good foot of ice

[lawnboy]

Last year when I started ice fishing we had a good foot of ice. So the question is how much do we need for a 300lb chunky plus gear?

Or do I just wait on shore and follow out a guy that looks bigger then myself?

[jpollman]

Well a lot of people here will say less. But I usually feel it's safe when it hits 6". I know that you can fish on less but there will always be thin spots. The extra couple of inches just gives me a bigger "comfort zone" to take into account the thin spots.

[Connor4501]

I like at least 3" but I'll walk on 2 1/2" when I'm in shallow water less than 3 feet. Put on the old chest waders just in case and I stay dry if I do hit a weak spot and go thru...:)

[William H Bonney]

Funny you should ask that,,, I was talking with a buddy today, and I said, "looks like we'll have enough ice this weekend" and he says,,, "you might,,, I'll need a few more days"( he's fat):rolleyes:

[WALLEYE MIKE]

4" is plenty to hold you. Even 3" of hard clear is safe for you.

Its not the thickness so much as it is the hardness. 1 foot thick of honeycomb and you might go for a swim.

[tony_1]

On 6" hard clear ice, I'll take my four wheeler, as long as I know the area. Its the honeycombed and white ice that I really don't trust.

Usual rule of thumb for me (clear hard ice)

2.5"- guys spread out across an area
3"- guys closer together
4"- 2 men in a shanty
6" four wheeler
8" snow-mobile

I never take a vehicle on the ice cause i have a four wheeler. But have seen cars/trucks spread out on 10-12'' of ice.

Currents and warm spells change things alittle bit

[kingfisher2]

Mike hit the nail on the head......clear ice is the key. I wouldn't go out without at LEAST 4" of clear ice.

Also, Conner you are really taking a risk wearing waders. In the case you do go through in water above your waders, you're sure to drown.

Just my opinion.

Marc

[chad 1]

Originally posted by kingfisher2

Also, Conner you are really taking a risk wearing waders. In the case you do go through in water above your waders, you're sure to drown.

Just my opinion.

Marc [/B]

I agree with you kingfisher2.
If those wadders fill up your done for :(
chad1

[Huntin Horseman]

If you have a wader belt on the water wont go in.

[chad 1]

You ever try to get yourself back on the ice with waders on?
I never done it on ice but I did it on a dock on walloon lake.
We just got done putting the last dock section out early spring. Went to hoist myself on to the dock and the next thing I knew I was taking my first swim of the year in that cold water.
I think the same would happen on ice with worse results.
I will not use waders on the ice belt or not!

chad1

[chrisg]

two inches in shallow water for me and three to four inches in deep water. I always carry a rope and never venture into the deep stuff without someone nearby. Those are my rules.

[Dead Bird]

my rule is ... no ice is safe.... and if I am aware of that my trips have been safe... I have had enough wet feet when I was younger....

[just ducky]

a couple of inches is fine in the shallows of Saginaw Bay because if you go through, you can stand up. I sometimes do wear waders when it's this shallow for this very reason, and the neoprenes keep you warm as well.

In deep water (i.e. where you can't stand up in it) I'd like about 4", and then space yourselves out good.

[William H Bonney]

I don't think his waders are going to fill with water if he goes through,,, unless of course he's 2 ft. tall. He said he wears the waders when fishing on ice that's 2.5" and water thats less than 3 feet.:rolleyes:

[Connor4501]

Yeah, William is right. I only wear those in very shallow water. The water would have to be over 4 feet deep for any water to get into my waders. Believe me, I learned my lesson many times when I was younger because I didn't think before venturing out on the ice. It's been quite a few years since I went thru and I would prefer to keep it that way!!!:)

[Sawcat]

Yep, when I was younger and the temp. would suddenly drop down to 10 or so overnight I was out there the next morning. Sometimes the ice would be so thin that I'd have to move every few minutes because the ice would sink and I'd be sitting in a large wet area. I remember a few times the ice was so clear it was strange walking around because you could literally see right through it to the bottom. Over the years the only time I ever went through was because of springs I was unaware of. Ah the idiocy of youth.
A few years back a large friend and I were out fishing when we saw some kids coming out on the ice in an area we knew wasn't safe due to springs. We yelled and tried to wave them back but all they did was wave back like we are old friends and they were coming to visit. Sure enough one of them went through and then the other. Rich and I sprinted across the ice to get to the kids when suddenly I remembered that the ice isn't safe over there. I yelled to rich a 350 pounder but it was too late he was in so now there are three people fighting for their lives on lk. Sherwood. I ran to shore and grabbed a coiled up hose off of someones deck, Rich was yelling to get the kids, which I was doing, I got them out pretty easily as they were closer to shore.
Rich was another matter he had been trying to roll out on the ice but every time he did a large chunk of ice would just break off and he'd go under again. By the time I got back around to where I could get to him he was almost done, he could not lift himself up anyore and was just saying to get back. I threw the hose to him but he could not hold it because he couldn't move his hands to well. I got him to wrap it around under his arms and get a knot in it and I tried to pull, HA ever tried to pull 350 pounds out of a hole while standing on a sheet of ice? I was really worried he might quit, I told him to try pushing himself up on the ice one more time, when he did I pulled on that hose for all I was worth. I had ice cleats on my boots (thank God) and when he cleared the surface of the ice I must have drug him 15' up onto good ice.
Never !! go out on ice without a partner, Rope, and cleats on your boots, If I hadn't had them on that day I never would have been able to move him. Be careful out there it's not worth dying over.

[Huntin Horseman]

Last year while beaver trapping my friend and I went on some ice on a river that was and inch or so thick and it was like walking on water. We didn't even have ot break ice to check our sets and we wached fish and muskrats swim right under us. Really cool but I would never make a habit of doing that.

[Can't Touch This]

Ummm, my brother was on 1 inch of ice on kent alke 2 weeks ago, rememeber that???LOL, i could've easily made it too, he is like 170, i am around 195, my dad was actually fine on it, hes about 230, but, he didn't want to stay on it, and moved to the 2 inch ice.....technecally, one inch is fine for walking on if your under about 250. But, even i wouldn't go out on one inch of ice in 8 feet of water, amybe if it was only about 4 feet, was on 11/2 inches of white/clear ice at the marina, but ,that is when i was like 9. I really like the 4-5 inches of clear solid ice, i feel plenty secure, and, its easy to cut through, last year we had WAY too much ice, remember cutting through 3' of ice at the dike, in southern michigan, that is NUTS. But, this weekend, we will have i am guessing at least 3(on kent) i am guessing up to about 5 even, cause, last tiem i checked, which was last week, it still had alot of skim ice on it, in fact, i seen it was actually still around one inch, but, more open spots

[William H Bonney]

I'll have to say,, I was a bit suprised on how "little" ice you really need to stand on. This past weekend, we had to bust through "almost" 2 " of ice to go duck hunting. We "cut" a large hole with the boat then threw the decoys in the middle. The water was around 2' deep and after we cut the hole you could step up onto the ice and walk around, NO PROBLEM!! And this wasn't even "clear" ice, it was all milky and honeycombed. I'm 6ft. and 180lbs. and that shotty inch and a half of ice, held me no problem. Now, with that being said,,, I would still NEVER go fishing on less than 3".:rolleyes:

[fishnfeathers]

I like 4" to make me feel good about walking around instead of like I'm walking on egg shells.