Another winter warning for MossRoad...

[Jstpssng]

Be careful out there!!!!

MSN

www.msn.com

 

[fatjay]

Scary stuff. That could have gone bad, glad everyone is ok.

 

[Jstpssng]

I remember it happening years ago when two kids were spring fishing and a piece of ice broke away. If I recall correctly one made it back to shore, the other didn't.

 

[MossRoad]

No chance of that here... I was raking the yard yesterday while wearing just a t-shirt. (no pants? )

But thanks for the words of caution.

I like my ice fishing but I'm not keen to risk my life for a fish dinner. However, something like that where a large section of ice can break away from shore and float off is pretty common on large lakes exposed to wind. Eventually, the ice will move to one shore or another. I doubt anyone was in real danger yet on that one.

First time I saw something like that I was at a Boy Scout winter camp in the mid 70's. There was about 40' of open water from shore. Old guys (everyone was old to me) were taking boats from shore, rowing out to the ice, then getting onto the ice to go fishing farther out in the lake. Strangest thing to see. Dozens of boats.

 

[MossRoad]

I do have two doofus cousins that went out on an ice flow in the Ohio River down west of Cincinnati and it broke away. They went floating down the river. Had to be rescued by some law enforcement agency. They were in their early teens at the time. Moving water is a whole nuther rascal. I won't ice fish on a river or creek. Backwater bays where there's no current is OK.

 

[ArlyA]

Every winter chucks of ice break off of some lake supieor shore and ice fisherman are on it. These piecs are sometimes large, like miles in size.

 

[MossRoad]

Every winter chucks of ice break off of some lake supieor shore and ice fisherman are on it. These piecs are sometimes large, like miles in size.

Erie, Huron and St. Clair are famous for it. I think Green Bay as well.

 

[oosik]

Same situation - different story. We spent a year in Glennallen, AK. Doofy's arena. Ice fishing in February. Had a four foot hand crank ice auger. DISAPPOINTMENT - the four foot auger would not reach all the way thru the ice. Then - many times - you end up with a "overflow" situation. Weight of the ice has pressurized the lake water and you have a never ending flowing spring or geyser.

 

[MossRoad]

Same situation - different story. We spent a year in Glennallen, AK. Doofy's arena. Ice fishing in February. Had a four foot hand crank ice auger. DISAPPOINTMENT - the four foot auger would not reach all the way thru the ice. Then - many times - you end up with a "overflow" situation. Weight of the ice has pressurized the lake water and you have a never ending flowing spring or geyser.

I've seen videos of that. Crazy. The most I've ever seen is about 22" of ice. Here, on warm days, we get the drain effect. You drill a hole and any melt water on top of the ice starts draining into your hole, bringing all the dust, dirt, and debris into a swirling current, like a toilet bowl.

 

[bigtiller]

If the ice wasn't in neutral buoyance, I always got off it immediately. But I'm a scaredy cat.

 

[MossRoad]

It's always a thrill!!!

Last winter we had a really cold snap. Went to my favorite lake. Ice was 6-8" thick everywhere with a light blanket of snow. Really good, hard ice. While walking out, I saw a maybe 1.5" dark hole in the snow. Uh oh. Walked over and saw water bubbling up out of the hole. Spring! In 30' of water! Ice was weak within about a 3' diameter circle there. Had it snowed just a little bit more, who know?

I always wear my ice picks around my neck like these. Mine has a whistle on the cord as well.



I carry a throw bag of rope in case I can assist someone else. And for the last few years I've worn a floating ice fishing jacket (persistent wife finally got me). I also put my vehicle keys in an interior zipping pocket. It would be a bummer to save yourself, make it back to the vehicle, then freeze to death because your keys fell out of your pocket.

 

[Jstpssng]

I rented a place on the lake for a few winters. One Saturday morning the steam was rolling off the donut hole in the middle of the ice. That night it got really cold and the hole froze over... the next day there were pickups, ATVs and ice shacks all around where the hole had been. You could still see it as a big open black spot... I stayed on shore.

 

[dstig1]

C'mon Moss, we know all the supplies are just related to the ice shacks and prostitutes!

That video still kills me. What the heck was he thinking?

 

[Jstpssng]

It's always a thrill!!!

