Safe to drive on ice?

[comicdog]

How deep does the ice need to be in order to drive on it? Does the snow delay the creation of ice?

[Gissert]

That is a tough question to answer, even more so this year.

The DNR has a good guideline on their HSOforum.

The Corps of Engineers has some great reading about loads on ice sheets as well. That is where I learned a lot about how ice behaves under stress.

One thing to consider this year is the ice is already carrying a heavy load with the snow cover. This stresses the ice, and this weight must be conisdered when you add vehicle/pedisterians to it. If the ice is flooding, then it is stressed to a cretain degree because it is sagging from the snow load and water is coming up thru the cracks.

This stress in not gone until the water on top freezes and consolidates to the ice below.

I was fishing on 7 inches of ice yesterday. When I drilled my holes, it quickly flooded to a depth of an inch or so. Not enough to concern me greatly, but it did remind me that the ice is sagging from the snow load. I went back today, and a 10 foot circle was consolidated where I drilled yesterday. Outside that circle, it was still we underneath. Pretty sobering, considering it was minus 8 last night and never got much above zero today.

Some of the larger lakes barely had a cap on them before the snow came. I am hearing reports of 8 inches of ice, with only two nearby.

This is going to be a tough year....

[surfMN1510]

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/ice/index.html

[Grant Pearson]

while fishing Mille Lacs earlier today, we (Sandmannd, fishingrookie123 and I) saw an older blazer driving on the ice plowing snow. we were sitting on 7-9 inches of ice. We could feel the ice sag with the vehicle 30-40 yards away. Not a good. Still not really safe to drive on....

[dilleyo]

how'd you guy do?

[PierBridge]

I don't think I'd be driving my Vehicle on any Lakes just yet the large amount Snow we have recieved has really hurt the abilty to make good consistant ice.

[comicdog]

Started ice fishing 2 years ago. This is the first time I have seen these conditions. Thanks for all of the information!

[Grant Pearson]

Quote:

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how'd you guy do?

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We did okay. We didn't come home with any limits, but we had fun and brought home a few perch up to 10 inches.