As long as its off in time for the bass tournaments to start. I'll be happy to fish all of February and most of march. First one is the end of march.

ORIGINAL: frost

As long as its off in time for the bass tournaments to start. I'll be happy to fish all of February and most of march. First one is the end of march.

Maybe 1st tourney could use tip-ups instead.. NW/

It's been rough, let's just make them reschedule it till later in the spring/summer haha I need out on the ice!

Well so far most of the lake held up. Some holes opened but they're small maybe 10-15yds at most. Shorelines especially around runoff areas and creek mouths are opened a lot more. Creeks are high and lots of runoff. The new ice that formed the other day you can tell is real soft but should tighten up with the next few days of freezing.

What happened with the ice? Think it will be good for the weekend

I don't think I know it won't be good for the weekend. It wide open again. The rain, high temps and the extreme wind we had last night destroyed it. Some of the protected bays and marinas have ice but I doubt they're any good right now. They, the marinas and hidden bays, may be ok with the cold we have right now but other than that it's open. Wind wasn't to bad around noon when I drove over so it may freeze again soon tho. I'll check again tomorrow and friday and let you know then

These are some guidelines I found. I know everybody is chomping at the bit to go. But the fact is you should never venture out on anything under 4" of good clear ice. The weather patterns as of late have been dismal at best. Even if we do get a couple nights of really cold weather it is offset by warmer and windy & rain conditions. So even the stuff that refreezes is not very good. No need to take any unneccessary risks to catch a few fish. I too hope we get an artic blast because we really enjoy hitting the ice. The 10 day forecast doesn't look to good but we will cross our fingers. The guidelines I found are as follows:

Learn the thickness safety margins of ice. There are recommended thickness measurements for the safety of ice that you will need to establish to for each activity being undertaken. (N.B. These are recommended, not guaranteed.) Ice begins to be "safe" at around 4 - 6 inches thickness. Do not even walk on ice under 4" or less in thickness. However, even at a 4" - 6" thickness, there may be unforeseen hazards such as a flowing current underneath that is ceaselessly weakening the underside of the ice. In this instance, even the thickness is not a good indicator of safety, as the ice could collapse at any time.
In general, the rules for ice thickness measurements are:


3" (7 cm) (new ice) - KEEP OFF
4" (10 cm) - suitable for ice fishing, cross-country skiing and walking (approx. 200 pounds)
5" (12 cm) - suitable for a single snowmobile or ATV (approx. 800 pounds)
8" - 12" (20 - 30 cm) - suitable for one car, group of people (approx. 1500 - 2000 pounds)
12" - 15" (30 - 38 cm) - suitable for a light pickup truck or a van

HEY FROST
thanks for all the updates you have been giving us. it means alot.

Ice Thickness Permissible Load
2 inches one person on foot
3 inches group in single file
7.5 inches one car (2 tons)
8 inches light truck (2.5 tons)
10 inches truck (3.5 tons)
12 inches heavy truck (7-8 tons)
15 inches 10 tons
20 inches 25 tons
This is from new york states website

ORIGINAL: dustydoo

Ice Thickness Permissible Load
2 inches one person on foot
3 inches group in single file
7.5 inches one car (2 tons)
8 inches light truck (2.5 tons)
10 inches truck (3.5 tons)
12 inches heavy truck (7-8 tons)
15 inches 10 tons
20 inches 25 tons
This is from new york states website

This is the entire ice safety paragraph on the NY DEC website, they even state the general rule is 3 to 4 inches of clear hard ice

Ice safety...

Safe ice is the number one consideration. A minimum of three to four inches of solid ice is the general rule for safety. Ice thickness, however, is not uniform on any body of water. The guidelines presented here are based on clear, blue, hard ice on non-running waters. Remember, your own good judgement is essential!

The American Pulpwood Association has developed a table for judging the relative safety of ice on lakes and streams. This is just a guide; use your own good judgement before going out on any ice. Avoid areas of moving water, including where streams enter the lake, and around spillways and dams.

Ice Thickness Table



Ice Thickness

Permissible Load

2 inches

one person on foot

3 inches

group in single file


7.5 inches

one car (2 tons)


8 inches

light truck (2.5 tons)


10 inches

truck (3.5 tons)



12 inches

heavy truck (7-8 tons)



15 inches

10 tons



20 inches

25 tons


Note: This guide is based on clear, blue, hard ice on non-running waters. Slush ice is about 50 percent weaker. Clear, blue ice over running water is about 20 percent weaker. Many ice anglers do not like to fish on less than five inches of ice, and do not like to drive a pick-up truck on less than 15 inches of ice. Use common sense!

Be cautious in areas where "bubblers" are used to protect docks. They can produce thin, unsafe ice some distance away. Be especially alert in areas near shore, over moving bodies of water and on lakes and ponds where streams enter or exit.

Remember, use the buddy system while ice fishing - it save lives