Last winter we had a really cold snap. Went to my favorite lake. Ice was 6-8" thick everywhere with a light blanket of snow. Really good, hard ice. While walking out, I saw a maybe 1.5" dark hole in the snow. Uh oh. Walked over and saw water bubbling up out of the hole. Spring! In 30' of water! Ice was weak within about a 3' diameter circle there. Had it snowed just a little bit more, who know?

I always wear my ice picks around my neck like these. Mine has a whistle on the cord as well.

View attachment 772456

I carry a throw bag of rope in case I can assist someone else. And for the last few years I've worn a floating ice fishing jacket (persistent wife finally got me). I also put my vehicle keys in an interior zipping pocket. It would be a bummer to save yourself, make it back to the vehicle, then freeze to death because your keys fell out of your pocket.

Years ago a beaver trapper apparently fell through the ice while setting up a house. He got out but it was cold and his clothes froze to the ice. That’s where his son found him after he’d succumbed to hypothermia.


Getting back to my original post, I was surprised there’s that much ice already. But then, look at TBN member Ayla’s dog pictures…

 

[jyoutz]

It's always a thrill!!!

Last winter we had a really cold snap. Went to my favorite lake. Ice was 6-8" thick everywhere with a light blanket of snow. Really good, hard ice. While walking out, I saw a maybe 1.5" dark hole in the snow. Uh oh. Walked over and saw water bubbling up out of the hole. Spring! In 30' of water! Ice was weak within about a 3' diameter circle there. Had it snowed just a little bit more, who know?

I always wear my ice picks around my neck like these. Mine has a whistle on the cord as well.

View attachment 772456

I carry a throw bag of rope in case I can assist someone else. And for the last few years I've worn a floating ice fishing jacket (persistent wife finally got me). I also put my vehicle keys in an interior zipping pocket. It would be a bummer to save yourself, make it back to the vehicle, then freeze to death because your keys fell out of your pocket.

I went ice fishing once. We were amateurs and the hand auger wasn’t working. Fortunately some other folks had a power auger and drilled a hole for us. Even though I was dressed warm, the cold wind at 9000’ was miserable sitting on the folding chairs. We caught a few fish, but mostly a good buzz from sipping the bourbon from the flasks. I prefer fishing in the summer.

 

[stuckmotor]

Erie, Huron and St. Clair are famous for it. I think Green Bay as well.

I'm 71 years old and until reading the comment above, it never occurred to me that Green Bay Wisconsin is located on a bay.

 

[ArlyA]

Getting back to my original post, I was surprised there’s that much ice already. But then, look at TBN member Ayla’s dog pictures…

Because we reside south of a large heat sink, we don't get very cool here. Inland bodies of water get snow on them which insulates them from forming thick ice..

 

[MossRoad]

C'mon Moss, we know all the supplies are just related to the ice shacks and prostitutes!

That video still kills me. What the heck was he thinking?

I'd forgotten about that. Thanks!

 

[MossRoad]

Because we reside south of a large heat sink, we don't get very cool here. Inland bodies of water get snow on them which insulates them from forming thick ice..

Yep. Similar here. If we get ice to start forming, we hope for no lake effect snow until the ice gets 5-6" thick. If it snows a foot on top of the ice, it acts like a blanket. The water below the ice is above freezing. The air above the snow blanket is below freezing. The snow traps the heat, and can turn the ice to mush. Rain on top of snow on top of ice is even more sketchy. It make a crust on top. You end up with a slush sandwich between the ice and frozen over snow. So you crush through the crust, step in a couple inches of water, then land on hard ice (hopefully).

Waterproof boots are a must. You get to your spot, drill you holes, and pile up some snow and slush to make a little mountain to rest your feet on up out of the water.

Last few years it's been too warm to use the portable shanty. So I bought a sled to pull behind me. It's large enough that I can sit on a bucket in the sled and have my feet in the sled as well. Nice and dry.

Another thing that helps if you're prone to cold feet is just a piece of rubber doormat. Throw that on the ice and keep your feet on it. That little 1/2" layer between the bottom of your boots and the ice makes a huge difference.

 

[bigtiller]

Another thing that helps if you're prone to cold feet is just a piece of rubber doormat. Throw that on the ice and keep your feet on it. That little 1/2" layer between the bottom of your boots and the ice makes a huge difference.

When it's really cold outside, I wear slip-on rubber over-boots, over my leather tennis shoes.

It makes a world of difference when setting on the tractor blowing snow and they are more maneuverable than my old snowmobile boots.