FALLING THROUGH THE ICE

[ikeslayer]

So although i personally have never fallen through the ice i hear a couple terrible stories every year. I don't do that much ice fishing although i find myself on ice every year for a number of reasons. However it isn't enough to know what safe ice is. So here is what i would love to know. How do you tell when ice is safe??? Any rules of thumb or any other thing would be gladly welcomed. Secondly what does a person do if they do fall through the ice. How do you get out. What shouldn't you do. These are things that have plagued my mind and i have never heard or seen rules of thumb for ice. thanks to all those that want to educate me and others on ice 101.

ike

[Neiko]

Not sure about the safety of ice but I know there is a great video done by a professor from Canada on what to do if you fall in. Search on this thread for "Ice Safety Video" or go to the Discovery HSOforum and punch it in the search and get it directly from there. He makes it look so easy to get out. He also shows you how the body reacts to it and how much time you have before it is too late.

[Kyle Sandberg]

If I am questionable aout the ice conditions, I first look and see if people have been where I'm going(usually walking) and if I can't tell, I bring a ice chisel and every five or ten feet hit the ice twice in the same spot hard and if it spider webs off or goes through, that is when you may want to check how thick it is.

[Walleye Patrol]

There is never s sure-fire technique for checking if ice is safe. The best thing to do is researching with other local fisherman on ice thickness. One must always be aware of the latest weather trends such as high temperatures and wind, or rain. A good precautionary measure when heading out on the ice is to wear a life preserver and putting nails or ice grippers in your pocket. This makes crawling out of a hole easier. Just remember that fishing is great, but no fish is worth a life. Good luck, and be safe.

[Joel Taylor]

I have fallen through a few times, two were very serious.

2 inches is good for most people to walk.

One good chop with an ice bar (spud) goes through, the ice is too thin.

The problem with falling through is the edges of ice can't take the weight of you pulling yourself up. You panic, break ice until you're exhausted and drown.

Ice spikes ($5) you wear around your neck allow you to crawl back out onto the ice without putting all your weight on the edge causing it to break.

Wear a life vest.

If you don't know the conditions just plan on falling through, be prepared.

Take a good punch with the ice bar every step all the way out.....

My HSOforum

www.thefishelevator.com

Joel

[harvey lee]

Great advice Joe.

[Guest]

The Quality of ice is just as important as Quantity. None of us should be walking on 2" on a lake, even with the best ice.. reserve that for the puddle in your driveway!

The DNR has some good guidelines to go by, and 4" is a very reasonable guideline for ice fishing.. 4" of clear, solid ice.. not white(frozen slush), or grey(honeycombed) ice. You can see the 1st signsof honeycombing by taking a close look at the ice. If it has lots of tiny air bubbles(several per square inch), but still appears very clear.. it has the 1st stage of honeycombing... very minor damage at that point. If the ice is starting to change color, or losing its transperancy, the honeycombing is getting more severe and you should depend on the amount of good ice below that honeycombed surface. White, milky looking ice is often melted snow/slush that doesnt always hold a ton of strength.. and its very prone to honeycombing, one again you should determine(depend) on the thickness of ice below any damaged ice. Damaged ice, other than moderate to severely honeycombed ice.. its usually a pretty close assumption that ice holds about 1/2 the strength of clear ice, but keep in mind that damaged ice surfaces can vary quickly and you really have to keep on top on the ice conditions.

Drilling a hole with an auger can be one of the best learning tools there is if you pay attention to the resistence, the amount the blades are chewing, and the variation of the shavings. Good clear ice the shavings are usually very consistent, and the auger will shave the very hard surface of the ice and not give a ton of resistence. SOfter ice, the auger tends to chew in more making it more difficult to turn the auger. You will get inconsistent resistence or the auger will get *grabby*, you usually get more chunks in the shavings, and it will take less revolutions of the auger to penetrate the same depths.

If thehole is cut cleanly, you can often look at the hole and see how much is cloudy ice, how much is clear, and if the edge of the hole is real jagged its often honeycombed ice.. if its the dark grey ice, its very honeycombed and has little/no dependable structural integrity.

There is a big difference between clear ice, and substancially honeycombed ice that most people would be able to identify by looking at a drilled hole.

A quality chisel is also a good way to check ice. It not only checks for thin ice, but they will alert you of bad ice if your paying attention. Perfect ice, if you smack it a couple times, you will get a couple inches of penetration, and often ice chunks will break away at the surface shooting ice cubes. Softer ice, the chisel will penetrate easier, and it usually destroys the area directly around the chisel often producing powdery, or very small ice chips.. its hard to find the right words to explain.. but if your chisel is penetrating easly, you better be sure there is enough good ice below it to safely support you. Even with a chisel, its best to smack the ice until impact cracks go to the bottom of the ice.. It usually takes about 3" of penetration to send a crack to the bottom of 6" of ice.

