Walking on thin ice

Been ice fishing yet?

Most years when we pin up a new calendar I re-cap fishing highlights from the waning year, memories of big fish and even bigger fish that ‘got away.’

I’ve made two ice fishing trips in the past week and for this week’s story, ice safety trumps fishing highlights.

From many years teaching the popular Catch More Fish class I’ve learned most newcomers to ice fishing do not know how to “read” ice and, perhaps even more scary, many old-timers take too many chances.

My first trip was to Lower Stillwater Lake, north of Whitefish. We found about six inches of clear, solid ice, covered by nearly a foot of snow.

Half a foot of clear ice sounds like plenty, but the weight of the snow was forcing water up through the cracks and holes.

In other words, if you walked where the snow was gray, you were slogging through slush. If the snow was white, water flowed into your boot tracks as soon as you lifted your feet.

One potential safety problem on that lake is the possibility of stepping into a big hole in the ice made by people spearing pike.

Some guys mark their old holes with tree branches. Others just leave these holes unmarked.

A few inches of snow can hide a quick route to cold water.

My other trip was to Middle Thompson Lake where a few test holes showed two inches of strong, clear ice covered by nearly a foot of snow.

Again, water came up through the holes.

We ventured out a short distance and even dropped a jig down a hole before my buddy jumped off his pail and took off running.

When he explained he felt the ice drop a few inches under his bucket, we made a hasty retreat to the truck.

So what’s the problem with this year’s ice?

A mild and prolonged fall kept heat in the lakes. Many lakes didn’t freeze over until the frigid weather just before Christmas.

The thin layer of ice was covered with multiple big dumps of snow which basically insulated the ice from frigid air temperatures.

Many lakes now show a thin layer of ice, lots of slush and plenty of snow cover.

Cold weather will help form more ice but we’ll probably need some healthy, warm winds to melt the snow, then some rain, and eventually cold weather to thicken the ice.

The ice that forms will be weakened by air and water so it is imperative ice fishermen use extreme caution.

Wear inflatable floatation vests. Hang a pair of picks or nails around your neck for grabbing ice. Drag a long rope behind your sled. Spread out when fishing.

Stay away from open water, including creek mouths and springs. Mark your spearing holes.

We can still have a long (ugh!), safe ice fishing season if we stay alert and careful.

TIP OF THE WEEK: If you own a dog or you’ve ever owned a dog, go see the movie Marley and Me.