12-19-2008, 03:29 AM
J & J,
My experience is that when you have bare ice and temperatures are in the range of 0 F to 20 F (staying below freezing all day is a must), the ice will freeze at about 1" per day until it is 3" thick and then it slows to about 1/2" per day. After it is 4" or so it is usually safe as a general rule unless you are dealing with springs, current or large tension cracks. The key for what I just told you is that it must be bare ice.
All bets are off when ice is snow covered. The most dangerous conditions occur with the weather conditions that occurred this year as the ice formed. When ice forms as the snow is coming down, you get voids and inconsistent density. One could call it rotten ice. Then the snow insulation layer on top prevents the quick freezing that I just described.
It is counterintuitive, but the safest ice is the clear stuff that scares the crap out of you. You can see the cracks and and it looks much thinner than it actually is, but clear ice is what I trust most. The conditions we have now are ideal for trouble. This is the year for "picks of life", long poles, lots of checking by testing spots with an axe as you go out and using your sled as a boat if you go in.
There is great advantage to living at the scene and watching daily for the tension cracks and last areas to freeze. Unfortunately, most of us don't live there and have to use our wits to figure it out at the scene. Following somebody else will not always keep you alive so I have never relied on that feature alone.
I am surprised to see many experienced ice fisherman ranting about how the ice is going to be safe based on temperatures alone. They are wrong.
FR
[signature]
My experience is that when you have bare ice and temperatures are in the range of 0 F to 20 F (staying below freezing all day is a must), the ice will freeze at about 1" per day until it is 3" thick and then it slows to about 1/2" per day. After it is 4" or so it is usually safe as a general rule unless you are dealing with springs, current or large tension cracks. The key for what I just told you is that it must be bare ice.
All bets are off when ice is snow covered. The most dangerous conditions occur with the weather conditions that occurred this year as the ice formed. When ice forms as the snow is coming down, you get voids and inconsistent density. One could call it rotten ice. Then the snow insulation layer on top prevents the quick freezing that I just described.
It is counterintuitive, but the safest ice is the clear stuff that scares the crap out of you. You can see the cracks and and it looks much thinner than it actually is, but clear ice is what I trust most. The conditions we have now are ideal for trouble. This is the year for "picks of life", long poles, lots of checking by testing spots with an axe as you go out and using your sled as a boat if you go in.
There is great advantage to living at the scene and watching daily for the tension cracks and last areas to freeze. Unfortunately, most of us don't live there and have to use our wits to figure it out at the scene. Following somebody else will not always keep you alive so I have never relied on that feature alone.
I am surprised to see many experienced ice fisherman ranting about how the ice is going to be safe based on temperatures alone. They are wrong.
FR
[signature]