Living the n-ice life on Clear Lake

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Connor McDowell
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Brandon Sun

CLEAR LAKE — In a winter jacket, toque and snowpants, Jaylee Smith presses an auger into the ice. She holds on tight as the auger fights her grip and drills a hole into the frozen surface of Clear Lake.

With water rinsing over it, the machine’s battery dies, and Smith sets it aside. She used to lean her bodyweight against the auger to drill the first hole — now, she just breaks the ice apart once in a while to make sure people can still get fishing lines through.

Smith, her sister Dawnjae, her mother Ashley, and her brother Keeson run an ice-fishing village at Clear Lake. They opened for the season on Jan. 7, after a rush of work.

Sitting in a warm fishing hut in January, Keeson said he, his sisters and his mother worked overtime through the holidays. They wanted to be prepared for a period of frigid weather, which allowed them to get their business started one week earlier than last year.

“We had one shot when it was super cold and we took it,” said Keeson. “We were working Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve.”

When a cold front came in, the family on their property near Riding Mountain National Park loaded the fishing huts onto a trailer and drove them to Wasagaming. They used a tractor to haul the buildings to the shoreline, then tied them behind snowmobiles and towed them across frozen Clear Lake.

Four fishing tents are now established on the ice, and the family rents the space to visitors. They come with comforts such as a wood fireplace, a tea kettle, straw bale seating, lights, a table and pre-drilled ice-fishing holes.

The business runs on day or half-day bookings in partnership with Friends of Riding Mountain National Park, which supplies fishing equipment.

Ashley said there were two main reasons for starting the business. First, it played into something her family values: nature. The quiet huts and the slow sport of fishing are a way to remind people of the beauties of a slower pace of life, she said: “I wanted to show people how to do that.”

The second reason they chose ice-fishing huts is that the family wanted to add value to the cold season in Manitoba. She said, “We try to bring more winter activities. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

The family also plans to add guided snowmobile tours to the operation. Ashley said Parks Canada gave its approval, and that the family is now working on getting insurance in place, with an eye to start tours this year.

On Jan. 7, the ice-fishing village saw its first guests of the year. Inside their tent, Kim Boles, Sydnee Unrau, Tyler Fincham and Christoph Luger sat with fishing lines going down through the ice, speakers playing the song “Barbie Girl,” logs burning in the fireplace, hot dogs waiting to be roasted, and a British bulldog wearing boots.

Luger told the Sun ice fishing was a bucket list item. And when Boles was asked why she chose to come out, she said it was one of the options to stay active during the cold months.

“I think it’s important to get outside and get fresh air,” she said. “It’s nice to have all the amenities here, the fire, something warm to sit on. It’s nice to be protected on a cold day.”

The group’s hope was to catch one fish by the end of the day. But they said the real reasons they came fishing were company and experience — something that Ashley hopes is true for everyone who stops by.

The village will stay open until March 31 — weather and ice thickness allowing.

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