thickness of ice?

[fishing_flower]

I haven't ice fished since 1992 and am getting back into it this year. The people I used to fish with always used to drive on, but the ice was almost 2 feet thick where we were. So I'm wondering what other people's preferences (safety wise) for the thickness of ice are, for walk on. I see people saying 6" of ice, but I'm kind of leary of that. :scared:

We are thinking of going to places like Spray, Chain Lakes, Travis
Thanks:)

[nicemustang]

Warning...this is personal preference only....

3-4" of ice is enough to walk on. This would apply on small trout ponds lakes where there is no moving water. I would never hesitate getting out on first ice when it's this thick to get onto the first bite. But then again, i'm kinda hardcore lol.

Big lakes like Travers and Chain it should be 5-6" before I'd care to go anywhere. And for spray, it has to be more than 6" because of the moving water and the idea of being in 100 FOW with less than that makes me uneasy.

All ice is different though, so I depends how it froze. If its hard black ice, then you know it will be strong. But if there is white or bubbles in it, it will be weaker. I usually wait until 12" to drive out with the truck on any lake but we will take the quad on 6-8 ice of hard ice.

A guide previously posted by Tchow: http://www.dot.gov.nt.ca/_live/pages/wpPages/IceSafetyInformation.aspx

Be safe, if you're not comfortable, don't go.

[fishing_flower]

Thanks. That is good info. I think we might stick with trout ponds at first, unless we go with other people who are more experienced. What about Chain Lakes south of Calgary? What would you expect on that one for safety?

[nicemustang]

I was there on Sunday (scouting for elk) and no one was fishing it yet, and I don't know what the thickness was. But if it was 5-6", I'd be Ok with walking on that no problem. You basically just need to park in the day use area and walk out 50-100 feet onto the ice, in 18-20 FOW and start fishing.

[fishing_flower]

Would like to go down there one Saturday before xmas or maybe some people might want to meet up on the 27th?

[oagie]

That's always the million dollar question every year.

First thing to realize is that ice strength is exponential. Most people think, that if 1 inch can hold 200lbs, then 2 inches hold 400lbs and 4 inches would then logically hold 800lbs. It doesn't work that way.

This is a chart from the US army of engineers
http://www.mvp-wc.usace.army.mil/ice/ice_load.html

Required Minimum Ice
Thickness in inches Description of Safe Moving Load
1-3/4 One person on skies
2 One person on foot or skates
3 One snowmobile
3 A group of people walking single file
7 A single passenger automobile
8 A 2-1/2 ton truck
9 A 3-1/2 ton truck
10 A 7 to 8 ton truck


With all that being said... I wont walk on the ice until there is 6 inches and I won't drive on the ice until there is 12 inches... Even then I am nervous. You never know when there is a weak spot or where the ice is thinner.


I number of years ago, I was fishing the badger derby. We were on the east side of the lake on about 2 feet of ice. No snow and everything was slick. About 400 yards south of us was a section of open water about 100 yards long and 30 yards wide.

That night, it got to about -20 and snowed, that open spot was iced over and covered with snow. It could not have been more then a few inches thick and it looked like the rest of the lake. Anyone driving across it would have went to the bottom.

[WayneChristie]

I was on 8 inches of ice yesterday at Enchant, and I wouldnt have driven any vehicle on it, the way it was cracking and booming. might have been safe according to the charts, but not for my liking. I wont drive on ice until I see bigger vehicles doing it, and still dont like it. But thats just me :) I dont float so well at the best of times :lol:

[Freedom55]

A must have tool for everyone who ventures onto the ice, whether you drive on or walk, is a set ice picks slung around your neck on a cord. That tells me that my truck should probably stay on shore. That and the cost of recovery, clean-up of the waters, and restoration of my old truck. Personal, and greener, choice. I have driven on, thought it was cool to fish from the sofa (it is), but I have shovelled for hours to get out of the drifts that showed up, or softened, during the day. Food for thought.
You admit to being new to the game so I wish you every success. It is not as easy as it looks. But it's more fun.

Dave Si

[lippy]

That's always the million dollar question every year.

First thing to realize is that ice strength is exponential. Most people think, that if 1 inch can hold 200lbs, then 2 inches hold 400lbs and 4 inches would then logically hold 800lbs. It doesn't work that way.

