I was thinking tonight about the ice safety video that gets posted every November. It is good to remind us to be careful and it shows us some good tips on how to get out if we fall through.
I know some of you have fallen through and I would like to hear your experience....not to point my finger and laugh but seriously for an educational opportunity. I'm glad your still around to tell your story and hopefully teach us a thing or two!
Some of the things I am interested in:
1. What time of year?
2. What body of water?
3. What was the weather like on that day? What had the pattern of weather been?
4. Where on the lake where you (edges, middle, around springs, near ice edge)?
5. How think was the ice (both where you fell in, around the general area, and other area's of the lake)
6. When you first went in the water.... what where your thoughts? Could you focus? Was it sheer panic? Was there any rational thoughts or just scrambling to get out?
7. How long where you in the water?
8. While in the water...did your clothing and boots seem to be weighing and pulling you down or was it easy to hold onto the edges of the ice to keep you from sinking?
9. How did you get out? Did you use hand spikes? Where you pulled out? What did you try that didn't work? What did you try that did work and allow you to get out?
10. What advise would you give people who have never fallen through, that may help save their life one day (quit ice fishing won't work!)
Thanks!
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once a long time ago in the midwest (Michigan)Two inches of ice,I was very young.
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It was at Rockport in FEB[crazy], The spring run off had started and the thick ice was out about 10 feet from shore, I guess the ice I fell through was about 1 inch. Someone had left a 2x4 that was about 6ft and it had frozen into the thin ice. I tried to tip toe out on the 2x4 (thinking it would distribute my weight) and the ice broke as I was about 5ft out. I was only knee deep at most but it sure scared the crap out of me, I (I was alone that day, duh!)walked back up the shore and went river fishing the rest of the day.
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I went through the ice about 4 years ago during the derby at Sulfur Creek. I had set up the tent the day before to secure my spot. Then one of the officials came by and said that area was closed due to thin ice. It seemed safe to me. I told her that if she gave me a ride back across the lake I would get my auger and drill a hole to check the depth of the ice. On our way back to were I was set up, she when right over a soft spot that was obvious to anyone that had their eyes open. Needless to say we went though. Brand new snowmobile that belonged to her husbands boss, my ice auger and two people. My problem was that my coveralls got caught on the machine and I was headed down in 66 feet of water. Not sure how deep I was but the hole kept getting smaller and smaller. I was able to swim up to the top and give her a push onto the ice. When I tried to get on the ice it just kept breaking away. I finally just did a porpose kick and slid up without anything breaking away. She was standing there shivering like a dog and I really didn't feel cold or wet or anything else at that time. Air temp was 10 degrees and nobody saw us go though so we had a long walk back. Come to find out that she had never been a snowmobile before and did not know how to swim. She had just got married and this was also her first time on the ice. We were all lucky that day. The derby officials were kind enough to replace my auger and they went and retrieved my gear for the next day. I guess the best advice I would give is just do not panic. The adrelene must have kicked in that day because I never got cold at anytime. Luckly I had all my cloths in the truck and was able to change out of the wet (actually frozen stiff) cloths I was wearing. I haven't fished that derby since not becuase of the incident but just haven't been in town during that weekend. Maybe this year. [reply]
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My wife fell through at Newton quite a few years ago. It had been above average temps for a few days but not too warm. It was probably 36 degrees or so. The main ice was about 6" and she fell through at the edge on about 3" of ice that was rotten. It was only to her waist, but the look in her eyes was enough for me to not ever let her or my children on ice i have not just come off of and am 100% sure it is safe. My best advice, if it looke questionable, dion't do it. It is not worth your life.
2 years ago i was duck hunting in Janruary at howard slough and i shot 2 shovelers that landed on the ice. No waders because everything was frozen. I walked out on to the ice away from the bad looking spot to pick them up. I had just picked up the last bird when i went through to my belly button. It took about 5 minutes to get back on top of the ice. It kept breaking under my weight so i had to break about 50 yds out before i could get on it. The air temp was -10 degrees and i went into the first stage of hypothermia. It was 1/2 mile walk back to the truck. One of the longest of my life.
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I guess we are among the lucky ones. One thing is for sure, I never take it for granted that any ice is safe anymore even if people are out on it. I always check thickness before I step away from the shore and always have ice picks and a rope in hand.
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no never. not me! [angelic] [sly]
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I have fallen through once and my friend has fallen through once. My friend fell through at Pineview 4 years ago. It was the week before Christmas. The ice was 4 inches thick but the slush was horrible and had weakend the ice. We were just walking along about 30 feet from shore and my friend just dropped like a sack of potatoes. Luckily he was out as soon as he went in. We were very lucky.
I feel through up at Causey 3 years ago. It was similar situation. Early ice with a ton of slush. I was sitting on my bucket and a got up to take a walk and went through. Only one leg went through but it got stuck. It took me about 3 minutes to position it to get it out.
We were lucky. We didn't loose any gear or any lives.
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ONCE BACK IN 78. MY DAD HIS BUDDY AND HIS 2 SONS. ALL AT THE SAME TIME. IN A BRAND NEW 78 CHEVY SILVERADO. THE HOLE FRONT END WENT THREW THE ICE AND WE WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO CRAWL OUT THE SLIDER BACK WINDOW. MAN WAS GORDON WILSON PISSED. DAD WAS HIS TRUCK MANNAGER WAY BACK THEN. OTHER THAN THAT NOPE.
