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden said that early reports indicate that 2022 was an excellent year for Massachusetts deer hunters. Final tabulations are still being calculated but all Western District zones saw an increase over 2021. Full statewide numbers should be available soon.
Preliminary Bear Harvest
Andrew Madden also reported that a total of 223 black bears were taken during the combined 2022 bear hunting seasons. This was the second highest in the last 5 years and the 6th highest overall. Some 79 bears were taken in Berkshire County.
Environmental Police Comments
At the above-mentioned BCLS meeting, Lt. Cara Carlow of the Massachusetts Environmental Police discussed the recent hunting fatality in Chesterfield. She offered this advice:
- If you have an older person with a smart phone, please show him//her how to use it, how to find where the coordinates are and how to send them.
- That deceased hunter only brought 5 shotgun rounds with him and blasted them all off before law enforcement even got to the location. They had nothing to help triangulate where the lost hunter was. On top of that, he kept moving.
- If you like to hunt alone, tell a friend where you will be and that you will text them later when you come out of the woods.
- Plan for the worst weather, make sure your phone is charged before you go out. If you know the battery is dying, put it on airplane mode. Carry a portable phone recharger.
She had one other tidbit of useful information – Make sure you have a plan if you shoot a deer or bear. Can you drag it out? If not, have some friends on standby. Also, please know that you are not allowed to use an ATV to drag your bear out of a Wildlife Management Area unless MassWildlife gives you permission to do that.
Definitely some useful advice from which we all can learn.
Monies awarded for recreational access projects in MA
$56,000 has been awarded in Massachusetts state grant funds to the Towns of Barnstable and Cohasset, and the City of Newburyport for saltwater fishing access projects popular with the recreational fishing community.
The access funds, which were awarded by the Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Marine Fisheries are provided through the collection of revenue from the sale of saltwater fishing permits, a portion of which fund construction and improvements to public access facilities in Massachusetts coastal communities.
It’s good to know that our salt water permit fees are being put to good use.