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Between (p 'Ji~Ja You and Me By' RUTH COLES How ruudny people from Whitby ice fish on Lake Simcoe I wonder*e Great recreation and maybe to day with inflation as it is a way of survival. A good number of fishermen must have their freezers well filled with enough fish to last them through the year. On our way up to Lake Simcoe this week to see the fish huts we were overjoyed to see artic mist or hoar or frost as we cal it in Ontario on everything, trees, bushes, power lînes and ahl over the ground. It is one of the most beautiful sights of nature you could ever hope to see. White ice crystals formed by moisture in the air, usually when there has been a light fog. A white frost which as the day wears on looks like particles of ice, tiny sparkling diamonds, thousands of them glistening in the sun. When we returned much later in the day it had ahi disappeared except Wl IITBY1 int he woods and through the trees it looked lîke a fairy forest. 1 wouldn't have been at ail surprised to seen tiny elves and gnomes suddenly appear before our eyes. 1 suppose there is ice fishing on many lakes but maybe not to the extent that there is on Lake Simcoe. Ice huts are usually owned by private individuals or else rented out by operators. Fishing huts vary in size, the usual hut accommodates four people although a few can house six. They are generally made of wood lined with insulation and equîpped with propane or maybe stove oil heaters. They al have wood fluors through which a hole or holes are cut to allow fishing through the ice underneath. The approximate thickness of the ice might be 24 inches and it is eut with ice augers. Sometimes individuals cover the floors of their huts with carpeting and put cushions on the benches. Generally there are benches down either side used often as a bunk with sleeping bags for warmth. One interacting feature in the construction of a hut is that the door sill is several inches above the bottom 0f the hut so that the door may be opened in the event of a moderate pile up of ice or snow on the outside. Ail fish huts have to be licenced so that owners may be identified and they are required to be removed from Lake Simcoe by March 15. You find these huts clustered together in the good fishing areas and often arranged in patterns with avenues running in between. "Streets" on the ice, a complete ýsurprise to me because such a thing had neyer occurred to me. These colonies are generally some distance from the shoreline to enable people to travel to and fr0 when visibility is poor. Tree lines are established and consist of a straight line of trees usually old Christmas trees which are inserted into the ice at approximately 200 feet intervals. In addition every wise fisherman carnies a compass to find his way back Town, firemen sign. pact Heart month This will beome a familiar scene in the Town of Whitby next month as the local branch of the Ontanio Heart Foun- dation launches its 1981 fund raising campaign. Here, Mayor Bob Attersley kicks off the campaign by pur- chasing a rose from the oldest member of the volunteer team, Grace Ballard, 86, of Whitby. Miss Ballard will be selling the tradition rose for the Heart Fund in the downtown bnanch of the Canadian Imperial Bank 0f Commerce on February 13. -Free Press Staff Photo The Town of Whitby anai the Firefighters' Association Local 2036 have reached and natif ied a one-year agreement. The announcement was made by Mayor Bob Atter- sley at 9 a.m. yesterday. The settlement includes an increase, in salary for a f ire class firefighter to $24,685 on Januany 1, 1981 and to $26,166 on July 1. The present salary rate is $23,200. Improved disability and eye glass coverage is also provided for in the set- lement. According to Attersley, the total financial package will cost under 10 per cent in this yean's current budget. "It is also in line with other negotiation activity in the Region of Durham," he added. The association represen- ts 38 members in the hargaining unit. .200DU OS S. WST -H TIB CT-F555 Metai Tapô Capable Sterao Cassette Dock With Dolby/IC FulI.Logic Controi System Motors Eioctronically-cantrolled DC borva mator Wow &. Futert0,05% (WRMS) S/N 1N1ATIOt 68db (Dolby Or Dmensions 420(W) x 120(H) x 327(D)mm. Wlights 5.1 kg. PIONEER HPM-100 Speakers M.S.L $1,000 or less $695 stere, n)$399 1299 or leus S GUSDORF 1550 #s COMPONIENT A STASheif unit with fulj: L Iength gass doors. L * Choice of watnut or pcnfinish.J E MS. - $21900 e oQ CD 4terucne Seo Us for our DORt Geai Onl. PIONEER0 T ILE UNnEN0 TCHMICS a II SOMWI~ E.i~U U ND NAMIC WVhlfby 571-3121 Discover the new SLIM YDU in just a malter of weeks!. 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Fish hut operators who rent out several huts use bombardiers which can accomodate 8 to 10 people. A bombardier looks like a very large snowmobile with double tracks and with ski on front for steering and en- closed accommodation like a small bus. The fisherman who use their own huts are generally local folk but many who use rented huts corne from afar such as New York State and arrive by chartered bus mostly on weekends. Ice fishing stimualtes considerable business activity on the shoreline during the season for the f ish hut operators, motels restaurants and snowmobile dealers. During weekends many of course stay overnight in their sleeping bags with necessary food and drink; the latter I un- derstand is very important and helps to ward off the cold. Scattered about in the colonies the operatiors are required to provide "wash rooms," the same type of structure used by builders. A few hardy types will go out on the ice with a portable windbreak to shield them from the weather and a stool to sit on as they fish through the open water. Some of them stay out for hours and generally get a great tan on any exposed part of their skin. I dont know how many fish huts are on the lake but I belive it maybe in the neighbourhood of 2,000. A great sport for some but not for me. 1 wouldn5t mind if 1 could do it close to shore and not far from home. Whitby Harbour would be great but it is not possible 1 guess even if part of it freezes over. VISX qq) qqýj a a