My lake ice safety thread

[gor]

Every year people put their vehicles through the ice. Two in the last week at Newell. In most cases it seems guys from out of town driving where most locals know you should not drive. Please post your local lake and the do not drive areas. This might help keep guys from out of town dry. Please proceed with caution even if you do not see a warning on this thread. Please put your watering hole in the title box.

[gor]

South east corner where water empties into rolling hills reservoir. No left turns in mouth of little Rainer draw. Soft by island and north shore. Do not drive out or in front of mouth of north marina. Between islands in front of bird sanctuary south of jack fish bay. Not between two island anywhere. Please add any other info you have.

[Talking moose]

I know battle and Devils have springs. No clue where they are though...

[fish99]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

I know battle and Devils have springs. No clue where they are though...

lots of places were run off enters the lake these are the bad spots to drive close to on battle..

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by fish99

lots of places were run off enters the lake these are the bad spots to drive close to on battle..

So out in the middle would be safer than close to shoreline on battle? Is that safe to assume?

[fish99]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

So out in the middle would be safer than close to shoreline on battle? Is that safe to assume?

yes the deeper water and or farther from shore is better on battle. once the ice is set up.

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by fish99

yes the deeper water and or farther from shore is better on battle. once the ice is set up.

Good to know. If your ever out there, I'll be the guy sitting on a bucket dead centre of the lake.

[RavYak]

We nearly buried our quad on a lake this weekend... If we had been in a truck it would have been stuck for sure. Ice is borderline on a lot of lakes still, people should be very careful driving on and stick to travelled paths when possible.

[xxclaro]

Originally Posted by Jet

And just a general comment, fenced off my truck with cones the other day to discourage other people parking / driving too close.

Some old timer, decides to drive directly towards the coned off area. I stop him, he tells me, the ice is thick enough for 2 trucks next to each other, and he was wondering what the cones were for. Told him I didn't want to see him sink my truck with his, and asked him politely to back off and go around, which he did.

17 inches of ice is not safe for 2 x 1/2 tons, only one if it's good ice and it should be moved every 2 hours, and some half tons are heavier. Please give other vehicles, parked or moving a lot of clearance, and also tents, if you sink someone in a tent, they're gonna have a hard time getting out.

Distance between moving vehicles for 1/2 ton trucks is minimum 200 x ice thickness, i.e. roughly 400ft driving at the safe speed and parked is 2 vehicle lengths.

Really? I would have thought 17 inches was plenty good for a couple trucks if not parked side by side. Didn't know about moving them every couple hours either. I'm rarely out on less than 2 feet of ice but was out on 17 this weekend, good to know.

[drhu22]

Originally Posted by fish99

yes the deeper water and or farther from shore is better on battle. once the ice is set up.

“When beetles fight these battles in a bottle with their paddles
and the bottle's on a poodle and the poodle's eating noodles...
...they call this a muddle puddle tweetle poodle beetle noodle
bottle paddle battle.”

Dr Seuss

yer welcome

[Sooner]

Went through at Lac Nononne MANY years ago on sleds. Between the island and the church camp on the east side. Locals all know there is a spring there. We didn't when we took a break from fishing and went for a ride with the GF.

If your around there, be careful and stay right near the shoreline is what we were told back then. I would AVOID driving through that area even today just to be sure. I have been told the lake is lower now and not as much of an issue but thought i would post it.

[RavYak]

Originally Posted by RavYak

We nearly buried our quad on a lake this weekend... If we had been in a truck it would have been stuck for sure. Ice is borderline on a lot of lakes still, people should be very careful driving on and stick to travelled paths when possible.

Not sure if this was a shallow spring or if the ice was pushed down and flood water on top. It was a good foot or so of water/slush and there was no warning signs. Like I said be careful out on the lakes this year.

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by RavYak

Not sure if this was a shallow spring or if the ice was pushed down and flood water on top. It was a good foot or so of water/slush and there was no warning signs. Like I said be careful out on the lakes this year.

Looks like overflow.

[cube]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

So out in the middle would be safer than close to shoreline on battle? Is that safe to assume?

In all lakes after the deep water Ice is of sufficient thickness. If you look back in AO most of the photo's or reports are of trucks over shallow water.

[ROA]

Don't drive sled quad or walk under the train bridge on wabamun

[bucksman]

got this from the farmers almanac

[cube]

Originally Posted by Jet

And just a general comment, fenced off my truck with cones the other day to discourage other people parking / driving too close.

