Lynn anglers, tackle supplier await freezing of local ponds

LYNN – Plummeting temperatures are being welcomed with open arms by local anglers with a passion for ice fishing on the city’s ponds.At Ippi’s Bait & Tackle, the 5 Parkland Ave. storefront that serves as a local information hub for regional fishing activities, the schedule of upcoming fishing derbies is already posted.”We’ve got the schedule up here in the store and it’ll soon be on our Web site,” said store owner Laura “Ippi” Ippoliti. “The weather has been cold this week but not long enough to freeze the ponds. There was still a boat out on Sluice Pond the other day. We need several days of below-freezing temperatures. Right now, there’s too much skim ice.”If the cold weather continues, the ice fishing will likely first emerge at Flax Pond and near the Buchanan Bridge along Western Avenue, she said.Ippi’s Bait & Tackle, online at www.ippisbait.com, has been sponsoring ice fishing derbies for the past four years.Ippoliti, a Franklin native, opened the bait shop in Wyoma Square in 2002 after her employer eliminated jobs and left the state. Previously, she worked in several countries, including some in South America, teaching clients how to use and repair electron microscopes, X-ray machines and other devices.The fishing business connection arose through customers who used the equipment in their manufacturing processes to analyze stress fractures in golf clubs and fishing rods, always searching for stronger yet lighter materials, said Ippoliti, a lifelong angler.Sensing Lynn was home to fishing enthusiasts but without a bait-and-tackle shop, she decided on going into business. She completed a brief internship at Winchester Fishing, then met with distributors to open accounts with multiple suppliers.The bait shop is an official Massachusetts weigh station for fishing derbies. In addition to sponsoring derbies, the business offers free Kids Fishing Derbies each summer, during which Ippoliti teaches fishing techniques. Ippoliti annually helps raise funds for cancer research by walking in the annual Medway Relay for Life. She is an active member of Lynn Fish & Game Protective Association Inc, Sluice Pond Association, Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce, and Wyoma Square Improvement Association.When it comes to ice safety, Ippoliti urges customers to think smartly. If the ice is 2 inches thick or less, the rule is simple: stay off. Once the ice reaches a thickness of four inches, fishing and other activities can be done in relative safety. Snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles should not be driven onto the ice until it’s 5 inches thick, and small cars or trucks should be kept on the shore unless the surface is a foot thick.The 2009 schedule of fishing derbies begins later this month with a smelt trip to James Eddy in Dresden, Maine, which costs $50 and includes the bus ride and ice fishing shack along the river. The bus leaves from Briarcliff Lodge at 8:30 a.m. and returns at approximately 9 p.m. Anglers interested should call the bait shop to make reservations.The annual Ice Derby at Flax Pond is set for Sunday, Jan. 18, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The entry fee is $10.On Sunday, Feb. 15, the Ippi’s Valentine Ice Derby gets under way on Sluice Pond. The weigh station will be at the Four Winds Pub. Entry fee is $10.The annual Ongoing Striper Derby runs from May 1 to Sept. 30, with prizes for the three heaviest striped bass.April also brings derbies to Sluice Pond with trophies for all ages. The opener also kicks off the annual Super Trout Derby,On Sunday, May 17, the Kids Mass Bass Derby will be held at Flax Pond for ages 2-12, with a modest $3 entry fee. Other derbies on the Lynn ponds occur throughout the summer, with the fishing season continuing into the fall with a striper derby off Red Rock, Elephant Rock and the beaches along Lynn Shore Drive.On Oct. 4, Walsh’s Deep-Sea Fishing offers a one-day cod-fishing derby, followed on Oct. 11 by Ippi’s 5th annual award ceremony at the Four Winds Pub, 235 Broadway, starting at 2 p.m.For more informa