01-14-2009, 12:39 AM
Drove up to Ririe today to check the current status. Thought I could drop by somewhere and pick up my license on the way, but decided not to. Really didn't expect the ice to be safe. 1st mistake. I did take the auger to at least measure the thickness of any ice there though. I got up there and noted that the ice looked sketchy and that there were definite open water areas, some rather large. Then I noted that someone was out on the ice! Figured they were either crazy or knew something I didn't. There were 3 test holes drilled on at the end of the dock and I noticed that around the shore edges there was anywhere from 1-4 feet of open water. When I checked the ice at the holes it was about 2 to 2 1/2 inches thick. Not real encouraging. Since there was someone out there though I figured I would follow their tracks and see what it was like further out. Once I got out there I found that the ice was 3 to 3 1/2 inches thick where we were. The gentlerman there said he had only been there since 230 but the guy that drilled the holes had been there for a while before that and had not caught anything either. A few minutes later (about 4pm) he starts getting nibbles then over the course of 15 minutes I watch him land a limit of kokes. I was truly kicking myself for not stopping at that gas station on the way out. He did mention he had been up there last week as well and that there had been no open water then and that the ice has thinned by about 1/2 to 1 inch in that time. Hopefully we can get some cold weather in here to fix this problem and get my back on my favorite winter hole once I'm done with my shifts this week.
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