Some old timer, decides to drive directly towards the coned off area. I stop him, he tells me, the ice is thick enough for 2 trucks next to each other, and he was wondering what the cones were for. Told him I didn't want to see him sink my truck with his, and asked him politely to back off and go around, which he did.

17 inches of ice is not safe for 2 x 1/2 tons, only one if it's good ice and it should be moved every 2 hours, and some half tons are heavier. Please give other vehicles, parked or moving a lot of clearance, and also tents, if you sink someone in a tent, they're gonna have a hard time getting out.

Distance between moving vehicles for 1/2 ton trucks is minimum 200 x ice thickness, i.e. roughly 400ft driving at the safe speed and parked is 2 vehicle lengths.

Not sure how much your half ton weighs but according to your reference and picking the most conservative A value 17 inches is more than enough for two typical half tons.

Never hurts to be cautious though.

[Rage.0]

K that's it. Safety Stand Down, no one goes on the lake anymore until there is 45" of ice. I'll be out on the lakes making sure no one else is risking life and limb to catch big luey. Use your head when you are out there and don't be lazy. Drill test holes as you cross to your destination. Periodically check ice that you have previously checked to confirm the ice is still safe. Make a plan before leaving and communicate that plan with someone who isn't going fishing. Carry PFD's when early season fishing or trying new locations. Biggest thing is don't drive like a you know what, keep your speed down 40km/hr or less, this keeps your wave from breaking ice apart for the next guy or yourself, it also allows you to stop in a reasonable amount of time in case you run into unforeseen trouble (floodwater, pressure ridges etc...). And if you are scared of everything and anyone while out on the ice; STAY HOME! We will post pictures of big fish for you to look at from the safety of your computer. I have never heard of anyone marking off their truck to ensure no one goes near it, unfortunately you do not own the lake and if someone feels the need to park beside you it is up to you to confront him or move your rig. Orange marker cones will only bring in unwanted guests just in case you haven't noticed already. If you fear for your safety and the safety of your rig maybe you should leave it on shore. Just my 2 cents.

[Talking moose]

Op asked for locations of known bad ice spots. ^ anyone got any?

[Brandon5555]

Originally Posted by Jet

Ghost Reservoir avoid bridge near boat launch, thin ice.

CVR, gas embedded in ice and numerous springs.

https://work.alberta.ca/documents/WHS-PUB_sh010.pdf
https://work.alberta.ca/documents/WHS-PUB_sh011.pdf

And drill holes and measure frequently when venturing out anywhere new.

Really? I was just under the bridge the other day and it was at least 18 inches

[anthony5]

We were fishing at Twin Valley Res on Sat Jan30 and with 10 & 12+ temps last week it melted all of the snow and maybe the integrity of the top 1" was compromised. 17 " of ice, good solid ice on the east side, 3 of us, 2 3/4 ton 4x4 6L and 1 4x4 1/2 ton parked 8 ' apart for 6+ hrs no issues. Iced 5 pike and kept 2😃. 17" of good solid ice will hold 28,902lbs so no worries, just make sure you know what good ice is!!! White ice or slush ice will only hold 1/2 of that weight so be careful when determining what is good and what is not.

Info comes from prov of Manitoba provincial winter road usage and only qualified persons should determine the ice texture and bearing weight of ice.

Always good to be cautious tho.

[RavYak]

I have seen 13 in hold 4 full size trucks and 2 shacks in close proximity. That doesn't mean it is safe...

12-15 in is what the common safe thickness for a single truck, the higher end being for the average truck these days as they are making them heavier then they used to.

I don't get why guys always feel the need to all park in one spot. Spread your weight a bit, walking an extra 10 feet isn't gonna kill you...

[PlayDoh]

This is Alberta based.

Originally Posted by PlayDoh

Here are some charts I found pertaining to ice safety. These go beyond most I've found online and have different thicknesses for traveling and parking, which I never thought of. Apparently after 2 hours the ice begins to sag.





Source
https://work.alberta.ca/documents/WHS-PUB_sh011.pdf

[PlayDoh]

I was at Badger and followed tracks and parked 50 yards from a 1 ton in between 4 shacks. Turns out I ended up on top of a gas spring and the ice was completely full of air.
Gave me the willies, and I counted my blessings. I won't be driving on any more lakes for the rest of this winter, if ever again.
Drive and drill every so often doesn't really work IMO. 20 yards away from where I stopped the ice was good and black.
I'm never really that far from shore and I have a quad or could use the exercise.

RISK vs REWARD. Bottom line.

