Ice Spud??

[blackdog1101]

Do you guys use or carry an ice spud with you? Do you consider it a necessary piece of gear? I'm thinking with this goofy weather it might be handy to test the ice with when venturing into new spots. Your opinion?

[hawkeye43]

I wouldn't leave home without it. With the kind of weather we been having, one wrong step could be your last.

[buzbunni]

Ditto what hawkeye said. I don't take it with me if we are well into the freeze, but when it's like this (metro area), I won't hit the ice without it. Just today, my spud "probing" kept me from venturing into an area that was a bit sketchy to say the least. 2 spud pops and it went thru. Funny thing is, it wasn't that the ice wasn't thick enough (at about 9 inches it was), but the top 6 inches were that crappy snow/ice/melt stuff.

Take the spud bar with until it gets colder, you'll be happy you did.

[Big D 1]

This is my first year using a spud bar, usually I drive on the ice, but now that I have my portable/sled, and with the weather, I bought a spud bar.

My question is this. How do you use it? I have used it by tamping it hard on the ice in front of me, do I need to do more. Step tap tap step tap tap??

I am a BIG guy, thus, don't want to go in the drink, how would you do it?

D

[kslipsinker]

I am a pretty big guy at 250#. My rule of walking is if there is water with one good chop, turn around and head back. I have the Jiffy Mille Lac spud, which is one of the better available in my opinion. I will not fish on less than 2" of good ice. With the unusual weather, always check!

Beats swiming in cold water.

[Big D 1]

I'm a much bigger boy than that, and wouldn't dream of stepping on under 5" of ice...thanx for the help...i think if I struck water, i'd dump myself and do the fastest fat man sprint in history