Killarney Guide

BY KIM LANGEN

A world of pleasure and activity has unfolded upon the frozen surface of Killarney Lake.

Fishing shacks peppered the surface, laughter rolled across the ice, and the sun shone beautifully on Monday afternoon.

The wind was light, and the temperature above freezing, and fisherman Gordon McTaggart was busy draining his minnows.

“Why do I come here to fish?” he said. “The fresh air, and to get off the couch. There’s only so much time a guy can spend with his wife.”

McTaggart and his chums had already augured a few holes through the lake ice in readiness for the day’s fishing, and moving the live silvery minnows – slated for bait – into a new container was next on his fishing prep list.

Nearer to the shore, a pickup with a trailer was manoeuvring into position on the lightly snow-covered ice.

Glenn Veysey of Brandon had driven down to Killarney to pick up his new fishing shack, and was looking forward to spending time in it on his home turf as soon as possible.

“I’m taking the shack out to Rivers,” he said. “Everybody and their dog is out fishing. There are probably five times as many shacks at Rivers this year.”

Veysey said he had bought his new shack from Curtis Dickson and Brett Warbeck, and the three guys worked together to winch the small silver fishing shack up into Veysey’s trailer. 

It took a bit of muscle and adjustment, and even a little chain sawing finesse, and then Veysey was ready to roll his way back to Brandon, towing his shack home. 

“We sold this shack, and bought another one,” said Curtis. “It all happened within days. Brett and I wanted to upgrade to a bigger one, and we found this one south of Holland,” said Dickson, pointing to a striking red fishing shack set up around 80 metres away. 

Dickson said there were definitely more people fishing on the Killarney Lake ice this year, and at Christmas and New Year’s the location also became a spacious gathering place to celebrate the events out in the fresh air.

“There are double the shacks here this winter,” he said. “And there is a big demand for shacks. They are harder to find, and the prices have gone up too.”

Dickson is pretty new to the sport, so he was still learning from the pros, he said.

“This is my second year of ice fishing, but now I’m hooked,” he said. “From 5 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. – that’s when the fish are biting. They seem to migrate around under the lake at different times. There are a lot of people fishing, but there is also a lot of fish in the lake. Mostly pickerel, walleye, and jack and pike. We get some perch. I would consider the walleye to be the best.” 

Inside the cozy shack are five places to drill holes in the ice, and there is also a wood stove for heat and to cook things up – like a walleye.

Saturday was Dickson and Warbeck’s first day to enjoy the new shack, and their inaugural fishing foray that evening proved top notch. 

“We caught five fish on our first night,” said Dickson. “They were delicious.”

Dickson and his family live right on the lake at Oak Point, and family life extends each winter down onto the ice, he said. 

This year they worked together to create their own rink, for both curling and skating. There’s even a propane heater and chairs out on the lake edge now to enjoy the show.

“We have had such great weather,” said Dickson. “Just being outside with the family is wonderful. During COVID-19 there can’t be anything better than being outside, enjoying the weather, and the kids.”

It was about a month ago that Dickson got busy with his curling plans, he said.

“I used a 10-foot hydro pole that I got from the dump for free to make the curling ‘rocks’,” he said. “I cut them up with a chainsaw, to about 12 inches, and I routered the outside edge to get rid of the splinters, and painted them. I used closet dummy handles, some old stock from Moore’s Building, for the handles. There’s a full set of 16 rocks, and I have one extra one in the garage if I need one. And I put four white plastic thumbtack sliders under each one so they can glide better on the ice.”

Creating a good ice surface took some time, he added.

“There was a six-inch variation in the ice when I started,” he said. “I flooded it and flooded it, maybe 20 times, to get it right.”

Dickson even created his own ‘Manboni,’ he said, for ice maintenance.

“I hook it up to a line to the hot water at the house, and drag is around with a towel on the end,” he said. “It works really well.”

ROCKIN’ IN THE FREE WORLD – Curtis Dickson set up a curling rink next to his home on the lake, flooding the ice some 20 times to get the level just right. And he made 17 ‘rocks’ by chainsawing up an old hydro pole into 12 inch sections, and using closet ‘dummy’ handles for throwing them. Killarney Lake is pretty much a party place for everyone this winter, thanks to mild temperatures and the need to get outside.

THE OLD SWITCHEROO – Curtis Dickson and Brett Warbeck helped purchaser Glenn Veysey of Brandon winch up their old fishing shack onto his trailer on Tuesday afternoon. Once that job was done, Dickson headed straight out onto the lake ice to the pair’s new ‘upgraded’ red shack to get fishing. It’s only his second year ice fishing, but Dickson says he’s “hooked.”

HAPPY HOUSEWARMING AT FISHING SHACK – Brett Warbeck (left) and Curtis Dickson splurged on a ‘new’ fishing shack this year, and caught five fish the first night. The market for fishing shacks is hot, and within days they also sold their smaller one, and the fishermen friends are now living the high life (with more amenities inside) on Killarney Lake.

GLORIOUS DAYS ON THE ICE – Gordon McTaggart was ready to roll with his minnows and his freshly drilled fishing hole at Killarney Lake on Tuesday, on a gorgeous warm and sunny day. There are twice as many fishing shacks on the lake this year, as people happily head outside during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Visit killarneyguide.ca to share this story.

KIM LANGEN/KILLARNEY GUIDE PHOTOS

More photos from the Dickson’s below…