Be Safe Out There

[morefishinplz]

Just a reminder to be safe out there. I was at Mantua today and witnessed a man falling through the Ice. I already posted this info in another post of mine but figured I'd make a new one about it so more people would read it.

The man made it out okay and from what I could tell only went in chest deep. We talked to his friend as we were leaving and he said he had a hole drilled around where he fell through and it was around 4 inches thick but that he musta just hit a soft spot. Kinda spooky walking back to the shoreline after seeing that happen.

So just a friendly reminder to be careful out there.

Also It probably be a good Idea to post some ideas you have for safety for people who might be new to ice fishing and may not know how to be a safe out there. Any one got anything to say about it go ahead and post it for the newbies to ice... (or maybe someone just has a good website to link to for this)

My advise

1. Check most recent reports of ice condition before heading out
2. Take a Rope
3. Don't go alone if you don't have to.
4. DON'T BE STUPID

There are a million ways to be safe on the ice and there are a few. Chime in and give a few examples eh?

Mike
Lets go fishing
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[Fin-S-Fish]

Thickness of the ice does not necessarily equal complete safety. In my experience if the ice is 8-10 inches, you can feel relatively safe on it even if it is 50 degrees out there. If the ice is at about 3-5inches and we had soooo many days in the upper 30's and mid 40's with most nights also not going much below 30 that ice is gonna be soft and kinda mushy even though it might be well over the 4" safety mark.

In contrast if you have super cold weather like during thanksgiving with the daytime highs at about 18 -20, and you have about 2 inches of clear hard ice, you are plenty safe to even run on it. This is assuming that the nightime lows are 10 to single digits. If you want to push the outer limits which I don't suggest, 1 1/2 inches of that clear hard ice on a super cold day can also support a light person.

Now ice at 3-5 inches will be fine and not lose ground if daytime highs don't exceed maybe 37 and nightime lows must drop to at least about 23-25 to resolidify what softening may have happened on a warm day. The last several days it has stayed well above freezing day and night for the lower elevations. The last time utah lake ice was still hard was last Tues but then again that night before there was a hard frost. It would not have been cold enough to freeze open water to any thickness whatsoever but it was okay for resolidifying. But no more hard frosts since then so that ice is done over there for now. Mantua is much colder but the ice is just not thick enough yet to be completely foolproof when it warms up like this. It's probably about 90 percent chance you won't fall in but if you hit that soft spot, then all heck will break loose. But there's no rush, that ice at Mantua will be still fishable during spring break haha. It won't likely lose ground till April.
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[dubob]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]I witnessed that event as well ( I was just out from you about 30 yards Mike). The young man was in the water less than 10 seconds. Very scary stuff! I think it will have to get below freezing again before I make another trip to Mantua.[/#800000][/font]
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[wyoguy]

Also during the early ice fishing, it's a good idea to have your ice picks around your neck, especially if your alone
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[CoyoteSpinner]

Thanks for the warning and the bump on the message. Have been hankering to try my auger for a maiden ICE voyage, but I don't want to make my first ice trip my last, SO... patience grasshopper!

This video was posted earlier, and is very informative. The main lesson - BE CALM - you're not going to freeze and die in 10 seconds. I think it can really help you with a good mindset - to know what to do, and how long you have to do it in.
[url "http://www.exn.ca/video/?Video=exn20020325-icewater.asx"]Falling through the ice[/url]

But now what do you do if you're wearing X-country skis?

Also Wiperhunter posted a link to a site that had this information (I saved it to a word doc).

[FishinFool53]

I fished Mantua today and could see where the person went through. The guy went through a gas pocket. There are gas pockets all over Mantua so you need to be extra careful. Especially on the west side. I saw tracks going right over the top of one of them. Alot of the pockets are showing now. Stay way clear of them. Avoid any dark spots and holes with cracks coming off them. Here is a map of just a few of them. I worry about this area because this is where everyone fishes.
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[MMDon]

I lost a dear friend last year on Palies. I will miss him every time I walk on the ice from now on. :'(

Please be safe and don't take unnecessary chances!



1.Bring your own 2x12x10' for an ice bridge in lakes with changing water levels. Do not use someone else's bridge.
2.Safety Ice picks on a spring cord should be around your neck.
3.A CO2 Flotation Device should be a must!
4.A heavy metal "Spud" bar on with a long rope to pick the ice in front of you each time you take a couple of steps. The ice can form pockets of different thickness.
5.A 100 ft. rope made of material that doesn't have memory.
6.A change of clothes and boots.
7.Extra pairs of gloves.
8.A cell or satellite phone. If someone falls through call 911 before effecting a rescue!
9. 4" of clear ice or 7" of white ice minimum.
10.Never go on the ice alone.

Getting Out if you Fall through the Ice!
11.If you fall through don't panic. Wait 30 seconds or until your breathing returns to exit the ice.
12.Place your arms up on the ice edge as far as you can reach.
13.Do not try to lift your leg up on to the ice.
14.With your fore arms, pull your body up and begin to kick your legs into a swimming position.
15.Swim out of the water.
16.Do not stand up when you exit the water. Belly crawl away from the hole.
17.In an attempt to rescue someone do not walk to the entrance hole edge.
18.If someone falls in make a emergency call before attempting rescue.
19.If you fall in alone and cannot get out, clear any snow away from the ice your arms are on. You need to attempt to freeze the arms of your jacket to the ice. You can be successfully rescued up to 8 hours later this way.
20.Most of all do not panic. Hypothermia can be reduced and you will be fine even in the event of rescues that take an hour or more.


Notes: Do not drill your holes in a haphazard fashion. It should not look like Swiss cheese where you are fishing. Drill your holes 3' apart in a wide arch away from the center. This allows for a wider span to catch schools of moving fish and you are not walking between 3 drilled holes in the ice. It also allows everyone to see every pole at the same time.
Do not stand in groups of three. If you are fishing with one other person on 4" ice, maintain a distance of 5 feet away.
Carry your rods in an empty 5 Gallon bucket with a handle. If someone falls in tie this bucket to the rope and use it as a weight to throw the rescue line to the victim.
Never cut a hole with a circumference larger than 10”. A child could fall through it.

Must See Ice Survival Video!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysnKtuUTt8k
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[lavaman]

+1 on the Ice Picks.

Wanted to head out there today but I knew better and didn't dare try it. Had a feeling someone was due to fall in any day now. Surprised more haven't.

Crazy warming trend, but it is still early yet compared to most years. Patience is good; there will be safe ice within two weeks (crossing fingers).
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[wiperhunter2]

Hey Don, where can you buy a spud bar?
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[fisherman]

Another thing to watch out for are the pressure ridges. They look like big cracks with buckled ice folded up on top of the other side. Lots of times the ice is very thin where it spreads apart and refreezes. Sometimes it is open water.

I saw my friend fall in one once Be prepared to rescue someone or yourself at all times. This is serious stuff.

Be safe and don't take any chances.
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[4poundonly]

Good info guys and dont forget rule 4 [cool]
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[morefishinplz]

Just bumping this up to the top since its getting cold again and people are probably gonna venture on in the next few days

Mike
Lets Go Fishing
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