Dealing with ice on lakes question your state

JOCCO · Feb 2, 2016

What this is, winter and thin ice, poor conditions so snowmobile or car goes through the ice. OR even worse a person. How does your state handle it?? And should the fish and game dept. have the authority to close a lake in thin ice conditions? Should cars be prohibited? My state seems to do little but look for the victim or fine them if a car goes through. Seems to be an ongoing problem year after year and nothing is done. I get it that the state or gov body can't say its safe due to liability if someone goes through. Also conditions can vary between lake a and lake b. thanks to all

wijim · Feb 2, 2016

Around here, Lake Winnebago and the Wolf and Fox river its basically if you don't know you don't go. The many fishing clubs will give ice reports. Mostly a common sense thing. Jim

old popper · Feb 2, 2016

I talked to a couple of young fellows Saturday that had been at Round Lake Minnesota. They said there was 14" of ice, that is still not enough for me!

Brown Swiss · Feb 2, 2016

Not to be to mean, but if someone drives their car out and it falls through, isn't it just natures way of thinning out the stupid ones?

JimS · Feb 2, 2016

Isn't there a TV show Ice Road Truckers, or something like that? I don't have a TV but saw part of it once. What I found interesting was that driving a large truck slowly worked ok but if they went too fast it created an ice wave that built up in front of the truck until it broke.

My point is, Alaska, or wherever the trucks drive on ice, must have some sort of rating for whether it is safe.

I am in CA, no ice but where there is some you are to stay off.

keh · Feb 2, 2016

There is never enough ice on lakes in SC to walk on, much less drive on. I taught school and would occasionally get students in from far northern states. I made
sure to warn them about that. Actually the only"lakes" that might be tempting would be small farm ponds. My warning was probably unnecessary, but it eased my
mind.

KEH

paul · Feb 2, 2016

It should be a common sense thing.

I know, I know, sense is t that common any more.

You can wander off about any shore and be on the ice, so I don't know how the govt would do much by taking over total control and closing or opening lakes.... The folks that need the rescue equipment are going to be sneaking around any sign anyhow, so it won't make much difference but turn it into another govt regulation with govt delays and paperwork and hardship for good people who weren't causing problems to begin with.

Can't win.

Paul

JOCCO · Feb 2, 2016

Yes but then we need dive teams, fire dept, ambulance, EPA to deal with the pollution. Some one has to pay for extricate of car. We need fish game warden helicopter to search plus life flight for the victim. You get the picture $$$$$$ lots of it wasted on stupid people!!!

pete 23 · Feb 2, 2016

The common saying is ice is never 100% safe. This year it took a long time to freeze up the lakes to the point that vehicles were driving on them. When ice conditions are known to be bad during a time when it should be safe, the sheriff will post signs at the public access. That keeps most vehicles off, and the fishermen will walk out. I haven't been on a lake for years but I used to go ice fishing quite a lot . Had a fish house I left out there but that really gets to be a lot of work. Getting snowed in. Lot of snow on ice causing water to come up and freeze house down. Always put mine on blocks but that is extra work also. Then went to collapsible house. Haven't used that in years now. Too old. Like most things, there is of course some danger in going on the ice. Here in Minn, a lot more drown in summer though. Mostly booze related like driving a car. It does make a expensive mess though when a vehicle goes through the ice. The Grand Forks N.D. paper had a poll a couple weeks ago . Asked how many felt safe to go on a lake with one foot of ice or something to that effect. What they didn't ask though was how many of those who felt it to be unsafe would ever go on a lake. I think the results would have been completely different if they had asked how many ice fisherman would feel safe. It had to do with an oncoming fishing contest and the lake was late to freeze up.

Goose · Feb 2, 2016

Makes sense to me. Darwin's natural selection at work.

Russ from MN · Feb 2, 2016

Wouldn't that be called a Nanny state, and you know how many on here complain about their freedom! Everyone should have the right to break through the ice and drown! But we the taxpayers spend thousands recovering the bodies. I agree with you, the DNR should have the right to close the water access points. But, then when they open the access does that mean it's safe, and for what? I live next to a public lake access in MN and they never close it but they never say the ice is safe either.

