Fire on ice

[GTZ]

Every winter in my travels I come across a burnt out bonfire someone had on the ice. Now I can kind of see the appeal of having a fire on a cold day while ice fishing although I've never done it myself. First of all, is it legal to have a bonfire on the ice ?? and how many of you have fires when ice fishing?

[DiabeticKripple]

why would it be illegal?

its not any different than a tree being in the water. all thats left is carbon.

[Mudslide]

Wood ash turns to lye when mixed with water. Not exactly good for the fish.

[Drewski Canuck]

You're kidding me Mudslide????

Think of all the wood ash that blows onto the lakes during forest fire season. Any lye poisoned lakes that you have ever come across, or heard reported, in ... lets say the last 100 years???


In fact, as Lye is alkali, maybe burn bonfires all over Baptiste Lake to correct the PH and kill off the annual blue green algae bloom. There, now its a benefit.

Drewski

[Mike_W]

I thought you had to have it contained in a pit or barrel.

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by Drewski Canuck

You're kidding me Mudslide????

Think of all the wood ash that blows onto the lakes during forest fire season. Any lye poisoned lakes that you have ever come across, or heard reported, in ... lets say the last 100 years???


In fact, as Lye is alkali, maybe burn bonfires all over Baptiste Lake to correct the PH and kill off the annual blue green algae bloom. There, now its a benefit.

Drewski

Blue Green Algae blooms are caused by to many nutrients in the water.

[Drewski Canuck]

Algae growth is linked to PH. Nutrients are part of the equation. Already back in the 1960's attempts were made to apply lime to Baptiste to correct the PH to stop the algae bloom problem, before the nutrient level increased.

Anyways, you still don't answer the question of why whatever small amount of "lye" from a fire is going to have an effect on a lake, when there are massive loads of ash laden soot and ash laden water inflow, from forest fires all summer, not having an effect on a lake.

Its natural, and its not causing a problem.

More importantly, how about all the plastic garbage left on the ice in some of the popular spots, like what I see around Gull Lake and Slave Lake. That is a real problem.

Drewski

[ak-71]

I think it's OK with the nature, but not sure about COs. I personaly would hate to drill into it when it gets covered

[Wild&Free]

Originally Posted by Mudslide

Wood ash turns to lye when mixed with water. Not exactly good for the fish.

You need soft water to make lye from wood ash. You'd also have to burn hardwood. I'm also sure you need a slightly anaerobic environment for its formation as well.

[latenite]

There is a sticky for "Ask fish and wildlife", maybe post your question there, see if they answer you. Be curious to know. I have been with people who have fires on the ice. Doesn't personally bother me. I use a fire pit myself by choice.

[Mike_W]

Little bits of ash don't bother me it's the tools that burn old pallets and whatnot leaving nails all over.
As Drewski mentioned it's more all the garbage and bait containers that really ****es me off.

[Freedom55]

This one got beat into the ground last year when the resolve was that there is no prohibition to fires on the ice by SRD.

It was my opinion that there be no fires "below the high water mark" but I proved myself wrong.

Light up. Cheer up. Clean up.

Free

[Bassett]

Originally Posted by Drewski Canuck

You're kidding me Mudslide????

Think of all the wood ash that blows onto the lakes during forest fire season. Any lye poisoned lakes that you have ever come across, or heard reported, in ... lets say the last 100 years???


In fact, as Lye is alkali, maybe burn bonfires all over Baptiste Lake to correct the PH and kill off the annual blue green algae bloom. There, now its a benefit.

Drewski

Please please please light up baptiste lake. I don't even like looking at the lake during bloom let alone go in it

[fishman]

As far as lye forming from burnng wood on the ice is impossable to happen as yes u need soft water and hard wood to pull the pottasium out of the wood to form.........and they contain it with rocks on the bottom which most of our lakes have no rocks on the bottom and if it did form how much would produce little it none at all.........as far as adding lime to water it will raise the ph levels and this happens from fertilizer dumped into water like lawn fertilizer also sewage from cottages etc............red deer river they dumped lime into the river to rasie the ph level high enough that they could get rainbows to reproduce in it as the bows need a higher ph level then browns, brookies
Algae blooms in these lakes is caused by fertilizer washed into the lake causing the higher level of nutrients which in turn raises the ph level....so to reduce the algae bloom in these lakes we need to reduce the ph level, therefore eliminating the level of nutrients

[1bluZebec]

Nothing like wrecking your tire or somthing from hitting left over **** like logs ect. from someone who never cleaned up after their fire. just left stuff frozen in the ice. thats what i worry about.

[.270fan]

We have a portable fire pit we take with us, pack out all the ash and partially burnt wood when we leave.

[Shmag]

My brother had a fire going on utikuma 2 yrs ago, warden came by towards the end of the day. Admitted it was their fire, no problems or questions asked, but he did make them shovel and take all the ash with them.

My buddy has about a 1/3 of a 45 gal steel drum on 1 ft high legs...sets this on plywood and works awesome....

[Okotokian]

I imagine it would be a problem on some lakes. Are there not some lakes that you aren't allowed to have a fire within a certain distance of?

[GTZ]

Well I guess the general consensus is, go ahead, have a bonfire just clean up after yourself

[Wild&Free]

Originally Posted by GTZ

Well I guess the general consensus is, go ahead, have a bonfire just clean up after yourself

We're all about having a good time outdoors. Just make sure the next guy has a good time not picking up trash, or augering into a block of wood.

[curtis_rak]

In regards to altering PH levels by having fires on the lake.... it aint gonna happen. It takes a few tons of lime (for example) to alter or neutralize the PH level of a 1acre trout pond... a larger lake would take on dozens of tons before the PH would even be affected.

I love having a fire on the ice once and a while. It adds to the experience of a good day of ice fishing. Just clean up your mess and then no one can complain about it!