# Ice thickness question.



## jobu (Sep 15, 2005)

I tried ice fishing last year during the long period of colder weather. Loved it! At the time, the ice was over a foot thick so thickness was not and issue. I want to get out this season, but want to be safe about it. I am about 260-270 lbs so I'll need a little more thickness than you smaller guys. How thick would the ice have to be for you to be "comfortable". I'm talking comfortable with little to no "pucker factor", and no bow in the ice. Please list your approximate weight too. As a noob, I'm trying to get an idea of "safe" ice thickness here. I know that there are different types of ice with some being stronger than others. Let's say that its not really weak porous ice, but the strong solid black ice either. Let's say it of medium strength. Thanks in advance for your replies. I'd rather not have to take a swim to learn about this. I'm sure a fair number of you have.


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## hardwaterfan (Apr 6, 2004)

for me being totally comfortable i need about 4" of ice on ponds and about 6" on big lakes. i want to see the ice pretty clear when i drill, at least the bottom 2/3. id say thats medium strength. i dont want to see any water coming out of the hole. i dont want to see any areas where the ice has broken up and refrozen. im about 170. 

if you want to be safe follow in other peoples tracks. youll see the paths. footprints, shanty tracks, etc. 

shorelines are the trickiest areas.


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## zpyles_00 (Dec 15, 2004)

3" of really good hard ice would hold you all day long


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## leadcorebean (Jul 17, 2006)

well im 240 and i like to have atleast 4 inches any thing less and im not having a good time.. its not worth going in for a swim.. im sure u will get the same answer from everyone just use your better judgement or atleast take some safety gear


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## KSUFLASH (Apr 14, 2004)

4" for me as well. 

It isn't really the thickness that is the main factor. It is the quality of the ice. Clear ice is the best due to the fact that in order to have clear ice, you have to have a sustained cold period to get that clear ice. Cloudy ice is weaker.

Just because Ice is 12" in one part of the lake, doesn't mean it is that same thickness over the entire area. 

My friend almost died last year on a private lake due to the fact he walked over a weak spot on the ice that was created by a spring. He fell in and was all alone in 20' of water. The ice he tested was around 6" thick.

I have also seen idiots go on ice that is about 1" thick. They tie a rope off to themselves from land. That should get them the Darwin award for the year.

flash----------------------------out


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

im 275 and for me there is a huge difference between 3 and 4 inches of ice.
three will sag and crack water will come up through the holes. 4 is just fine. 

like was said before, if your fishing on 3 somewhere nearby may be 2. If your fishing on 4 somewhere nearby will be 3. Id rather accidetally walk on 3 over 2. A little riddle to remember for us big guys. 

4 we adore
3 wet feet
2 we go through!


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## yonderfishin (Apr 9, 2006)

I was told before that part of what makes ice be able to hold weight is that it floats. So if 6 or more inches of ice were to break , chances are that you wont just fall through very quickly but maybe slide to the edge or something because it floats so well. But its hard to imagine 3 or 4 inches floating very well and if the ice did break you could go right through quickly. Am I right ?


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

Yes ice floats but that also makes it more dangerous because you can get trapped under it if you are on a peice that breaks and you slide under it, then it covers your exit route. I think these are called "pie cracks" generaly where two pressure cracks meet you want to avoid. I guess it works like a revolving door. Ive never seen one but ive seen pictures. 

I dont think its possible for just a person to "break through" 6 inches of ice. ive seen people who step on weak spots near, springs, underwater weeds, cracks that have re-frozen, old holes late in the season,and current areas and go through.
People die every year though on lakes that are solid enough to drive on. Because they dont watch where they are going. No matter how thick the ice is you can still fall through in certain areas.


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

here is an example of why thick ice is still dangerous

http://www.kneedeepclub.org/Video/flow.WMV

http://www.kneedeepclub.org/Video/retrieve.WMV


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## swantucky (Dec 21, 2004)

Big Joshy said:


> here is an example of why thick ice is still dangerous
> 
> http://www.kneedeepclub.org/Video/flow.WMV
> 
> http://www.kneedeepclub.org/Video/retrieve.WMV


Very interesting, any information on what causes someting like this to happen??


