Ice conditions on Crystal Lake (Beulah)

[FlightsRin]

Any word on the conditions of Crystal Lake in Beulah. Was thinking of driving up again this weekend to do some smelt fishing. Just curious as to what the weather has done to the ice. Thanks.

[PINKSTEEL]

Any word on the conditions of Crystal Lake in Beulah. Was thinking of driving up again this weekend to do some smelt fishing. Just curious as to what the weather has done to the ice. Thanks.

I'm looking for some info too :confused:

Any locals out there that can share the ice conditions :help:

[Huffy]

Sorry guys, ice is all gone. No need for you to come up. :evil:

Just kidding. I haven't had a chance to drive out and see what the ice is like after yesterday's warm temps and rain. I'll try to get out there tonight to check it out and let you know.

[icechaser]

A group is headed to Crystal from Muskegon next week. Curious about the smelt bite and amount of ice. Enough ice for quads?? Thanks in advance for any info.

[PINKSTEEL]

A group is headed to Crystal from Muskegon next week. Curious about the smelt bite and amount of ice. Enough ice for quads?? Thanks in advance for any info.

I just seen this on Iceshanty.com:

QUOTE-"i have some friends up there right now and they said the ice is ranging from 4-10 iches thick. 4 hits with a spud and your threw. not to safe but its holding the quad. shore is iffy in spots. be safe and good luck!"-QUOTE

I just heard of a guy going through the ice by me on White Lake in Whitehall. I'm gonna hold off untill Sunday......it's always better to go with out fishing for 1 day than to go with out fishing for ever :sad:

[FlightsRin]

Looking at heading up tomorrow night, how is the ice off Lobb? Thanks.

[Michigander1]

Looking at heading up tomorrow night, how is the ice off Lobb? Thanks. Swear i just read 2 guys died up there on the lake.Carefull,Mich

[PINKSTEEL]

Looking at heading up tomorrow night, how is the ice off Lobb? Thanks.

Lobb rd is a real IFFY area right now with some spots with only a few inches(Lobb road is kinda near the place that those guys fell through and died :dizzy: ) but the East end has plenty of ice still with a average of 10" and some spots have over 14".

I'm heading up Sunday and will post monday on how I did plus Ice conditions........GOOD LUCK AND BE SAFE

[kwcharne]

Swear i just read 2 guys died up there on the lake.Carefull,Mich


I heard the same thing...Be Carefull

[UBDSLO1]

Yes, that is true, the 2 men did die, I believe in the Paul Oliver Hospital in Frankfort. Both were in very critical condition and passed away Friday? or early Sat. morning. Both were local guys that were preparing to take a group out on the ice, very sad and very tragic.
Use extreme caution out there!!!

[NATTY BUMPO]

Use extreme caution out there!!!

Both guys who went thru that ice on Friday morning were locals and very experienced with ice fishing on Crystal. They were on a snow machine.:rant:

I wouldnt go on that ice for $100M bucks.

NB

[TDI]

Both guys who went thru that ice on Friday morning were locals and very experienced with ice fishing on Crystal. They were on a snow machine.

Very experienced?

Two men die after snowmobile plunges through ice on Crystal Lake

by Theresa D. McClellan | The Grand Rapids Press Friday February 13, 2009, 3:00 PM


