That Sinking Feeling

[Blaine]

I went in to save my dog a few years back. It was a VERY close call for both of us but we made it. I still tear up when I retell the story...

[Bob_D]

I've been up to my waist once when I was younger. I came out of the water so fast, I'm not sure if I even got wet. Up to my thigh in an hole that opened up too. I've never been in too far, and I hope I never do.

[CRAPPIEBAIT]

Never been through the ice (knock on wood)but I have managed to fill my chest waders 3 different times duck hunting.Close call all 3 times.I bought a boat after the 3rd time.

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Greg

[311Hemi]

I have never personally gone through either..(knock on wood)....but I have had my chest wader full also duck hunting...including my gun totally submerged under water. That was a weekend we saw a few snow flakes and was not very fun after that.

My 2 good friends went through on Tokna the beginging of last year. Both were riding a sled when the rear of the sled broke through. They both went in after dark and were very lucky to make it out alive. Ran accross the ice back to the house soaking wet and luckily made the trip back also. On top of that I was called out there to find 1/2 the sled stayed above the ice thanks to the back side of the ski's catching on the front and the trailer that was being towed helping just a litle on the back so it didn't go totally in. It was sitting strait up and down and ran out of gas like that with the engine out of the water.

Then to make the nigth better some A$$ holes went right up to the sled and stole all the gear that was left there, which there was a decent amount. My buddies didn't want to risk the sled going through to get the gear...but I am glad someone else would. Ended up getting the police, a diver, a tow guy, and a couple of us to cut it out of the ice the next day and slide it accross the ice to the trailer. Let it thaw and the sled worked has worked great since then.

A little long...but be careful on early ice!!!! They hit one little sandbar that the didn't know was there and thats all it took.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I myself 2 years ago, pushed the limmits of the season a day or so too long... I got out on the ice great.. but on the way back off the ice it had deteriorated beyond explaining.. I couldn't get to within about 35 yards from shore.. .Ended up going threw 3 times.. the first 2 times over my head... the third time only waist deep...

A day I will not forget..... a lesson learned!!!

[The Grebe]

I have one post in "Things you dropped down the hole" about going through the ice on the Crow River when I was a teenager.

I've busted through close to shore on many occassions, I believe that most early and late ice anglers, have gotten their feet wet more then once, up to your knees is no biggie.

There has been a time or two, when I went through in much deeper water....Once while trapping, many years ago, I was walking on the ice of a creek in an unfamiliar area, checking out where the mink were going.

All of a sudden the ice busted with a loud crash and in I went. Thoughts go through your head in the smallest denominator of nano seconds and I was expecting to feel the icy water and be swept away by the current and drown!

Instead, I landed on my back with a big thud that knocked the breath out of me. I had fallen about 7 feet into a dry creek bed! I was under the ice on that sunny winter day, and I was drier then a popcorn fart!

Talk about eerie! It was light enough to see as much as I wanted to and that was'nt much! I was'nt sure what had happened, but I did'nt want to waste any time getting the hell out of there! I had to work at it, but I managed to come back out the hole I went in.

The only thing I could figure is that somewhere up stream, Beaver had a dam and for whatever reason, after the ice formed, the water quit flowing? I did'nt then and I still don't know what other explanation there could be? Not an experience I would care to try again!

[Mr.Seaguar]

Never ice fishing. After duck season I usually have had enough of freezing water to help me keep my guard up.

[hanson]

Lots of cold, wet, duck hunters here! Been in the drink twice duck hunting. One time ended the morning hunt to get me back to the vehicle to warm up.

Haven't been through the ice yet in the winter. Don't plan on it either.

[Rick]

I admit, I'm a nut when it comes to ice fishing.

I also admit, I've been very lucky, only having gone through with my foot in a 10" hole that widened out because of drainage through it

[LiLBro]

Personally i have only gone through the ice once. I was like 4 and my dad, i learned, can really throw. i landed on safe ice whilr everyone else went in. so i've never actually gone through, so what. just wondering what your own personal tallies look like.

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My dad looks like Al Linder, does that make me a better fisherman?
I believe so.

