<" }}^ >< Ice Fishing Tip #47
While the lake was forming ice several years back, we received little snow, the ice formed clear as glass. When I walked up to the edge of the clear ice an eerie feeling came across me as I glared at it wandering if it was an allusion and just how thick is it.
Behind me the ice was white and about 15 inches thick. But now I saw a 5-foot Gar Pike slowly swimming by just below my feet. Talk about your glass bottom boats.
Knowing the lake I was standing over 40 feet of water, this is not where I wanted to be if the ice was thin. I grabbed my hand auger and started to cut a hole. I gave up after reaching 10 inches of depth. Quite confident that the ice was now safe enough to cross the lake I pressed onward.
I passed over a 100 feet of clear ice before I saw any imperfections. I came upon a crack that resembled a ray of a northern light. Reflecting the sunlight in a spectrum of colors. (pretty to say the least) I could definitely see that the ice was a good 20 inches thick. But other than the crack showing the thickness, you wouldn’t be able to tell that the Ice was more than a half-inch.
(To this day I am still leery of not seeing nothing but darkness below my feet)
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Lookie See what the kids are up to.
Dave T. Clown