Ice thickness

[huntinsanobsession]

i never went on ice to fish unless there was a good 8to12 inches but i don't know if that is two over cautios or to litle ice but that is what i did

[billkay]

I think 4 inches of good ice is considered safe.

[fisherguy]

when you are talking good blue ice like you get this time of year 2-3 inches is plenty for a person as long as you keep checking the thickness as you walk. use an axe to check every 10 feet. Teh thing that causes trouble is when people check at the shore and assume the ice is that thick everywhere.

[Chrud]

I usually like ice to be about 6" or better.

[sasksheds]

3-4 in as long as the water isnt moving.Dont assume that the ice is the same thickness everwhere!It could be 6" in one spot & 2" in another.Like fisherguy said,keep checking the ice as you walk.An axe works good or a hand auger.Anyone ice fishing yet?

[Wisconsinboy]

some of our lakes around here have started freezing on top, wont be much longer before i get out the poles and vexilar. im thinking by christmas ill be on a big block of ice somewhere

[sasksheds]

Yup,I cant wait!Ice fishing is alot less stressful than trying to find that monster buck.

[Shaun_300]

ya i dont usually go out til there;s at least 4 inches, i put the shack out when there is 6-8in, thats when i start takin the skidoo out too. but fisherguy has the most important point!! i totally agree with him. always check the ice every 10 feet because ice usually doesn't freeze evenly in all places, there could be a foot in one place and an inch in the next step because of beaver trenches or current. its better to be safe than sorry... good luck fishin eh!?!?

[LifeNRA]

[ QUOTE ]
3-4 inches is pretty safe but it has been said before check thickness often. Cant wait . I live in southern MI and we usually dont get on the ice until X-mas or after. Well except for the idiots with a sheet of plywood and a DEATH WISH.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh yeah I seen them knuckleheads!!! I wont get on the ice until its at least FIVE inches or better! Even so when you have 10-15 inches of ice and them expansion cracks go off!!!! Still gets me!!! LOL!!!

[billkay]

[ QUOTE ]
LOL you guys are missing out on some good fishing then.3 inches and i'm out there.They seem to really turn on with first ice.I'm 170# and have never gone through 3" ice.But that is on lakes and ponds,i wouldn't try that on any river system or with a lake that has a strong current.


[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, but that's only when you don't have the D man with you! LMAO

[birddog]

Hey guys, I watched this for a while and just have to say, be careful out there...on Dec. 26th of 1994 I went under, just being dumb....it's scary as heck! I love to ice fish and push the envelope some, but be safe...tonight my brother and I checked a new lake and we carried a canoe with us...due to my fear...we only found 2-1/2 inches of ice out at 16 ft....not enough for me yet! With these cold nights, we are making ice in West Central MN, but still you have to be smart and don't chance it! I saw 9 fishouses on Big Detroit Lake on Saturday, and I didnt' walk out to see how the fishing was because I don't have the desire to fall in again! Just be smart, go with a buddy and make sure the ice will hold your weight!
Another week and we'll have 4-5 inches..I can wait 5 days for that!

[LifeNRA]

[ QUOTE ]
i wouldn't try that on any river system or with a lake that has a strong current.

[/ QUOTE ]

NEVER ICE FISH ON A RIVER OR MOVING WATER!!!!!!!!!!! EVEN IF YOU KNOW THE WATER IS MOVING SLOW!!!!! IT IS UN-SAFE!!!!!!!!!

[Tominator]

take it from an old Coast Guardsman who used to go out, poke holes in the ice, measure the thickness and report back to the station that 3" is fairly safe if it's fresh (blue, or clear) ice, AND there's not much wind. wind will cause ice to buckle pretty quick.

yes, i've fallen through many times.

[Bob_D]

Here is a link to a page on my site about Ice Thickness .

Dave are you lost? What are you doing in a fishing forum?

[mainebuck]

We had some late ice last year. Was fishing one of my favorite spots on a little over 2" of ice opening week last year. It's a little cove not more than 2 to 4 feet deep. It cracked a little gett in, but once you were on it wasn't bad. I won't go on a lake/pond I'm not familiar with until the ice thickens up. You never know where there's going to be an underwater spring keeping the ice thin. snow makes it real decieving too.