[The Grebe]

I have had a number of scary ice experiences
over the years....Had about a 4 inch crack zip through under my portable fish house on mille Lacs one night, sounded like a train comming and when the train hit, the water must have shot 3 feet in the air!

That is a pretty sobering experience if you have never had it happen to you before!

Another time on late ice, my nephew and I went out on Guernsey, up by Salk rapids. It was a warm day and we stayed longer then we should have, but the fish were biting.

We started comming in at twilight, I was in front like I always am, checking the ice with the chisel and "pop" it goes through with one little jab!

I started casting around trying to find some solid ice to get us as close to shore as possible, before we had to make a move.

I thought I had found a solid route and all of a sudden, down I went! When I went down, my nephew froze right in his tracks. He is no kid, being in his mid thirties at the time...thing is, he can't swim and is afraid of deep water.

Luckily, it was only about chest deep, but just as cold and wet as any other water! And for a second, it was like getting slapped with a big paddle and it took my breath away. But a split second is all it took, I was able to regain my composure and struggle and kick and use the chisel to get belly down on the ice and get to shore.

The gear sled and my nephew were still out there, so I went to the truck, took off some of the wet cloths, got a length of rope I had and went back to do some retrival. It was easier picking my way back out, although I still had to do a little wading.

I coaxed and cajoled my nephew, shamed him, teased him, talked my butt off, and assured him he would'nt drown, even if he did go through, but he would drown if he went through where he was standing! I got him to take hold of the sled rope, grab hold of the rope I threw to him and told him to lock on to the shore and come in, he walked right in and only got wet to about his knees!

[Blaine]

I've got some video of an "extraction" we did a few years ago. We fish a few coves on the Connecticut River out here. The stretch we fish is only 40 miles from the coast so it is tidal. One morning towards the end of the season, it absolutely poured out. Well, where does rain go when it hit's frozen ground? Yep, in the river The river rose at the same time the tide came in. I happened to be on shore getting some firewood and looked up to see the the ice drifting away from the shore I yelled to the guys but by the time they got there, it was too late. I tried to get a couple of logs to make a bridge but the water kept rising and the ice just kept drifting further from shore. I wont tell you how my 4 friends got back off yet, but you'll get a kick out of it...

The video is in 4 segments but it is absolutely hillarious... I'll dig it up tonight and post it.

Oh yeah, I caught the only fish that day

[BigDaddy]

About 15 years ago, we were cutting two spear holes. While working on the second hole, I slipped on the glare ice and down the first hole I went!

I was able to pop right back out, but scary nonetheless! Also a funny and humbling story to tell.

Big Daddy
(laying off the schnapps until the holes are ready)

[Dynasty]

Grebe, had a similiar expierence on mille lacs this last season.

My dad and I were sitting in our little portable clam when we heard in the distance what sounded like one of the plows. Well that "plow" sounded like it was doing 50mph straight towards us. When it sounded like it was about 10 feet away me and my dad looked at each other and I unzipped and was out of the house in a second only to see nothing. My dad said it was probably an large air bubble moving under the ice. One of my scariest ice expierences.

[Howieroch]

I've gone through a few times, but never further than my waist.

A few years ago while deer hunting around Brainerd we decided to check out some new land. We walked a ways from the car and stopped to talk about what to do. All of a sudden I dropped through the snow and ice up to my mid thighs! We thought we were standing in the middle of a field, but we were actually standing on a frozen beaver pond. We were a half mile from the car and my dad had taken the keys and gone in the opposite direction - it was mighty cold running around the woods looking for Dad and the car keys. Now I scout new land a head of time before there is snow on the ground.

[The Grebe]

Although I have fallen through the ice, been in lots of cold water ( I trapped every fall for about 25 years) I have two experiences that really scared me.

One was mentioned earlier, when I fell through the ice on the Crow River when I was a teenager. The second one happened about 5 years ago on Knife Lake up near Mora.

Late ice, probably the last, or close to the last day to get on the ice and go anywhere.

I got on at Indian Mounds Park, fished around the island for a little while and decided to strike off across the lake to where I had done well earlier in the winter.

I had to cross the main basin and some of the ice did'nt look to hot, dark in color and bumpy. I steered around that stuff and stuck to the areas that still looked like regular spring ice.

