It’s official. Winter has arrived! And what makes me so confident of this statement? One thing. Ice fishing has returned!
I was out last week looking at the lake and noticed a dark ‘blob’ on the ice some distance away. It caught my attention. As I focused in on the object I realized it was a person. A person ice fishing! This would be a neighbor across the lake. (I probably shouldn’t refer to my neighbors as blobs but when your out on the open ice without a shelter it’s just very practical to hunker down into a ‘blob’ shape.)
Catching fish or just fishing
My first thought was, “this guy must be nuts, the ice isn’t thick enough!” My second thought was in the 26 years of living on this lake, I have only once before observed a person fishing it. Was this guy actually catching fish? A burning question that I have yet to answer. By the way, just north of here, a fellow broke through the ice on his ATV. He was in 30 feet of water. Luckily, he managed to escape the peril unharmed. Unfortunately, his ATV is now a giant four-wheeled bobber out in a field of broken ice sheet. Bummer.
Getting back to the guy on the lake. I watched him for some time and didn’t see any fish. I went back to the house and returned to the lake with my camera. Took a few photos and . . . I still don’t see fish. Hmmm.
Ice fishing rules
A day passes and the fellow returns to the ice to fish. Another day, and another day fishing. The weekend arrives and now there are five people out on the ice fishing. What the!?! I may have to drag out my fishing gear and investigate. But not until there is adequate ice to satisfy my safety concerns. I have rules for going out on ice. First rule is to never be the first person on the ice. Second rule is when people start venturing out on the ice, I will only watch them from shore. Third rule is when ATV’s start hitting the ice, I’ll walk out. Fourth rule is when trucks drive out on the ice, I’ll take my ATV out. Fifth and final rule is no vehicles on the ice.
These rules weren’t just haphazardly created. No, Sir (Ma’am). They are founded on personal experience. Allow me to share a story.
An ice fishing tail
Scroll back about seven years ago. I was heading out to a large lake to do some ice fishing. It was late January. Plenty of ice but we were in a January thaw. During such a period ice does strange things and lakes also flood with melt water along with lake water. It is probably a great idea to think about getting off the ice when you drill your hole and water comes gushing out of it. The ice is heaving and buckling. Layers of ice can separate. I’m sharing this with you for good reason. Read on.
As I purchased some bait, I asked the question, “How’s the ice?” I was told the lake was starting to flood and to keep an eye on things. Out on the lake I go – about a mile out – on an ice trail. I was driving through slush but I was OK as I had a rugged Toyota FJ Cruiser. A beast of a machine. I finally arrived at my GPS coordinates and drilled a hole. Little problem. Water came up out of the hole. I should have just packed up and went home but I had that fresh bait and I was already on location and I REALLY wanted to do some fishing. I stayed.
Getting cold feet
It wasn’t long and I started getting wet feet. I look down and I’m standing in ankle deep water. Not good. I look around and it is only myself and one other truck out on the ice. Everyone else that was on the ice when I arrived has now left. Not good. I decide to pack it up and get off the ice as the water was creeping up my legs. As I’m leaving, I decide to drive over to this other truck and suggest they get off the ice as they were the last on the lake. They were having a party and said they’d leave in due time. I started heading for shore, a mile distant, and suddenly the left front of my vehicle drops. Not good. Then the right front. Then the left rear and the right rear in unison. Really not good!
The pucker factor was high at this point and I was preparing to bolt from the vehicle. But the FJ stopped dropping. I had broke through a heaved sheet of ice that was maybe two to three inches thick – with water underneath. Below the water was the base ice which was a good 18 inches. I get out to investigate. I’m resting on my skid plates.
Help arrives!
My situation has only slightly improved. At least I wasn’t sinking to the bottom of the lake but my wheels are floating in water and I’m going nowhere! I look around and see the last truck on the lake – the party boys – were driving off. If I don’t get their attention, I’m stranded in the dark, a mile walk to shore in freezing water. I wave frantically and, fortunately, they see me and head my way. As they approach I wave them to stop so they didn’t break through on the same heave.
They had a long tow rope and I did as well. We combined them so they didn’t have to get too close and they pulled mightily until my FJ was in the clear! Yay! I followed them off the ice. The flooding water was now up to my skid plates. We were driving blind. It had gotten dark and the ice trail was under water. It was kind of terrifying – to the point I haven’t been ice fishing ever since that day!
Closing
Well, that was the day I made my ice fishing rules. By the way, I’ll NEVER drive a vehicle out on the ice again. (Rule 5.) In closing, I pray the ice fishermen stay safe out there! Thin ice is nothing to mess with.
While you’re here, why not take a look at my photo galleries? There is something for everyone – and everything is on sale. 20% off the regular prices. The discount will show up in checkout when you enter the sale code. Have an ice fishing story? Drop a line! I’d love to hear it! In conclusion, and until tomorrow, Peace.
