How do you tell how much ice there is on a lake? And how much do you want to stand on (160lb)
How do you tell how much ice there is on a lake? And how much do you want to stand on (160lb)
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by pelletslingin2114
!. Drill a hole. 2 would not go on ice unless there were aprox. 4"
I'm no expert, but when I first took up ice-fishing a few years ago, I did quite a bit or reading and research. As Joe (above) said, 4 inches seems a pretty firm consensus for walking; quite a few sources recommend 7 inches for driving a vehicle on (I suppose you'd have to say that depends on the vehicle...but, supposedly, that will handle most pickups.)
I've been told the nature of the ice makes a big difference, and that the numbers I mentioned are based on "clear" ice...don't count the snow on top of the ice. And don't count "mushy" ice.
Good luck.
Joe Beaderman wrote:
!. Drill a hole. 2 would not go on ice unless there were aprox. 4"
That is what I always heard 4 inches before a human should walk on it and 12 inches before driving on it
HenryG
Loc: Falmouth Cape Cod Massachusetts
Have to be carefull on large bodies of water late in the day on a warm sunny day 4" will crack with a bunch of fisherman in one spot fishing
If you go out on the ice and it feels solid and you don't fall through there is probably enough ice. If you fall through, then there isn't enough ice. You can measure the thickness then, if you want to. Really, if you need to ask the question it's best to stay on shore. Better to be on the shore, wishing you were on the ice than to be on the ice, wishing you were on the shore!
Alaska Charlie wrote:
If you go out on the ice and it feels solid and you don't fall through there is probably enough ice. If you fall through, then there isn't enough ice. You can measure the thickness then, if you want to. Really, if you need to ask the question it's best to stay on shore. Better to be on the shore, wishing you were on the ice than to be on the ice, wishing you were on the shore!
That's where the wife comes in
HenryG
Loc: Falmouth Cape Cod Massachusetts
What I'll usually do is ask in the fire or police departments they usually check the bodies of water out so that have no accidents of people falling through the ice
Spud your way out. I fish early ice but not the first one out to the middle. If I have 2 1/2” nearer the shore, I’ll catch pike when others would rather have more ice.
-hit twice and if it goes through, make a hole, reach in and feel how thick it is. The rest is up to you.
-get a pair of ice picks for cheap insurance.
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