Russ from MN · Feb 2, 2016

I agree! Hopefully they haven't reproduced yet!

jeffcat · Feb 2, 2016

Yea that wave is something like 30 or 40 MPH. They have to maintain a very certain speed when they get to the ramps on the shore. If the wave is too strong the ice blows up. Totally screws up the enter and exit points. They need to move the road over to the spare ramps till the regular one re freezes. Sorry folks but driving a 40 ton load on ice there is not enough money in the world.

old-9 · Feb 2, 2016

When you do go down , here is how to get it out. Super simple!
oops

oldtanker · Feb 2, 2016

Here is a vid from Tri State Diving out of Detroit Lakes MN on a shallow recovery. They guy that owns Tri State was my dive instructor.

I's not certified for diving under the ice and not sure I want to be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwMDprspPY8

We have had several very expensive custom ice fishing houses go through near here after the local carp cop (game warden) warned them that the ice wasn't good enough yet. One that went through was brand new and close to 40K in value. They can't keep you off the ice but then they have to go on the ice to rescue or retrieve you if you go through. The carp cops want MN to change the law so if it isn't pretty safe they can keep people off the ice.

Rick

IAtractorKid · Feb 2, 2016

16-18" of ice last Friday on Clear Lake in IA. Drove my 7,200lb Duramax out there...was probably 30 other vehicles across the lake as well as all the sleeper shacks.

Just depends on your comfort level, how well you know the waters your on and the co dition of the ice.

Spook · Feb 2, 2016

We just had a 30 year old guy and his 4 year son drop thru the ice here, both dead. I don't understand, how anybody could think it was safe out there. It had been in the mid 50's!! There was a couple inches of water on top of the ice. Sad that they died, but wtf?

Weldon K · Feb 2, 2016

Video of a snow plow truck going under .
truck going under ice

teddy52food · Feb 2, 2016

Hard to believe that the ice was strong enough to hold up next to the hole it went through. Or did they cut the hole to make a practice rescue?

Bob · Feb 2, 2016

I dunno, do you think the "nanny state" can always fix STUPID?

David G · Feb 2, 2016

There was only one guy that walked on water in my book, I am not him, and ice is water.

I stay off it.

oldtanker · Feb 2, 2016

(quoted from post at 21:12:22 02/02/16) Hard to believe that the ice was strong enough to hold up next to the hole it went through. Or did they cut the hole to make a practice rescue?

What most folks who recover those vehicles do is go and test drill the ice. If it's too thin to be safe they don't recover it until the ice gets thicker. I know a couple of years ago Tri State had 4 or 5 cars/trucks to recover but had to wait a couple of weeks before they could bring their equipment onto the ice.

Rick

W_B · Feb 3, 2016

My younger brother was married to a girl in MN and working up there. He was drunk (as usual) and saw cars out on the ice on the other side of the lake. He thought it a good idea to drive out on the ice. Got out maybe 100 ft. and broke through and went under. Luckily for him someone saw him go down and was able to pull him out. Had to pay a fine and big bucks to get the car out. He's no smarter now than he was then however, but lives in FL so no ice diving.

JML755 · Feb 3, 2016

(quoted from post at 21:58:20 02/02/16)
We just had a 30 year old guy and his 4 year son drop thru the ice here, both dead. I don't understand, how anybody could think it was safe out there. It had been in the mid 50's!! There was a couple inches of water on top of the ice. Sad that they died, but wtf?

I agree with wtf! I tested the ice on my pond Sunday here in Michigan. It was solid with about 4-5 inches but there was water all over the surface and temperatures rising. I was standing one foot on the dock, one hand on a post. No way would I trust walking across it, let alone a lake. I couldn't believe they were on it Monday morning (there were others as well). Sad to see 2 people die, especially a 4 yr old, but it was entirely preventable.

ss55 · Feb 3, 2016

Ice conditions can vary at different spots on the same lake. Shallow water, deep water, underwater springs, water currents, depth of snow cover, exposure to the wind, recent air temperatures, sheltered bays, aeration, stream water flowing into the lake and water flowing out can all affect the thickness and quality of ice at each spot. Locals often know the lakes well and make the major hazards, but it's still best to check the ice yourself before taking risks. Gas powered ice augers make that a lot easier.

DENNIS MIN · Feb 3, 2016

Russ mn,

I am pretty sure folks drown in non-ice months. Perhaps they should close all lake access?

The thousands of $ being spent, well, if we, as a state, would not allow (pubic subsidy) rescue or recovery of bodies, then the families of those lost could support or deny recovery.

D.

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