Update at 3 p.m.
BENZIE -- The men who went through the ice on Crystal Lake today have been identified as Ronald Wilkins, 57, of Frankfort and Elwood Holmquist, 54, of Benzonia. The two men riding one snowmobile plunged through the thin ice as the other half of their ice-fishing party watched in horror from shore, said Benzie County Sheriff Rory Heckman. The men were taking the fishing gear out to a spot with the intention of returning to shore to pick up their friends. Those on shore were from Illinois and were unfamiliar with the lake and their location, said the sheriff.
Posted at 1:11 p.m.
BENZIE -- A treacherous rescue attempt on thin ice over Crystal Lake turned into a recovery effort early today. Two local men apparently died after their snowmobile plunged through thin ice on the west end of Crystal Lake in Benzie County, authorities said. It all started around 7:45 a.m. today when a fisherman saw what appeared to be a body in the water and called 911. Volunteer firefighter and Benzie County Sheriff's Deputy Mark Ketz was the first to reach one of the unconscious victims who was still floating. Wearing a cold water rescue suit, Ketz ran onto the ice, plunged into the open water and recovered the first victim, said Benzie County Sheriff Rory Heckman. He was helped by Frankfort Fire Chief Eric Luxford.
"It was a little treacherous, we broke through the ice a couple times," said the fire chief. The men were about 50 yards from shore, said the fire chief.
"I'm surprised they made it that far with the weight of the snowmobile," said the fire chief. Wearing a cold water rescue suit, Ketz got into the water and maneuvered one of the victims onto the edge of the ice while other rescuers from the Coast Guard pulled him to shore. They had to search for the other victim. "We were looking through the opening in the ice to see if we could see anything and that's when one of the coast guard members found the second body on the bottom of the lake," said the fire chief. The lake was about 30 feet deep where the second fisherman was found.
Luxford said the ice was only three to four inches thick and there was open water that could not be seen from the shore. "It (lake surface) was kind of deceiving," said the fire chief. "It was a combined effort, and we did what we could. Unfortunately, I'm sure they had been in the water at least a half hour," said the fire chief. The men have not been identified. One was from Frankfort and the other from Benzonia. The snowmobile will be recovered from the lake on Saturday by the Benzie County Sheriff's Dive Team.
This accident occurred in front of the Crystal Lake Yacht Club on M-22.
Authorities warn the ice on Crystal Lake in many areas is not safe. Fishermen are cautioned to avoid the ice and stay off lakes until the weather conditions improve, said the sheriff.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/02/two_men_die_after_snowmobile_p.html

[FlightsRin]

Not going to be going out there anytime soon. I had heard about the two men that died on Friday, that was why I was so leary about going out off Lobb. I know that was close to where they were. Guess, I will have to look into going to Higgins Lake, hear they still have good ice. Thanks again.

[NATTY BUMPO]

[QUOTE=TDI;2565943]Very experienced?

The stories that ran in the papers and news acounts here (TC RE ) said that both men were very experienced ice fishermen and had been fishing Crystal Lake almost every day since the ice was deemed "safe". They were in the act of setting up equipment for a group they were "guiding" when they went in the water. :( Close family friends and fishing pals were interviewed by the local press and gave that account.

I will spare the graphic details of how they recovered the body of the one guy lying in 30 ft of water.

WTH does a downstate reporter/paper know about this unfortunate incident anyways?:rolleyes:

NB

[swampbuck]

lots of ice on Higgins and the smelt bite is on.

[ice]

not sure where your talking about but my brother lives in traverse and said 3 guys fell through and died on saturday. 10 inches of honeycomb ice...be careful

[flagguy83]

not sure where your talking about but my brother lives in traverse and said 3 guys fell through and died on saturday. 10 inches of honeycomb ice...be careful
It was 2 guys. People always have to over due it:rant: I feel sorry for the familys. My step Dad was friends with both of them.:(

[Willie Tippit]

I just returned from the area....One guy a friend of mine knew..all they where going to do was go and check the ice and if it wasnt goood they were pulling there gear off the ice there friends were off shore and watch ed the whole thing happen and couldnt get to them in time plus they never saw them most probbly drown.. They said it possible one man got hooked on the sled and taken to the bottum .......the other was found 4 ft under the ice.....

[Barothy]

Fished Crystal Saturday afternoon and evening, SW side of the lake. Most shanties were lining the shoreline with about 5 - 6 inches of ice out where I was fishing. One shanty still out there had sunk down on one side about three or four feet. They'll have fun getting that one out. I had to wonder about the quad with two people on going by me considering the tragedy earlier. Smelt bite wasn't on, took home 29.