Well, I got to the spot, I'm the only guy on the lake in that area. I seen a couple of people come on over by the island, but they did'nt stay long. I started fishing and man, I started catching!

The fish would go in spurts, it was warm, the sun was shining and I was having a ball!
Did'nt even have to fish the holes, just walk along the crack that was open about 4 inches and kinda troll! Catch a fish, check him out, let him go and catch another,
right up until the sun starts setting.

All of a sudden it dawns on me...I'm the only one here, ice is bad, long walk back, getting dark, no flashlight, 'Oh,oh!"

I started heading in and I wanted to get close to the shore as I could, as soon as I could, so I took off across the lake. Just about in the middle, "Boom!" down I went with one leg, right up to the crotch! I never left go of the bucket with the fish in it, nor the finbore I had and kinda had them out to the side to support my weight.

I got in the right position and gave a mighty thrust backwards and out pops my leg and about a hundred little ice slivers, shaped like ice carrots!

The ice is really bad when it is spongy and those ice spikes develope! Everything had melted and I could'nt see where, or where not to walk. If it felt spongy with the first step, I tried a different route.

I made it close to shore and went through again, luckily it was only about knee deep
and I finally got in!

Good thing I have a strong heart, because that walk over that rotten ice was enough to give anyone a heart attack! I sure learned my lesson and thats a fact!

[abens1078]

My first time through was when I was 9 or 10. I ran a small trapline in a crick about 1/2 mile from home. we had just gotten a hard freeze and the traps were stuck in about an inch of ice and needed to be pulled. long story short the ice would almost support me but usually broke before my weight was on it. next step I got just about all my weight on it and down and back I went, almost completely submerged in 18" of water that was a cold ride home on a bicycle with a bucket full of traps to hold onto.
Last fall I filled the waders walleye fishing next to a dam. There is nothing like cold water hitting your chest when you step into a hole. you are surprised when you loose your footing and then the water hits.

[panolo]

Went through on the lake I live on about 8-10 years ago. Walked down from the house its about 1/2 mile and was carrying my pail to my ice house. Because I was going in the house I wasn't dressed all that warm. Hit the reed area and down I went to my chest. Couldn't figure it out. There was 20 inches of ice on the lake. This was the middle of january and the temp was about -5. Needless to say by the time I made it back to the home my clothes were frozen stiff and I could hardly move. Pretty scary. I figure that there was a spring in that area and I still avoid it to this day.

[Blaine]

I thought better of posting the video, there was a little more swearing in it than I remembered Below is a picture taken from exactly where I was standing in the bass pic I posted earlier in the thread. The front moved through and just blew the ice right off the shore

[deadeye]

I have broken through twice, both times during the same day. I was with a freind snoshoeing into a lake in the b-dub, when it happened. First time I was crossing a creek and just as I got across both feet went through snoshoes and all. I was able to grab the grass on the shore and pull myself out so it was't to bad. The second time however, was scary. I was walking in in a small ravine making my way out onto the lake and the ice gave out from under me. Somehow I made a leaping kind of move (its tough to jump with snoshoes) and flung myself out of the hole before I was submerged. It was kinf of scary because I was out in the B-dub and there was no one but my freind with me.
><>deadeye

[The Grebe]

My friend from Mora asked me if I would like to run his trapline with him and I accepted.

He is a good sized dude and at the time I think he was over 4 bills! We walk out onto this little pond where he had some snares set, we get about 10 yards from shore and the entire ice covering dropped down about 10 inches!

I made one leap and landed on a Muskrat house....about 25 yards away! My friend was laughing so hard he dang near fell over....I seen not a lick of humor in the situation, but he assured me that it was ok and we continued with the check. (Got a beaver to!).

He told me that it happens every once in a while on the small ponds....I don't know about that? I have a hell of alot of experience trapping Muskrats and I never had that happen to me! Of course, I only weighed about 170 at the time, so there was a big weight difference?

[Bobb-o]

Went through in '89 with LilBro out opn South Center Lake, and went through 3 times last winter, twice early ice when trapping, and once late season last year.