Ice crack stories

[babes7825]

Anyone been up to LOW and had to cross some wicked ice cracks because you were not going to let some open water come between you and those walleyes? Tell me your stories....

[Mnfisher]

On Red Lake a few years ago, 6 guys fishing in 2 houses. About 10 pm, there was a loud "boom" and our house actually rocked. 2 of us in our house vacated in a hurry while the 3rd was in the process of pulling up a nice crappie. The next morning, we saw a huge ice heave 50 yards away from us and were thankful that the heave wasn't directly under our houses.

[babes7825]

One Saturday morning we were on our way out on sleds and came across a few sleds that were deciding wether or not to cross some slush. Well, they tried it, but drove threw too slow and dove it in. The rest of us canned it and boy did the water fly!! It was a good 100 feet of slush, nothing I don't think would have made you sink, but it wasn't good.

[walleyehuntR1975]

The worst I've seen and heard while on the ice was last year on our first outing. We were sitting there fishing and you could hear that rumble coming like a wave getting closer and closer. I sure wasnt expecting it to be that loud and boy did it feel like the ice was gonna drop right out from underneath us. After it passed you could just feel the ice going up and down. Whats even worse the fact that it happened three more times with the last one being the worst. The pucker factor was at an all time high that day

[BronzeBrother]

Good old Mille Lacs has BOOMED me out of a dead sleep more times then I can remember but the one I remember the most was when we just got the permanent ice shack out the first time of the season, drilled the holes and heard the thunder coming! Rumbling louder and louder as it approached. BOOM! Under the house! Shaking it way to much for me to be comfortable, ice hole tsunamis as the water in the holes were bobbing up and down by about 6 to 8 inches.

As the thunder rolled on we stepped outside and there was about a half foot wide crack right under the house. I still can't believe my Dad kept the house there, if that was my house it would have been moved as fast as I could get the truck hooked up... Lol.

That one shook me up pretty good...

[mww24]

I have been on red lake in late January when its really cold. It can be like a thunderstorm. Its very unsettling until your used to it. I hate more when your on 6 inches and the idiots are flying by on wheelers making the water shoot up the hole along with little cracks forming.

[Random guy]

How about pictures. Here is my brand new Titan that found a crack. And below are some pictures of one of the boomers that skoock the house. The it was the first time ice fishing for the guys in the rental shack.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

The first time a friend and I did our own trip up to LOTW, we were using Zippel Bay's road; when we came up to their bridge over a crack, my buddy freaked out and ended up dry heaving and having a panic attack after we crossed the bridge. On the trip back off the lake, he had a stocking cap pulled down over his eyes and his head phones on to try to distract himself from seeing the crossing again.

[mww24]

looks about right for red johnny.

[niterydr]

I was out on Medicine Lake for early season ice 6" or so, very clear. We were using my hub style fish house, heard the crack coming and saw it come right thru the MIDDLE OF THE FLOOR. No water came up, but we all decided it was time to move after that.

I've spent nights out on Ottertail in January when the ice is well over 2' thick, all you hear is boom boom boom, especially when the idiots are hauling across the lake at 40+mph...

[Da Biggin]

The only one that I can recall that really shook me in my boots was a winter when I was in school and my girlfriend came to visit. We took a short jaunt down the road to Twin Lake just outside of town and was having a good time. We decided to park at the launch as not to take too many chances and walked to our perspective area. When all of a sudden we hear the thundering and we took off running for the closest shore line which by the way was the opposite side of the lake from the car. When we hit solid ground we turned to look and we saw the tufts of snow streaking across the ice like a rooster tail from a speeding boat. She caught her breath, I peed, and we discussed how to get back to the car. Going around the lake was out of the question so we hightailed it back across the lake avoiding as best we could the chasm we assumed had just been formed. When we got to the car I found that during my terror induced potty break I dropped the car keys. It is safe to say that I made that haul alone to retrieve them...

[reinhard1]

that roostertail story reminded me when i was on early ice on mille lacs. there was probably 6 inches of ice where we were right off shore on the south side. i was in my portable and heard this loud cracking. stuck my head out the portable and saw this crack open up comming toward me and the others with water shooting up as it came near. ended going between me and my friends portables. the crack ended up not that wide, so i pulled my portable over the crack on the other side, drilled a couple more holes, cracked a beer and kept on fishing. haven't seen anything like that since. good luck.

[Schubie]

You guys have any more or recent ice cracking stories? What is the widest opening you have crossed?

Schubie

[BigDogRob]

Three of us ventured out from Mort's Saturday morning in my truck, noticed a Crack on the road so we crossed it and went to our fishing spot. On the way off he had it bridged

[laportian]

Was out on Red 4 or 5 years ago at the very end of March. Had a solid ice sheet when we drove on in the morning. The wind kicked up and by the end of the day it was busted up pretty good at the landing, we were going on on the rez boundary. We called a buddy from Saum and he came out with two 16 foot 2x8 oak planks. I'm pretty sure we crossed in 4 places the widest was probably 4 feet across. It was in an old rusted out F150. My craziest ice adventure for sure.