Dozens flock to Walloper Lake for Intro to Ice Fishing

“Our club has been together for over 100 years,” Helmer tells CFJC Today. “That’s been our program, is supporting fishing and wildlife and introducing people to those fishing elements, whether it’s wintertime or the summertime.”

Over the past few years, the event has grown thanks to a group of international high school students from School District 73. Some of those students, as it turns out, are quite the anglers.

An international student with SD73 shows off her catch at Walloper Lake on Sunday. (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

“It’s my first time ice fishing,” one student from Belgium says. “It’s good, I [caught] two fish. I’m quite lucky today.”

Another student, who caught five fish, was hesitant to share her secrets, instead attributing her haul to luck.

“Yeah, just luck,” she said with a smile.

One student from Taiwan, after hauling in two lake monsters, suggests ice fishing is easy.

“It’s easy to pull up,” she says. “I think it’s easy to [catch].”

Others didn’t have as much success. However, that didn’t dampen the optimism.

“It’s fine. Patience is key,” one such student says.

For the locals and visitors alike who came out to Walloper Lake on Sunday, the experience was a quintessential Canadian winter activity

For long-time KDFGA members like Dave, the best part of this event is seeing participants’ eyes light up the first time they get a fish on.

“We’ve got 35 or 40 people from the club volunteering, we have moms and dads and their kids, and then, of course, the new element in the last few years has been the international students,” Helmer says. “They just really enjoy themselves, and it’s a pretty unique event for these kids.”

by Adam Donnelly

Dozens flock to Walloper Lake for Intro to Ice Fishing

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