Ice fishing: An enduring pastime in the Lakes Region

MEREDITH – Mention the term bob house and the response is always the same, whether fisherman or anyone else. Smiles, fishing stories and fond remembrances of times on the frozen lake are relayed.

Jim Sherman of Gilford has a lifetime of ice fishing memories on Lake Winnipesaukee with his late father, John Sherman and their friends and family.

“I grew up in Meredith,” Jim said. His family had a bob house on the lake and the family used it every winter. Sherman’s son, Justin, also an ice fisherman, utilizes one of the new pop-up ice fishing tents for its convenience. While Sherman’s family and friends enjoy the tent, there is no denying the charm of the old-time bob houses.

“The tents are great,” said Sherman. “They are portable and warm inside. Best of all you can put up a tent in five minutes.”

Depending on the size of the pop-up, 20 people can fit easily in a tent, keeping warm with an infrared mini heater. Sherman said it is easy to stash such a tent on a sled, bring it onto the ice, set it up quickly and enjoy hours of ice fishing. When done for the day, a fisherman can easily fold up a tent and head off the ice.

This convenience is a far cry from a typical bob house, which had to be built, dragged onto the ice, maintained, and removed in late winter/early spring.

“My Dad, John Sherman, had a bob house built by a local contractor,” Sherman said. “When I was a kid, I remember the bob house was hard to transport. But we used it a lot, ice fishing and socializing. Winters were long and ice fishing was a good way to get together with family and friends in an outdoor setting.”

To this day, Sherman has fond memories of bob houses. Each house was different, with one he said belonging to a friend’s grandfather. It was a charming old relic with weather conditions and how many fish were caught on various days written on an interior wall of the bob house. Little things come to mind for Sherman, such as the latch on his father’s bob house door and a mesh shelf near the ceiling where gloves were put to dry.

“I can visualize that house to this day,” he said. However, there were drawbacks the new pop-up tents do not have. “We used a small woodstove to keep the inside of the bob house warm. We had to haul wood to keep the fire going, but we could warm soup and fry fish on the stove. There was also the difficulty of moving a bob house versus the simple set-up and take-down of an ice fishing shelter tent.”

The tents are definitely popular and can be seen all over the lake. But Sherman would prefer a bob house if he was still ice fishing as much as he did as a child. “They are cozy and they have a lot of charm.”

Because he now has other pastimes such as skiing, Sherman does not ice fish as often, but his family and friends are planning to be out on the ice during the Great Meredith Rotary Ice Fishing Derby on Saturday, Feb. 8 and Sunday, Feb. 9.

Sherman does not compete in the derby but rather is out on the ice for the fun of it. Also he is there to honor the memory of his father, the late John, who was a long-time Meredith Rotarian and co-founder of the derby.

“My Dad and fellow Rotarian Bruce Sanderson started the Derby in the 1970s,” he said. “They knew winter was a slow season for area businesses and they wanted to boost the local economy. The derby idea was born from that.”

The derby infuses Meredith and the Lakes Region with ice fishing enthusiasts out to win the big prizes. Competitors can fish at any fresh New Hampshire public waters as long as they are a registered derby ticket holder with a New Hampshire fishing license. Minors under 16 years of age do not need a valid fishing license for ice fishing, but do need a valid derby ticket.

With derby headquarters right on Meredith Bay where all the action is, the Inter-Lakes Interact Club will be located there as well, selling raffle tickets for an Ice Fishing Shelter Tent plus accessories. The Interact Club is an Inter-Lakes Middle-High School service club sponsored by the Meredith Rotary.

The Interact Club is all about serving the community, and over the past 10 years have donated more than $24,000 to over 30 causes.

Safety is the most important component when on the ice. Participants should tell someone where they;re going before heading out and when they intend to return. Remember ice may freeze to a foot thick, for example, in one area and be much thinner in another. Participants should consider bringing an ice safety pick. If someone falls in, they should reach for solid ice — which the picks can help with — to pull themselves out, kick and roll to safety.

If ice conditions are uncertain, check with a nearby bait shop before going out to ice fish. According to wildlife.nh.gov/get-outside/stay-safe-ice, there should be a minimum of six inches of hard ice before individual foot travel, and eight-to-10 inches of hard ice for snow machine or ATV travel. Stay off the ice along the shoreline if it is cracked, or during ice thaws.

For complete rules and regulations of the upcoming Great Meredith Rotary Ice Fishing Derby, visit icefishingnh.com.