Musky on the Mon.

I wouldn't mind being on a boat in cold temps, although pretty much like going through ice if you were to fall in. Layer and you are fine if not falling in... I've waded in these temps and toes end up going numb, but if you keep your core warm, it isn't bad. Obviously, I'm not doing it, unless I know there is a good chance at great fishing.

That said, I'd be concerned about the water getting in my motor, freezing and cracking something. 20 degrees, and trailering, has to freeze that water solid. I get nervous about taking my boat out, when it is under freezing at night (storing outside).

What do you guys that boat cold water do, to avoid engine issues?

Mitch
Do you store indoors? good idea ruining it dry to help evaporate.

The Fish Commission ramp on Buffalo Creek is pretty steep, but I have a 4WD 4 door Ram with an 8' bed, a pretty long combination, so the truck is off the cement and up on the gravel and I don't have to worry about ice. Cowanshannok Creek up on pool #7 is a bit more troublesome as it is blacktopped right into the water, but I seem to be the only one using these ramps in this kind of weather and so it has mostly dried by the time I'm ready to trailer out.
I trim all the way up to get the boat out of the water; most of the water in the motor runs out the lower ports, but there could be water left in the power head, which is why I trim back down. Any residual water drains down the tube back to the pump, then I fire the motor. I barely let it start before shutting off. I'll see a few spits of water then smoke (two stroke) out of the upper exhaust port, (through the hub exhaust), then I trim back up. You can leave the motor down while tying down, and that should let most all the water out unless it's so friggin' cold that it freezes in place before you do these operations, (if it's that cold, I wouldn't be out there), but I leave my motor up and on the toter bar always; that way the chrome power trim cylinders are inside their casings and not exposed to weather. This boat/motor combo set outside for 17 years without ever moving, (boat/motor/trailer bought new in '88), 'til I began a full boat rebuild in 2013. Never touched the motor until the boat was done, and with the addition of a couple of electronic pieces on the motor, the Classic 50 fired and ran immediately. I still store the boat outside, and I don't worry about it. When I get to the river, I pump the ball a couple of times, hit the electric choke, and she's runnin'!

Captain, 
I'm not sure if I would shore fish in that water, knowing that I would slam fish...
 
EMitch,
Thanks for the advice.  I've opted for wading a few times, due to fear of messing up my motor.  This should extend my season a few trips!  Thank you!!!

Captain Hook, that looks like the Rainbow Bridge in the background of the 3rd pic. I'll say one thing. You've got cajones!!
Tell ya a little story. April in 2015, I'm down on the river by 4:00PM, fishin', and waitin' for my two boys and grand daughter to come down with my oldest boy's boat, whereupon my youngest was gonna get in with me and we'd fish 'til dark. I made 3 drifts down the river by the Freeport bridge piers and figured I could make one more drift before heading up the Creek to the ramp to meet them. Tied on a fresh Blakemore with fathead, punched the throttle wide open headin' up the river. Disaster struck! 30 mph, the tiller handle slipped out of my hand, the tiller swung all the way to the left, and the boat turned so violently that the stern went down under water and the bow was sky high. I flew out of the seat, cracked my right leg into the power T&T switch, and my left leg hit the undeployed electric trolling motor, (broke the Minn Kota mount, but that motor saved my life). I was on my way over the side of the boat, and I threw the rod & reel into the river to grasp the gunwhale. Being still in a hard right hand turn, the engine hadn't recovered yet from it's dunking, and I slapped hard at the twist grip to shut it down as I was falling backwards into the boat.  Minnow bucket was upset and I sat on the floor for a few seconds to collect myself. I'm tellin' y'all right now, that was the closest I've ever came to committin' unintentional suicide. TALK ABOUT #4 PUCKER FACTOR!!! I to this day think about that every time I go out. Couldn't imagine being in 45 degree water with my boat running around me in circles at full speed. BTW, I now have a new kill switch lanyard. I'm not tellin' ya this to prove how stupid I am, (or was). Just remember, ****e happens, and it can happen to anybody at anytime. I make sure I have a death grip on that throttle handle now, even to the point of havin' a blister in the web of my left hand between thumb and fingers after a days fishin'.

Brock those are some crazy pics with all that ice but I probably would have been on there just like you were in my younger days. I remember being out on the ice very last ice on a warm day in march years ago. We were loosing ice really fast even saw someone go through a couple hundred yards away
Do you think we were smart enough to leave no way luckily no body else went through

Fishing in the winter is fun........til you have to touch the fish.

 
It was -10 when we left the house and -4 when we launched.  Guy's boats that fished the day before
were frozen to the trailer, unless you had a roller trailer.

D-nymph
You guys are crazy.  That's a ton of ice.  What kind of damage do those mini-bergs do to a prop?

None at all, as long as you're running stainless.

Don't need rollers if you have the plastic. Great time and place. Want to do it some more.....
 
 
Smitty

tippecanoe
Do you fish around the ice?

Yep. Around and in between the chunks.

Nice pics guys sure brings back memories..i got stuck in one of those ice floes for a while once...a backyard sized one I tried driving through while laughing..an amazing rush..back and forth for 15 min to get out...I fished opening day of lake trout in New York on the Niagara for almost 20 years...coldest was -15 air temp, I lasted 3 hours and the boat was ready to sink from ice build up, my coffee froze solid in 15 min while getting dressed in the boat no ****

Meatball
And the boat floats off a bunk trailer if you give it 10 min in the water

 
Yinz be crazy!