hardwater speed limits

[shnelson]

Just curious to know what your comfortable speed limit is out on the ice?

Personally, I prefer to keep it around 20mph at most as the ice seems to stay quiet and the ride is smooth. It seems this speed is far too slow for some people though.

[Harmonica Bear]

I think 20 is the max one should go. I watched a nice road on Mille Lacs go to [PoorWordUsage] in a hurry one night a couple of weeks ago. All it took was a couple of morons driving fast and like idiots to make things scary to say the least.

[dan z]

might hit 10 mph but thats about it, gets 2 darn cold with the windows down. I always drive on the ice with atleast one window down just to be safe...

[lovebigbluegills]

Personally, I try to stay around 10mph or so, maybe up to 20mph on Lake of the Woods when it's a few miles. Definitely 10 on the smaller lakes

[harvey lee]

10mph is fast enough. When one drives the road faster and comes to the shoreline, the ice can blow out from excessive speeds with the water movement under the ice.

[Dances with Walleye]

Personally, I try to stay around 10mph or so, maybe up to 20mph on Lake of the Woods when it's a few miles. Definitely 10 on the smaller lakes

Not to mention that the faster you drive on an ice road the faster you start ageing that ice road... It can only take so much deformation and healing... And that just keeps getting more and more true the longer the season gets.

[shnelson]

I definately didn't expect to see this type of response based on what i've seen on the lakes lately. It is good to hear i'm not the only one that keeps it slow (20mph is my extreme max when i'm trying to keep distance from the guy behind me, 10-15 is my comfort zone).

I need to start hanging out on the lakes you guys hit, this truly is a great community.

[mrklean]

When i was up at Red last year we were flying across the ice just trying to keep up with Kelly P, i guess when there is over 3 feet of ice i feel a little safter, on most small area lake i go 10 with my seatbelt off and a hand on the door, never can be to careful.

[lovebigbluegills]

I feel like an old woman on LOW when I'm going 20, especially at quitting time. People passing me like I'm sitting still.

[pikedreams]

I think 20 is a reasonable speed. On my home lake they enforce the summer boat speed limits (40 day,20 night). I think they should have a separate winter speed and just make it 20 across the board. Heck even the ice road truckers have a speed limit.

[SSSTaxidermy]

I keep at a reasonable speed. I guess I really don't look down on my speedometer to ensure I'm going Under 10MPH or 20 MPH. But I know I do drive slower than most...I work too hard for my money, to have either my fishing gear bounce around and potentially bust or have something break on my truck from the rough ride. I've got more time than money.

[riverrat56]

If I am on a lake with little snow and there is 18"+ of ice I will usually do around 30, but only when out on the main lake, anytime I am with in 300yds of shore I slow down to 10-15 mph, also when ever I am close any house or another vehical I slow down. This is rarly on a plowed "road" that I will go that fast, but sometimes when I am going cross country it is the best way to ensure that I dont get stuck!

[jholland]

I definitely try to keep it slow. It's nice to get nods on the way out to the house knowing that people respect you not speeding by.

On the other hand, if you do come speeding by, I'll make it my goal to make you feel as awkward as possible. Staring, hand gestures, whatever it takes..

I had a car drive by at probably 40-50mph about 10-20 feet from a guy fishing just near me last week. Once the guy found his spot and stopped I saw about 5 fisherman go over to talk to him, that's what I like to see. This was on Greys Bay in Lake Minnetonka.

[RussC]

15-30 on plowed roads, depending on the lake. If I'm going across a lake without a plowed road it's pretty much however fast I need to go without getting stuck.

[toughguy]

It depends on the lake. If there are nice plowed roads like on URL, LOW and ML 30 is fine for me. Small lakes with little to no plowed roads, 15 maybe 20 depending how much traffic there is around me.

[Sandmannd]

Plowed roads or not, I try to keep it around ten. You create too much of a wave under you and above ten it just makes it worse. Now if you're on a wheeler or sled, have at her.

[Scott K]

Around here and a small lake 10 max. Big lakes, maybe 20, but thats if there is 40"+ of ice, and thats only because when it is 7-10 miles to fish I dont have the patients!

[deadeye]

20 is the max for me. I dont like going too slow as I like to keep some momentum up in case something happens or the snow is deep. I just am not in that much of a hurry that I need to go more than 20 though.

[metro fisherman]

15 mph ish on smaller lakes, LOW and URL i go around 30 because thats usually how fast the traffics moving, sometimes way faster. I bet iv seen 65 on URL.

[BuckKiller]

25 with no houses around, 10 when there is houses near by, 5 when going threw a group

[deadeye]

When I lived in Ely they plowed a road across the lake right in town to cut down on the drive time to the other side. I saw people going at least 70 out there. Crazy. Out on rainy one of my freinds up there was doing that and hit a ridge and flipped his truck 7 times. That was enough to make me slow down!!

[pdk511]

I ushually keep it around like 5 or less because i ushually walk while pullin a sled lol

[Trollin226]

It’s nice to hear about people having the sense to take it easy out their. It’s to bad the DNR does not set some type of speed limit for the lakes and have it posted near some of the common ramps people use to get out…

[jigging-matt]

I like to keep it around 10. The other day while on the way home from work there was a car on Clear Lake (Waseca) keeping pace (and gaining on us) on the road. We were doing 40-45. Couldn't believe it.

[FasterThanYou23]

I try to keep it at 10.Never over 20.