ice fishing

[Guest]

hey everyone,
i am new, i was jsut looking for ice fishin info and saw this and i had 2 questions on mind. Me and my friend are getting ready for ice fishing down at are neighborhood private pond. we are going to Sportmart this friday and getting all are stuff . we have close to about 2 inches of ice now and i was wondering about how long with it take for us to get about 6 inches of ice so that we can go on? its suposed to be high in 20s and low in 10s everyday this week. if some one coudl take a good guess. also last year we had some problems of when we are fishing we could hear the ice start to crack. it was abotu 8 inches thick so we were confused. my other question is, if we start to hear it again, what do you think we should do? last time we got off immediately. should we stay still or get off? thanks hope to hear from someone soon.
ryan

[Captain Ken]

Ryan

There is no exact science or answer to your question, but here are some things I keep in mind when venturing forth on the hard water.

1. 5-6 inches of ice is a good idea. People go out on less, but I always have my heart in my mouth if it's any less than 5 inches of good solid clear ice.

2. Snow after a little ice is really not your friend. It insulates the ice and retards additional ice formation. The best situation is to have no snow, really cold days and lay down a nice thick pad of ice. Then get some snow to protect it from any little warm ups.

3. If there were no snow and the weather you speak of, I'd GUESS (not sure) about one week of that would do the trick for you. Not sure about with the snow.

4. Most guys I know of myself included will check the ice on teh way out by drilling holes periodically to check the integrity of the ice.

5. Take a set of the picks that you wear around your neck in case you go through. It will make the exit a ton easier than trying to get out of the water with nothing but wet slippery ice to try and pull yourself up on. A nice long, heavy rope that can be thrown is also a great idea to have along. I've gotten a nice one for about 8 dollars at menards. They have them in all kinds of pretty colors.

6. The cracking you heard most likely was the ice expanding. It makes that really scary sound when it's doing that. As you walk across the lake you will tend to see cracks that are filled in with more ice. The ice actually separates a little, water fills in the crack and refreezes. It scares the heck out of you and makes you want to run when you hear one of these cracks develop. You tend to hear more of this when the temp changes to much colder or much warmer. To me the expansion sounds sound different than when ice is cracking because it is too thin. I can't really describe it in words though.

7. Watch for current or springs. Those will keep the ice thin, as a rule. Areas that squeeze down a body of water, say a channel, are also good places to avoid.

Hope that helps. Stay safe and be cautious.

Where are you that you have 2 inches of ice already?

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Ken Kessler

[Guest]

I live in Naperville, IL. we now have 4- 4 1/2 inches in the bay of our neighborhood pond which is maybe 2-3 acres . we jsut went out today for the second time i finally caught a bluegill. just one. YAY. we are waitin for the the biger part of the lake to get to about 5-7 inches before we go on. well its cold and i got to go. cant wait to go ice fishin again. talk to yall later.
ryan

[Rick]

When first ice gets there...please be safe.

Come on Illinois, we know you you're reading. Stand up and be counted here

Anyone have any 1st ice safety tips or 1st ice stories to share?

[Captain Ken]

Here's what we do when on first ice.

1. Stay away from narrow spots. Anywhere the water is squeezed down usually means current and that means thinner ice than surrounding areas.

2. Take a long, moderately thick rope to throw to your buddy if he shoudl fall in. Hopefully he will have one to throw to you too.

3. Take ice claws. They hang around your neck and can make getting out a whole lot easier. Check the Fishing Minnesota store to see if they have some.

4. Go light on the tackle and stay spread out from your partner a little. No use having all teh weight in one place.

5. For me, I like at least 4 inches of good ice under me. We take an ice chisel and chop a hole every ten feet or so to see how we are doing. Having a little ruler with an angle on the end for hooking under the ice is handy for measuring.

6. Be VERY aware of pressure ridges, they can have only a little ice on them even though the rest of the ice is 4 inches. I have seen them have open water after forming.

7. I have heard of guys wearing a life vest when going on first ice, just in case.

8. If you do fall in, use your ice picks to get you out while staying horizontal. This spreads your weight out over the ice so you won't keep falling through.

9. Get to warmth pronto so you don't get hypothermic.

10. Be very careful in channels. If you must go through a channel, I woudl try walking along teh shore thill you get through and well away from the mouth. This boy has never gone under a bridge on the ice.

Probably not an exhaustive list but it's a start!

Ken

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Captain Ken Kessler
www.captainken.com
Guiding in Illinois and North East Minnesota
847-970-9108 Illinois
218-742-4680 Minnesota