Ice Fishing Safety: 3 Tips That Could Save Your Life
By Steve Pennaz
from The Fishing Wire
Catch fish through the ice
Ice anglers are pretty happy right now. Early cold temperatures have jump-started the period we call “early-ice,” and with it, some of the hottest bites of the entire ice fishing season.
And while I admit I’m one of those anxious anglers who can’t wait to tap panfish, walleyes and pike after a good deal of time in the deer stand, I have to remind myself that safety comes first; I am not bulletproof.
I’ll be honest, I’ve fallen through the ice, pushing hard to get on a good bite, and it’s a traumatic experience. The reality is anglers die every year across the Ice Belt because they didn’t abide by a simple ice safety checklist.
Pardon the pun, but there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to ice formation. Smaller bodies of water can freeze overnight, while larger lakes can take weeks to form fishable ice. And areas with current and springs may never develop ice safe enough for hardwater fishing. Looks can be deceiving. In fact, ice thickness can vary greatly throughout the same lake – and the entire winter.
A general rule of thumb for fishable ice thickness is 4 inches for fishing on foot, five inches for a snowmobile or ATV, and at least 8 inches for a car or light truck.
These days there’s more in my ice fishing arsenal than the requisite auger, rod combos, jig box and flasher. During early- and late ice a spud bar like Frabill’s various ice chisels allow me to test the ice as I’m fishing on foot.
Second, early ice can be dangerously slick, and falling is a hazard that’s often overlooked but can be easily prevented. Severe head trauma is no laughing matter. That said, I wear Frabill Ice Creepers, inexpensive and removable studded cleats that fit easily over various styles of winter boots.
Lastly, I never leave home without my Frabill ice picks, another indispensible (and inexpensive) piece of ice fishing gear. They are the one piece of ice fishing gear that may very well save your life!
Hats off to Frabill for designing special ice-pick holsters into all of their new I-Series jackets and bibs for rapid deployment. However, you can still sling them around your neck and stuff them into the front pockets of whatever you wear.
In the event that you do break through the ice, turn back the direction you came, bury the picks and pull while kicking your feet. Once on the ice, roll away from the hole and head to the nearest warm and dry location.
Follow the ice thickness guidelines for fishable ice and add these three must-haves to your ice fishing arsenal. Like grandpa used to say, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
I admit, ice fishing is a whole lot more fun with the peace of mind that I’ve got safety on my side.
Good luck on the ice this winter!