[Sooner]

If you have ever been to the fish derbies they held at Pigeon, you will see how much ice can hold. The parking lot on the ice had a lot of trucks side by side.

It's been 20 + yrs since i and the GF(wife now) went through on sleds. Still get nervous at times, avoid driving on most times unless I have a dedicated trail. I use my sleds and a big plastic sleigh 99% of the time when Ice fishing. Especially the last couple years with this wonky weather.

[anthony5]

Originally Posted by Jet

28902lbs = 13,137kg

https://work.alberta.ca/documents/WHS-PUB_sh011.pdf
Load Parked or Stationary >2 hours <7 days: 3/4–ton 4x4 vehicle: GVW 3000-5,000 kg
Minimum Ice Thickness: 21.65 inches (55 cm)

1. 2.62 times the max safe load
2. 5.65 inches less ice than recommended for 1x the load
3. 6 hours stationary (>2)
4. Air temperatures above 0C for 48 hours derates load bearing by 50%
(in this case mean temp was well above freezing for the previous 5 days)
5. And at Twin

You got lucky. Even if you use the substantial risk factor for Gold's, you're exceeding that by a good chunk. Why wouldn't you just park further apart and
reduce that risk significantly for walking the few extra feet? Just sayin.

No luck involved, just have been doing this for a few years and would not knowingly put myself or others in an unsafe position on a frozen lake. 15" of good ice on the northeast arm of Travers north of the spillway for anyone inquiring.

[RavYak]

Only 12 inches of ice on the lake today... Guys parking a few full size trucks in close proximity as well. Just cause it is February doesn't mean there is lots of ice...

[PlayDoh]

Originally Posted by anthony5

No luck involved, just have been doing this for a few years and would not knowingly put myself or others in an unsafe position on a frozen lake. 15" of good ice on the northeast arm of Travers north of the spillway for anyone inquiring.

At the 'bridge' across the south end of McGregor there's open water. That's only a couple KM's from where you were.
I know it's not open from just warm weather, but it still shows how the ice isn't much more than the minimum thickness.
It's like rope. There's a safe working load and a braking load weight. Would you stand under a heavy load that was anywhere above the safe working load?
There's lots of things you can "get away with" that just aren't safe. Safe as in your almost without a doubt not getting hurt.
I've done my fair share of unsafe things so I'm not pointing fingers here. I've found its better to ask yourself what the Risk vs Reward is. What do you really gain by driving on the ice? If something did happen would you kick yourself for not playing it safe?
This is one of those years where the risk is real.

[lovich12]

Originally Posted by PlayDoh

At the 'bridge' across the south end of McGregor there's open water. That's only a couple KM's from where you were.
I know it's not open from just warm weather, but it still shows how the ice isn't much more than the minimum thickness.
It's like rope. There's a safe working load and a braking load weight. Would you stand under a heavy load that was anywhere above the safe working load?
There's lots of things you can "get away with" that just aren't safe. Safe as in your almost without a doubt not getting hurt.
I've done my fair share of unsafe things so I'm not pointing fingers here. I've found its better to ask yourself what the Risk vs Reward is. What do you really gain by driving on the ice? If something did happen would you kick yourself for not playing it safe?
This is one of those years where the risk is real.

This comment is silly. The bridge at Mcgregor and the north east end of Travers are 2 completely different water bodies. As well as 2 completely different scenario's. The bridge at Mcgregor has a current running through it. There IS NO CURRENT running through the northeast end of Travers, this time of year.

[anthony5]

Originally Posted by Jet

From your comments, it looks like you were unaware you were putting yourself and others in an unsafe position. But now you have the information and you've taken the time to read the document issued by Alberta Works, I'm guessing you're not gonna continue doing that? Or do you still believe your approach is safe, based on your experience that you haven't fallen through yet?

Additionally, if you're over calculating the depth of the ice on Travers by 3", that's another derating.

Sorry to OP for derailing this thread as I have no more updates on the ice around here yet!!

JET, I appreciate your concern but I am not sure where your on ice experience comes from. Mine comes from over 40 years of fishing on ice, rivers, shield lakes and Alberta reservoirs. I will keep doing what I do and you do the same, but do not tell me what is safe and what is not, because of something you have read and think is gospel. Nothing is ever for sure when on the ice, that is the chance you take and I will not travel on ice that maybe suspect, nor should anyone. You go with what you think is proper and the rest of us will do the same. Just do not think that you are the only one that knows about ice Saftey.

And I think lovich12 knows what he is talking about when it comes to McGregor and Travers.