[PINKSTEEL]

Me and a few Buddy's went up to Crystal last night on 02/15/09 and caught 55 smelt and a nice Burbot 28" and about 6 or 7 lbs. I went out from Harris rd on the North East side of the lake and was fishing on 5" of ice and felt very safe but on the way out there we did find ice that was only about 2 or 3 inches thick so we went back to shore a little and walked East about 60 yards and then walked out and found much safer ice. My 4 Buddy's and I walked 2 by 2 about 30 yards a part and with the front guy spuding the hole each time and checked the ice every 50ft with slight fluctuations between 7" and 4" ...........THE ICE IS STILL KINDA SKETCHY SO BE VERY CAREFUL and GOOD LUCK

[fishbucket]

Me and a few Buddy's went up to Crystal last night on 02/15/09 and caught 55 smelt and a nice Burbot 28" and about 6 or 7 lbs. I went out from Harris rd on the North East side of the lake and was fishing on 5" of ice and felt very safe but on the way out there we did find ice that was only about 2 or 3 inches thick so we went back to shore a little and walked East about 60 yards and then walked out and found much safer ice. My 4 Buddy's and I walked 2 by 2 about 30 yards a part and with the front guy spuding the hole each time and checked the ice every 50ft with slight fluctuations between 7" and 4" ...........THE ICE IS STILL KINDA SKETCHY SO BE VERY CAREFUL and GOOD LUCK

Let me know when you want to go again, I'll gladly put my spud back to work. Now, time to cook up some smelt :corkysm55

[wally-eye]

They're supposed to get probably anywhere from 6 to 12 inches of snow up there by Friday afternoon which is really going to compound the ice issue........caution...

[PINKSTEEL]

Let me know when you want to go again, I'll gladly put my spud back to work. Now, time to cook up some smelt :corkysm55

No more 24 packs :dizzy: :lol: (I got your spring bobber, it fell off in the van)

[Huffy]

Not to change the subject, but I thought I'd let you guys know that I fished Green Lake on Saturday and Sunday nights. There was about 10" of ice (went out from the launch off Betsie River Road). The top 2 1/2 is white and honeycombed, but the bottom 7 1/2 is clear and solid.

The smelt in Green aren't very big, especially not compared to Crystal. But, the ice is safe, and the bite hasn't been that bad (with the exception of last night, I haven't had any problem catching 50+ in about 2 hours or so). It'd give you a place to catch some smelt to hold you over until the ice on Crystal tightens back up.

[flagguy83]

Higgins is the place to be

[Huffy]

Higgins is the place to be

Don't disagree; I'm actually headed to Higgins this weekend. I was just pointing out that there's safe ice on Green and an okay bite, in case there's some locals who can't/don't want to drive all the way to Higgins.

[Willie Tippit]

Huffy, Do you know where i can find pan fish on green lake???? Mark

[mkroulik]

anyone got an ice report for the lobb rd area?

Mike

[Huffy]

Huffy, Do you know where i can find pan fish on green lake???? Mark

Willie,

Unfortunately, I've only ever fished for smelt at Green because I do my pan fishing at other lakes that are closer to my house. If you start another thread about Green, I'm sure someone will see it and help you out.

[Willie Tippit]

Thanks Huffy

[FlightsRin]

Had a report today that there was some fishing picking up on Lobb rd. again. Has this cold snap tightened up the ice again?

[PINKSTEEL]

Had a report today that there was some fishing picking up on Lobb rd. again. Has this cold snap tightened up the ice again?

I'm going up Today and will give a report on Saturday......I'M GONE FISHIN

[Fisherman 6]

Also heading out tonight off lobb road will have a report on saturday.

[FlightsRin]

Thanks guys. Hoping I can head up tonight and get a mess of them for a meal, haven't had a chance to get up there much this year. :dizzy:

[Fisherman 6]

went out last night off lobb road ended up with around 60 smelt by myself. 6-7 in of good solid black ice were i was. saw quads and sleds on the ice. fished off to the right in about 40ft of water.there was also no snow on top of the ice as of last night but its been snowing here all day so i imagine there will be tonight. heading out again tonight will report tommorow.