Ice Fishing Safety Question?

[FishermanTim]

Barring an early spring thaw, there could be ice into April!
I was in Moultonborough, and the lake had well over a foot of solid ice.
Any snow in the mix came from what fell thios weekend!

Oh, and I do disagree...ice DOES freeze uniformly.
The water UNDER it causes it to melt more in some areas than others.
That's where springs, rivers, inlets and outlets come into play. Moving water erodes ice AFTER it has formed and can prevent it from freezing in the first place.

Nevertheless, I would NEVER advocate anything but safety when venturing out on the ice.
Fortunately the places I fish I know whether or not they are spring fed and where any inlets or outlets are beforehand.
This is another good reason to check out a pond or lake during open water season, so you have an idea of where to avoid.

And AGAIN... never presume ice is safe until you have checked it for yourself!!!

[Van]

I love when it groans and cracks even if your just standing still.
Scares the sheet out of some who don't know. I'm like dude ! You could drive a train over this ice it ain't breaking !!!!!!

Remember ice floats. I believe if its 4" thick and you're of average weight, you could cut out a 4-5' circle around you (like the three stooges did) and it you will just float on it. Something like that.

I have yet to try that though

[oldroe]

Hi Canadian guy here that loves the ditch, will be back for 2 weeks in Sept.

Getting out when you fall in is key. Could 1 of you guys you tube "Survival in the Ice" part 1 and 2 and post this link.

This guy cross country skis into open water and shows what your body goes thru and how to get out. Really good stuff.

Couple more pts. most commercial spuds are junk. Go down to the local spring repair guy and get end piece of car spring 1.5 inches X 6-7 long. Get a welding shop to cut a groove 3-4 inch up a pipe and weld your car spring piece. You can add some weight in the pipe but not necessary. Add a piece of pipe and a t bar.

2 hits with this spud will be safe for ordinary size guys.

One big danger on ice is white outs. I don't trust my phone or GPS.

Get a compass and pin it to your ice fishing coat.

And you will learn about ice spikes in the video. Life saver.

[RickBomba]

Originally Posted by oldroe

Hi Canadian guy here that loves the ditch, will be back for 2 weeks in Sept.

Getting out when you fall in is key. Could 1 of you guys you tube "Survival in the Ice" part 1 and 2 and post this link.

This guy cross country skis into open water and shows what your body goes thru and how to get out. Really good stuff.

Couple more pts. most commercial spuds are junk. Go down to the local spring repair guy and get end piece of car spring 1.5 inches X 6-7 long. Get a welding shop to cut a groove 3-4 inch up a pipe and weld your car spring piece. You can add some weight in the pipe but not necessary. Add a piece of pipe and a t bar.

2 hits with this spud will be safe for ordinary size guys.

One big danger on ice is white outs. I don't trust my phone or GPS.

Get a compass and pin it to your ice fishing coat.

And you will learn about ice spikes in the video. Life saver.

Speedwell? That you?

[RickBomba]

Hey Cape guys...just curious as to what the snow did to your ponds...did it pile up...make slush? Just checking.

[Rockfish9]

Originally Posted by FishermanTim

Barring an early spring thaw, there could be ice into April!
I was in Moultonborough, and the lake had well over a foot of solid ice.
Any snow in the mix came from what fell thios weekend!

Oh, and I do disagree...ice DOES freeze uniformly.
The water UNDER it causes it to melt more in some areas than others.
That's where springs, rivers, inlets and outlets come into play. Moving water erodes ice AFTER it has formed and can prevent it from freezing in the first place.

Nevertheless, I would NEVER advocate anything but safety when venturing out on the ice.
Fortunately the places I fish I know whether or not they are spring fed and where any inlets or outlets are beforehand.
This is another good reason to check out a pond or lake during open water season, so you have an idea of where to avoid.

And AGAIN... never presume ice is safe until you have checked it for yourself!!!

YOU ARE DEAD WRONG.... ice does not freeze uniformly becuse of the exact reason you just stated.. the water is too warm where the spings are to support freezing below the surface.. it also does not freeze evenly because some area are kept open by the wind and feeze much latter.. iif at all.. thus the thickness vary lately.. seems like some people just like to argue for the sake of arguing...

[FishermanTim]

I was just going to say the same thing.

let's see....water freezes at 32 degrees, which is uniformly taken as a standard measure. Now if we were talking of ice formation on lake "X" then we would have to consider that although the ice will form, there could be extenuating circumstances that could prevent the ice from freezing all at the same time.

In a pond with no springs, no inlets or outlets, and adequate shelter from the wind, the ice tends to freeze uniformly.

Maybe I should have been more specific in my claim.

Or better yet, maybe I just need a good day out on the ice to chase away the January blahs?