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Playingwithmyrod t1_j8ebg5h wrote

Reply to comment by ranaparvus in Hey Vermonters, stay off the f*cking ice. by zombienutz1

You can ice fish in warm weather just fine as long as the ice is still thick. I've done it in 60 degree weather in March before. The top layer starts to melt but the integrity of the ice under it doesn't just instantly fail.

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meinblown t1_j8elnsz wrote

Yeah but the problem is the ice never got thick in the first place this winter.

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Playingwithmyrod t1_j8epu1c wrote

How thick was it?

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Fromage_Damage t1_j8fy23v wrote

A guy at my work was out there earlier in the day. He said it was 8-10" close to shore, and got thinner as you went out. They got to where it was 5" and turned around. 4-6" is recommended for ATVs. The guys were in a side by side which is almost a VW beetle sized ATV. I'm guessing 4" of ice. In the first week of January, the lake temp was still in the 50s! Crazy.

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meinblown t1_j8f1bzu wrote

No fucking clue. I don't take my ass out on the lake ever.

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Playingwithmyrod t1_j8f22du wrote

Oh I figured you must know since you're saying it wasn't thick enough all winter.

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meinblown t1_j8f37it wrote

I actually talk to other people believe it or not.

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Playingwithmyrod t1_j8f5c66 wrote

How thick did they say it was?

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Raekwaanza t1_j8f6lcs wrote

To get to the point, because of how warm December and January were it is likely that no where on the lake got thick enough to safely walk on on warm days like this. Even when it was very cold these past few weeks I wasn’t even seeing ice where I am.

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Dead_Squirrel_6 t1_j8epryd wrote

I'm sure that's what all these guys told their families before they went in. Not worth the risk.

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SkiingAway t1_j8fy2s2 wrote

What matters is ice thickness, not air temperature.

They're not that closely related, and there's plenty of times when it's warm out, there's big puddles all over and it's perfectly safe to be on the ice. (and plenty of times of the inverse).

That said, common sense should prevail - if it hasn't been a very cold winter and it's recently been warm....you ought to be checking more carefully than normal. And certainly shouldn't be winging it.

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Playingwithmyrod t1_j8ert2r wrote

The air temperature has very little to do with ice safety. If some temporary warm air makes it unsafe it wasn't safe to begin with. People who go ice skating when it's 20 and don't bother to check the ice thickness are at much greater danger than an ice fisherman fishing in the 40s who spuds their way out onto the ice. Things like underwater springs, birds, pressure ridges, rocks, and flowing water are what you should be worrying about because they'll turn a foot of ice into nothing within a few steps.

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Dead_Squirrel_6 t1_j8et2hy wrote

Oh? How many old, experienced Vermont ice skaters have fallen through the ice this year?

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Playingwithmyrod t1_j8ew4wj wrote

Bottom line no ice is safe until you check it. Ice is variable, there is no "it's safe" or "it's not". It could carry a semi truck and be completely unsafe 100 feet way. Someone falling through isn't indicative of some blanket "the ice isn't safe anyone that's out there is an idiot". Now could they have been idiots fishing on 2 inches of ice? Sure. But we don't know that. When people make assumptions about ice conditions is when people die is my point.

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Divio42 t1_j8fexpa wrote

That all sounds like it adds up to "Not worth the risk."

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Playingwithmyrod t1_j8ffqht wrote

It's about being careful. Life is full of risks. It doesn't mean we can't enjoy the things we love to do.

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Fromage_Damage t1_j8fyft0 wrote

One year, a few years back, we had some guys on December 24th ice fishing on 2 inches of ice. But the water was only 4 feet deep. Even if I know the ice is thick , I bring spikes around my neck, to pull myself out with. I've fallen through over a spring when the ice was thick enough, luckily it was shallow water.

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Playingwithmyrod t1_j8fymwq wrote

2 inches is sketch but if it's solid black ice it will still hold you. 3 is my number to feel safe but like you said, I wear spikes always and spud my way around until I'm comfortable with an area.

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