It might be a little more work, but the more you test the surface you are walking on, the safer you will be, and less of a chance you will have to use those spikes you have hanging around your neck. I feel a lot better while fishing a little tired, and knowing that I am on a good surface, than I am out there wondering what my next step could bring.

The best way to check the ice for walking is not walking out with a power auger and drilling holes every 10'-20'! I have seen people do that several times this year!

[metrojoe]

Also, once in the water, turn around and go back the way you came from. You know the ice could support you until that point.

[ikeslayer]

thanks to you all very much. Education to me is very important. Thanks to all that have thrown out tips and tricks for testing ice. Any more ideas or comments would be great!!!!! and i would dearly appreciate them and so would my dear(wife who wants me to come home after every trip)

thanks,

ike

[JP Z]

Also, from what I've been told by a few people who have gone through and way down. When you are swimming up, look for the black hole, not the white hole. As the white is just the ice. And the Black Hole is the hole you made when you broke through. But please correct me if I've been misinformed as it could save a life.

[Todd_J]

This video was posted here years ago. I'll post it now. It is very educational and timely.

Take a look:

http://www.snowmobileworld.com/features/icesafety/icewater.asf

[insurance guy]

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Any more ideas or comments would be great!!!!!

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My comment is instead of spending money on those Ice Armor suits spend $350 and get a Mustang float suit The Mustang's are awesome garments and can give you those extra few minutes to survive a breakthrough and keep you alive while the fire department comes or somebody sees you and calls for help. If you use the suit combined with ice picks you have a great chance of "rolling" out on the ice because the suit will float all parts of your body making it much easier to get out of the water. I wear my Mustang suit almost all the time no matter how thick the ice is for those "just in case" scenarios I see so many people buying all these expensive new ice suits coming out without giving any regard to the float suits which keep you just as warm and may save your life.

[John Henderson]

Wow! That is a great educational video!! Thank you very much for posting this!!!

[Meat-Run]

Todd J,

thanks for sharing. I forwarded this to all my friends and family that venture out on ice. It truly is an eye opener trying to see how hard it is to get out. You just might have saved a life!!!!!

mr

[CrappieAttitude]

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Todd J,

thanks for sharing. I forwarded this to all my friends and family that venture out on ice. It truly is an eye opener trying to see how hard it is to get out. You just might have saved a life!!!!!

mr

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I totally agree. If at any time of the year, you are someone who hits the hard water. I would HIGHLY SUGGEST you take 9 min and 45 seconds out of your life to watch this video. The information will DEFINATELY save someone.

CA

[langy2121]

I'm new to the forums but already appreciate the advice... Just saying thanks.

[hartner62]

Great video! Maybe it should be put on the top of the Ice fishing forum. Might not be a bad idea.

[Swimmer]

Another Thanks for the link. So, the main points are wait about a minute for the shock to subside, kick your legs out back parrellel to the plane of the ice, pull your torso out, and then lift one leg over the edge and roll out. Though it seems obvious, always exit the hole at same place you went in...since you know that ice is "solid". Seemed pretty easy to do this roll maneuver...it would take some disapline to wait the one minute though. Watch the video folks.

[Bob Clausen]

ikeslayer,

I dropped through late ice (walking) about 25 years ago. I remember it vividly but what is most vivid is the gasp that escaped from me when the icy water surrounded me. The video talks about it and it is pretty much involuntary. Had the ice not supported my weight with my outstretched arms, I'm sure I would have filled my lungs with water. I don't know if I'd have drowned, but remaining calm would have been far more "uphill" than it was. On ice I'm unfamiliar with I make sure and keep my jaw closed and clenched and breath through my nose. Avoid the gasp!

[ikeslayer]

i can't tell you how great ful i am for that fool in that video being good at something like falling through the ice. I hope i never get the chance to use that info. Thanks to all of you for your stories and tips once again. Many thanks

ike

[lakertaker]

Good Thinking! Sometimes a short lesson like this will be with us longer than we think.

[Weed Shark]

Some other thoughts. Beware of pressure ridges; large cracks created by ice expansion. Also, areas near inlets, outlets, or narrows; the currents can create thin ice areas. Usually, when someone falls through on Lake Minnetonka, there are a narrows and bridge in the background of the newscast. If you don't know a lake, talk to a bait shop or locals about problem areas on the lake; sometimes there are springs underwater where the ice is historically weak. If operating a vehicle, snowmobile, or ATV do not over-drive your headlights and NEVER have a seatbelt on (some snowmobile side cars have these) or the doors locked. If your not sure, dont't go.

[mr fishfry]

Hello Anglers,,,Another peace of caution, is go buy a pair of hand picks...And maybe sharpen the tips a bit, so you can get back up on the ice...They only cost 5bills and they are nice to have...They say on their info to rap them around the top of your shoulder area...Mine have a long screcth cord...I don't go fishing without them...