This is a chart from the US army of engineers
http://www.mvp-wc.usace.army.mil/ice/ice_load.html

Required Minimum Ice
Thickness in inches Description of Safe Moving Load
1-3/4 One person on skies
2 One person on foot or skates
3 One snowmobile
3 A group of people walking single file
7 A single passenger automobile
8 A 2-1/2 ton truck
9 A 3-1/2 ton truck
10 A 7 to 8 ton truck


With all that being said... I wont walk on the ice until there is 6 inches and I won't drive on the ice until there is 12 inches... Even then I am nervous. You never know when there is a weak spot or where the ice is thinner.


I number of years ago, I was fishing the badger derby. We were on the east side of the lake on about 2 feet of ice. No snow and everything was slick. About 400 yards south of us was a section of open water about 100 yards long and 30 yards wide.

That night, it got to about -20 and snowed, that open spot was iced over and covered with snow. It could not have been more then a few inches thick and it looked like the rest of the lake. Anyone driving across it would have went to the bottom.

10 inches of ice for a 7-8 tonne truck seems a little on the thin side. i remember once at Tilley B years ago we were ice fishing quite a distance north of the dam on about a foot and a half of ice when my brother -in-law showed up in his motorhome.I wish i would have had a movie camera because all the fishermen started to scatter as he approached. One thing though... he created his choice of fishing spots because noone would go near him for the rest of the day. lol

[fishing_flower]

A must have tool for everyone who ventures onto the ice, whether you drive on or walk, is a set ice picks slung around your neck on a cord. That tells me that my truck should probably stay on shore. That and the cost of recovery, clean-up of the waters, and restoration of my old truck. Personal, and greener, choice. I have driven on, thought it was cool to fish from the sofa (it is), but I have shovelled for hours to get out of the drifts that showed up, or softened, during the day. Food for thought.
You admit to being new to the game so I wish you every success. It is not as easy as it looks. But it's more fun.

Dave Si

We'll get ourselves some ice picks. And no I'm not taking a vehicle on the ice....would rather walk! Before I always fished with a group of people, they were locals so went where they went because they knew what they were doing. But, most of them still didn't drive out on the ice until far later in the season.

[g1987man]

hey! i was on travers yesterday... on the Northern side. where the inlet is ice was at least 7-8 inches
once i got scunked there.. i went to the dam. ice there was way thiner! 3 inches at most... was thick enough for me to walk (180lb) but at the same time i was drilling a hole like every 15 -20 feet when i was walking further.. just be careful... make sure you know how thick the ice... drill holes as often as you feel necessary...
better be safe than sorry

good luck!

G.

[nicemustang]

So did you catch anything at the dam? Have to admit, I hate going at the dam in the middle of winter, much less now. You're a little more ballsy than me :)

[fishing_flower]

So did you catch anything at the dam? Have to admit, I hate going at the dam in the middle of winter, much less now. You're a little more ballsy than me :)

Mental note....don't go to the dam:lol:

[nicemustang]

Yeah it can be sketchy at best. Moving water!

[fluxcore]

I have no problem driving my small car on 8-9", Ill be braving the cold on sunday at pine with the car on the ice. I wont be driving on gull untill after next week it should be plenty safe there by then.

[diamonddave]

hope you bring a shovel:wave::D

[g1987man]

no... i did not... weather wasn't the best.. plus i only got there at noon maybe even later ... the whole trip was one of those, that you remember forever =)
when i got to the lake(7:45-8:00 ) i decided to try a new spot... :ashamed: went close to inlet... never had a bite ... :mad3: decided to drill a few more wholes... auger wouldn't start from first few pulls... pulled a few more times... ended up with a cord in my hands :lol: ...
thats how it began...
dad offered to go home... :( (was about 10 am... )
decided to try to fix it on ice... (cord broke right where it was attached inside the auger) took it apart... :evilgrin: i d say a bit too much :evilgrin:
something clicked ... and i ended up with 2 m of returning spring (not sure about the proper name..) on the ice :huh: took me about an hour to roll the spring and put it back in place... put everything back together... tried it... didnt work... i charged the spring in reverse... :rolleyes: and the cord as well... so it would return the cord before id even pull it... took me another hour to fix the spring and everything... would probably take under 10 min at home
so i finally fixed it=) was so exited! i drilled 3 holes almost at the same spot
we packed up.. and went to the dam.
i drilled a few holes... and in about 20 min. dad got a phone call... had to leave for work...

that was it :ashamed:
wanna go there again once exams are over..

the moral of the story is : check your gear... and halways have a spare manual auger (which i always had... that was the first time i left it home... :mad2:)

[fluxcore]

hope you bring a shovel:wave::D

Ill chain up the front and bring a shovel. my access to the lake isin't bad may have to clear it up a bit after that its just about missing the drifts on the ice, just another day on the lake, been through the worst of it last season and came back for more:lol: