When is it safe to start ice fishing?
Hai N asked:
I live in Minnesota and is late November. The weather is about 24c over here and 32 is when ice starts to form. The lakes over here have a layer of ice on top but when is it safe to start actually ice fishing. I hear the rule is 4 inches, how can you tell? i walked on a little part of the lake near my house and it didn’t crack but i was scared to walk out any farther. I dont hear alot of people Ice fishing in November.
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I live in Minnesota and is late November. The weather is about 24c over here and 32 is when ice starts to form. The lakes over here have a layer of ice on top but when is it safe to start actually ice fishing. I hear the rule is 4 inches, how can you tell? i walked on a little part of the lake near my house and it didn’t crack but i was scared to walk out any farther. I dont hear alot of people Ice fishing in November.
February 14th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Call the State Natural Resources dept. their info is surely more accurate.
February 16th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Ice varies in thickness and condition. Always carry an ice spud or chisel to check ice as you keep going. Avoid going onto the ice if it has melted away from the shore. This shows that melting is underway, and ice can shift position as wind direction changes. Carry a set of hand spikes to help you work your way out onto the surface of the ice if you go through. Holding one in each hand, you can alternately punch them into the ice and pull yourself up and out. Hope this helps you out. ^_^
February 18th, 2009 at 1:04 am
You can tell by bringing an ice chopper out on the ice with you and chopping a small hole to check. When doing so you should for sure have all your safety gear on you; a life jacket, safety spikes, and someone on land holding a rope tied to you for starters.
The guidelines are:
Less than 4″ stay off the ice.
4-6″ can be safe for walking on if it is clear, clean ice. If it has snowed a lot the ice will be weaker than if it formed when it was not snowing.
6-10″ of good ice can support a snowmobile or ATV.
10-16″ can support a small car.
16″+ is needed for a larger car or truck.
February 20th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
The ice needs to be at least 6 inches thick to hold up your weight.I would bring an ice spud for safety.if you want to tow out a fishing shack i would recommend a thickness of a foot or more.the colder the weather the thicker the ice gets.
February 22nd, 2009 at 12:02 pm
I’ve gone out ice fishing when there was only a few inches of ice. What I would do is wear a pair of my snow shoes, to better distribute my weight over a larger area, and wear a life jacket. I would also have a couple of large, sharpened spikes handy, if I were to go through the ice (I never did). The thinnest ice I ever was out on was about 1″ thick. It’s a little creepy when it only takes one or two pokes with an ice spud to go through the ice, but I’ve always found that first ice is very good fishing. The best rule is don’t go out if you don’t feel safe. I’m a lot more cautious since I’m getting older.
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Ok let me clear up the anwsers people allready gave. In Minnesota they recomend 4 for fishing. This used to be 2 inches but they keep moving it up. For saftey you need 2 inches of good ice to walk and 3 to fish. 4 inches is what you need for a heavy gear load. Now get you self a good chisel. Some call them a spud bar. Every other step you take ram the chissel down into the ice. If it goes through slowly back up because you have found a soft spot. If it doesn’t go through you are safe.
Ice formation has more to do with wind than it does with temperature. Yes you need cold temps to make water freeze. However you also need calm weather. It needs to be a very cold year to get good ice around thanksgiving. Most of them have a skim to a inch of ice over them right now. Remember ice is never uniform so the only way to be safe is to check it.
Their is no agency that measures ice thickness. Ice can also be effected by snow. If a heavy snow fall builds up on the ice it slows down ice formation because snow insulates. So just check it as you go. With our weather we have been having we should be ice fishing by the end of next week.
February 25th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
when your drink is almost gone then it would be safe to stick your fingers in there and try to fish the ice out
February 28th, 2009 at 10:22 am
the best thing two do is check with your local bait stores or the dnr web site was some ice reports on them it also depends what part of the state you are in the northern part is thicker faster then the southern i like about 4″ to walk on 12″ to drive on