Ice Fishing Safety

[AlumniClub]

The text below is from the DNR's website.


Please review for important safety information for Ice fisherman. These safety precautions should also be observed when Winter Steelheading as well.

Each winter, an estimated two million anglers will venture out onto frozen lakes, streams and bays of the Great Lakes to fish through the ice. Some of the most sought-after species in the winter include walleye, northern pike, sturgeon, perch, bluegill, crappie, lake trout, and smelt.

Each year, however, there are recreational ice-related accidents and fatalities on ice-covered bodies of water -- often the cause of poor judgment or poor decision-making based upon inadequate information. No ice is safe. Anyone who decides to go out onto a frozen body of water must make a personal decision to do so, realizing that there is a degree of risk associated with this choice. Ice seldom freezes at a uniform rate. What constitutes a safe depth of ice is difficult to apply in all cases. While three-inches of ice on a farm pond may pose little danger, that same three inches on a moving stream or lake with springs, stumps and currents could be very dangerous. On the Great Lakes, one step from three-foot ice may lead to nothing more than skim ice on the next step. For these reasons, the Department of Natural Resources does not advocate the use of relative ice thickness guides. It is crucial that anglers, and others considering recreating on the ice, take individual responsibility in evaluating the quality and soundness of the ice on the particular body of water in question.

While attempting to apply ice thickness guides to all ice-covered waters is not recommended, some of the following safety precautions may prove useful:

Wear a personal flotation device and don't fish alone.
Leave information about your plans with someone -- where you intend to fish and when you plan to return.
"Know before You Go." Know the conditions of the ice before venturing out; taking into consideration recent possible effects changes in the weather have had on the ice.
Children should ALWAYS be supervised on the ice.
Use an ice spud bar or an auger to test the ice ahead of you.
Before venturing out onto the ice, check with local sources, such as bait and tackle shops, for the most up-to-date information.
Avoid ice formed over flowing water near shore, around inlets and outlets of streams, or on lakes with springs.
Avoid aeration devices such as warmwater bubblers used near marinas.
Early winter freezes and thaws, occurring now in the Upper Peninsula and in the northern Lower Peninsula, render ice unsafe for any type of traffic, especially in December and early-January. Temperature fluctuations typically occurring in March and April will again make for uncertain ice.
Be suspicious of gray, dark or porous spots in the ice as these may be soft areas. Ice is generally strongest where it is hard and blue.
Heavy snow cover insulates ice and prevents it from freezing as evenly and as quickly as it would if the snow weren't there. Snow cover is also deceptive and makes evaluating the ice cover difficult.
Be especially wary of river ice, as it can be highly variable in thickness due to the erosive action of the underlying river current. One can be standing on ice eight-inches thick on a river and just a few feet away, the ice may be only two-inches thick.
Carry a couple of large nails and a length of light nylon rope. If you should go through the ice, the nails could help provide a "grip" on the slippery surface and aid in getting out.
Should you break through the ice, try not to panic. Remember to turn toward the direction you came from -- toward the ice that supported you. Use the nails or your hands to gain a hold on the unbroken surface of the ice, and advance by kicking your feet.
Once you are out of the water and are lying on the ice, don't stand! Roll away from the point where you broke through until you are on solid ice.
If you do see someone fall through the ice, do not run toward them. Carefully extend a rope, ladder, pole or line to the victim.
Making it a point to have good information about the quality of the ice before venturing out, assuming personal responsibility, exercising caution and having safety gear available will not make a recreational outing on the ice risk free -- but it will certainly help to reduce the risk.


GB2
Source: D.N.R. website