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About 35 yrs. ago I fell through the ice @ Cave Lake in eastern Nev. Some majorly big a-hole had cut about a 6'X6' hole in the ice with a chainsaw or some kind of saw anyway probably the day before. My brother in law @ I had walked about 1 1/2 miles to get to the lake 'cause my car wouldn't bust through a big snowdrift by where thr Cave Lake road leaves the Steptoe Creek road. Anyway, the ice was about 10" thick except where this hole had been cut. I couldn't see it 'cause it snowed about 2" earlier that day then cleared off. I'm guessing it was about 5 deg. when I went in & there was a breeze too. I was walking across the ice fat dumb & happy & then the bottom fell out. I spread my arms which saved my gear but I went clear under. That lake is gin clear that time of year so I could see the hole edges from underneath. My coat trapped a big bubble of air inside it that was buoying me up but it was fizzing out through the zipper & around my neck pretty fast. I managed to get to a corner & get a leg over one side & my arms over the other side of the corner & flop onto the ice. I dunno what happened to the chunk of ice those jerks cut out as I didn't see any evidence at all to show this spot.
I learned all I want to know about hypothermia on the walk back to the car. If my brother in law hadn't forced me to keep going there's no way I would have made it. A lot of the memory of that walk is pretty fuzzy. All I really remember is wanting to stop & rest. Sam tells me I said some pretty mean things when he wouldn't let me stop.
I don't think I was conscious at all for the ride back to Ely as I can't remember anything. My next memory is of embarassment. I was in Sams bathtub buck naked & his wife was running more warm water in.
What I took from this experience is this: No matter how good shape you're in & all that stuff, DON'T GO ON THE ICE ALONE. I can honestly say I owe my life to my brother in law & he only came along for the helluvit. He doesn't even fish.
Oh, this was just after Christmas.
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[
] I used a snowmobile to access Willow Reservoir on the Manti in late November to fish for Brooke trout years ago. I fell through the ice but it was only about 4 feet deep in my hole. It was a cold ride to the truck.
My brother fell through the ice on Deep Creek Lake on Thousand Lakes in November in an area about 10 feet deep. It was a cold hike back to the truck for him.
Used a hatched on several occasions to make my way onto lakes with small amounts of ice with my float tube.....
Be safe.....falling through isn't fun.....unless you catch a big fish in the process....
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I fell threw at Causey 2yrs ago. was late season and i shouldn't have been on the ice the ice holes from the day before never froze up. fell in up to my waist, had a hard time breathing when the boys jumped into my throut.was only a few feet from shore.
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[size 2]As a kid in Indiana fishing with my Grandpa I went partially in. I wandered away from where we were fishing and saw a patch of ice that was clear and you could see the weeds. As a dumb kid, I thought this was cool and wanted to get a better look. With my first step, my leg went through and I got soaked. Luckily just one leg went in and I managed to pull it out quickly. I went back to my Grandpa looking rather sheepish. I told him what happened and he wasn't too impressed with my judgement. He made me sit with him a few more minutes while he continued to fish so I'd "learn my lesson", which I did. Obviously now I'm smart enough to not walk on that kind of ice, but if there is snow covering it, you'd never know it was so thin. [/size]
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Once for me. A few years back at the berry I was walking along and all of a sudden there was nothing there when I stepped down. Luckily I had on some waterproof pants and they fit tight enough around my boots that I only got a little bit of water in my boot. I must have found a spring because I couldn't feel any ice, like if it had been a fishing hole.
Another time many many moons ago I was at Bear Lake with my 2 uncles and some friends. It was a nice sunny super bowl sunday (we had the radio out there to hear the game; washington vs. denver) When we arrived the person at the gate said to be careful because of the new ice. On the way out we spread out to watch for bad spots while the 3 wheeler towed all 3 sleds. Got out past the rockpile and fished all day. We were one of the last few groups on the ice when we decided to head in. This time we all piled on the sleds and let the wheeler drag us in. Then I saw a small splash of water as my sled went over the hole, and another when the second sled went over and a big splash when the 3rd sled hit it. One of the ski's (home made sled) on the 3rd sled went under the ice and all the stuff fell into the water. The guy on the 3rd tried to pulll the sled backwards to free it up but the ice he was on broke and he was swimming. One of my uncles went to help and he too went in. They finally got the sled unhooked and reteieved what they could and were able to roll out. The only thing they saved was the fishfinder and the camera. Now the last guy (some local guy, maybe BLFG???) on the ice came over and he happened to be pulling his aluminum boat around with him. He helped to recover some other items that were floating and offered to escort us off the ice. Now it was dark and 2 of the guys were wet and we ran into a 10'- 15' wide channel that had opened up between us and the bank. We ended up following it all the way around Gus Rich point until we found a spot to get off the ice. The 2 wet (frozen) guys rode the wheeler back to the condo's to get the trucks. What a mess. 2 of the guys lost all their gear, but everyone made it out ok.
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I never have but I watched my brother as he walked close to shore quickly drop to his stomach in order to distribute his weight. He could see the ice cracking under him and he knew what to do. We walked over there afterward (on shore) and successfully threw a bolder through the ice. He is a smart guy. That happened about five years ago at Newton.
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