deerblazer93
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thickness
whats a safe ice thickness
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jolie
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RE: thickness
2009/12/22 12:25:18
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4" is a safe minimum for me... and not just any 4 inches...4 inches of solid black ice.  some ppl I think have scary rulers... do some ppl measure in Cm or include heaped up snow?? Last year, I saw ppl tell me things like "a solid 6" , where there was visible water a few feet away and my ruler was gave it a Base of 3 inches of the solid black ice. So, 4" and remember that not everyones definition of an inch is the "same" 
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woodenbobber
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RE: thickness
2009/12/22 12:34:31
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I agree. 4 of black ice is my "save ice" definition....
I have fished small farm ponds where the deepest depth is four feet and fished it on 2 inches in my chest waders....lol.....
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jolie
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RE: thickness
2009/12/22 13:21:13
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ORIGINAL: woodenbobber
I agree. 4 of black ice is my "save ice" definition....
I have fished small farm ponds where the deepest depth is four feet and fished it on 2 inches in my chest waders....lol.....
so how many ppl here have gone out on ice that doesn't meet this definition of "safe"?? I'm a rather new ice fishermen and last year I went out on chapman dam after a warm snap had shrunk the ice pack a little. They were all kinds of ppl around. I drilled a test hole and only got 3" of the black stuff, with maybe 1" or more of "junk".. It clearly didn't meet the strict definition of 4" of black ice, But on the other hand, I "felt" safe and they were ppl all around that clearly were ok. I drilled a few more holes to be sure I wasn't in a thin spot. kept my footfalls slight and fished for a little bit. I suppose I could have panicked and left... but conditions were freezing not thawing and I felt safe... my brother in law did panic, but as I told him later on conditions were only getting better we were already passed the thinest section the holes were already drilled and of course there were ppl everywhere and hey lets face it, there is no such thing as "SAFE" ice... any icefrozen lake can have forces that make weak ice;everything from underwater springs to pressure cracks.
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Pork
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RE: thickness
2009/12/22 13:59:10
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I don't fish on anything under 4". I go about 265# too though, so I don't feel 'at ease' until 6". Creeped out on Wilhelm yesterday to check it, went out about 10'-12' and chucked a spud bar through....about 2" of clear ice and it held me....it was popping & shifting pretty good though. I didn't want to go out any further.  Springs are a good thing to keep in mind....can be dangerous. There's quite a few around the shore of wilhelm, but you can generally see where they are. The ice will be either, non-existent, or the snow on the ice above the spring will not be the same as the rest of the lake. Pressure cracks are generally nothing to worry about, except right at first freeze when the ice thickness is suspect to begin with. They're either caused by new ice forming or later in the winter, once the ice really starts to thicken, cracks will fly across the lake fast & pretty loud....it's just swelling up past the initial freeze line...a lot like when you fill an ice tray too full & then put it in the freezer, the ice cubes end up above the top of the tray. Could put a knot in a beginners stomach, but nothing to worry about when you're on thick ice. Speaking of ice noise, don't worry about the 'popping' either, also from new ice forming. Pretty eerie until you get used to it though. Good luck & be safe. Always best not to go alone.
post edited by Pork - 2009/12/22 14:02:15
"If you ever get hit with a bucket of fish, be sure to close your eyes." ><)))*>
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saltydog
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RE: thickness
2009/12/22 16:17:43
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2.5-3 inches of black ice is plenty for a 250 pound man. 4 inches if the ice is milky.
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Big Tuna
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RE: thickness
2009/12/22 20:31:23
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No ice is safe,springs.under water current,mouth of streams,stumps on logs above water should be avoided. I'm a big guy and I'm not afraid of ice 3 1/2 hard clear ice and I'm on,but please use common sense.Use a spud. As long as the ice is making noise(below freezing I'm fine)building and exspanding,I've ice fishing for almost 50 years and have only broken through the shore line on last day ice,when I pushed it one more day,mostly just over the boot but once a moraine,and last year over the knee.
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deerblazer93
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RE: thickness
2009/12/22 22:35:52
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the only time i went throught to my knee was stepping through a 12in hole
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onestring
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RE: thickness
2009/12/22 23:00:03
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i know a couple ppl who are members of the polar bear club im gonna go and scout some local lakes tomarrow hopefully i dont become a member
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deerblazer93
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RE: thickness
2009/12/23 07:59:39
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let us know what the ice is like when you go to check , thanks
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onestring
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RE: thickness
2009/12/24 10:07:14
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went to one local lake yesterday turned the auger 1 and a half times and it went threw about 2 2 1/2 soft slushie ice didnt fish hope the rain were susposed to get dont kill the ice we have
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indrasson
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RE: thickness
2009/12/25 12:58:11
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4 inches is ideal. make sure to drill a few holes and take a couple measurements. never know where it may thin out. find someone who you trust to save your life and fish with him. ropes picks and ladders. survey area and have a plan on how to get out if you bust through. i never regret having an emergency plan ready to implement.
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16506fish
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RE: thickness
2009/12/29 00:50:49
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Dream Catcher
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RE: thickness
2009/12/29 23:54:30
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4 inches ... If it is less I crawl out & go home regardless of how many "people" are on it . Witnessed a fella last year on lower lake of hereford manor out in the center (over 25 ft deep) drilled a "test hole" an it was 1" of hard ice 2" of slush on top and cracking in 15 feet of water ....... 30 feet from shore the test hole was drilled and I crawled back to shore god bless him I will never again do that to my family. SCARY stuff and I'm definately IN THE POLAR BEAR CLUB.... Be careful someone needs to post the ice survival link again it was helpful to me ...... I think smallhook did it last year.
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