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

when ice freezes it expands which causes pressure cracks. I think that this video is during late ice and it is thawing and the wind is blowing one ice sheet under another one. Not sure though


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## Ted Dressel (Dec 16, 2006)

I'm 165.I like my ice to be 5''to feel safe.


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## swantucky (Dec 21, 2004)

4" for me to feel "safe", but I have fished on far less, 6" for the 4-wheeler. BTW I am #225.


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## Bassnpro1 (Apr 6, 2004)

swantucky said:


> 4" for me to feel "safe", but I have fished on far less.


 ditto

I'm about 180. I've been on stuff that may have been shy of 2" not much fun


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## zpyles_00 (Dec 15, 2004)

I can't say that I haven't deserved a darwin award in my time. i've fished on 1-1/2" ice before and had to use a 5-6' foot long board to straddle the open edges just to get to the ice. But in my defense lol I was only fishing in 3 feet of water. Also some of the best ice fishing days i've ever had, has been on those days where no one has any business being on the ice. 

If I were to ever go through, I personally would want to go straight down. The "slide" effect is the worst that can happen. It slides you under & away from where you entered the water. And it's extremely hard to keep you eyes open in that cold of water to even look where your hole is. not to mention it's really dark under the ice.


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## icefisherman4life (Aug 5, 2007)

im in the 260 to 270 range and ive been on 3in. before a little pucker...but i feel good about 4in. or more...i was fishin c5 (nimisilla) last year early had 3in. and seen a guy go through. but it was his fault he walked away from the pack and on brown ice...and the way he tested it was he was jumping on it...stupidist thing i ever saw. it was about 7ft of water im thinkin..and just to let folks know dont jump on the ice like that and when u get your tail pulled out dont sit on the ice and look at your equipment for 20 min then go to your truck and walk right back out on the ice with a regular rod with a trebble hook and try to get your stuff....a little somethin called hypothermia.


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## cramerk (Aug 3, 2005)

LAst Feb. I was out on Erie and heard a big scratching sound, then the a large boom! I ended up on my ars and between my group and catawba was 2 feet of water. Looked just like what the video showed. My buddy who lives and captains on the lake said it was just two sheet of ice shifting under another. HE walked right up to the crack and walked across. Needless to say, I had a large stripe in my undies! This was on 6 clear ice with 1 inch of slop.


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## yonderfishin (Apr 9, 2006)

The videos show what looks like some decently thick ice, if it were any thinner those guys so close to the expanding crack would have been swimming. Looks like the bouyant nature of the ice is what actually held them up.


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## jobu (Sep 15, 2005)

Thanks for the info everyone. Looks like 4"-6" is what most are saying. I'll set 5" as a personal minimum until I get more comfortable and learn a bit more about ice and its behavior. From what you guys have posted, it seems to act strange at times. Lots of do's and dont's on here:

Do:
Look for and avoid broken up and refrozen ice
Follow in other people's tracks
Be cautious around the shoreline areas
Make sure you have the proper safety gear
Check for ice quality (clearer is better, cloudy is worse)
Avoid known springs or other flowing/moving water
Avoid weak ice caused from weeds
Avoid brown ice

Do NOT:
Assume that ice is ever completely safe
Tie a rope to yourself to walk on thin ice (I can't believe people do this!)
Test ice thickness by jumping on it.

Anything else?


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## hardwaterfan (Apr 6, 2004)

just the one thing about water creeping out of the hole. it means the ice is bowing a bit. i dont like it, its an instant +10 on the PF scale. this is something to watch for not only right away but even for up to 15 minutes or so after you drill and start fishing. bad news.


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

one more thing i would add to that list. especially on larger bodies of water
do not assume that just because it was safe one day that the next day it will be the same. cracks are always opening, and current can eat away at the ice from the bottom up espcially late in the season near tributaries.


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## cramerk (Aug 3, 2005)

also make sure u follow the path on the way out. dont just assume that when u see a group fishing a mile or so offshore that u can walk a straight line to them. Try to follow the sled path which may actually be a few miles in length but will get u to your spot in the safest route... Avoid Jams!


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## KSUFLASH (Apr 14, 2004)

All I see right now is a sunny day out there....and no freezing temps....Hell we might never get ice this year....

flash------------------------------out


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## rolland (Jan 8, 2008)

Bigdaddy gave us a safty sheet @ the ice fishing talk @ gander mountain this week. If your new to ice fishing I would suggest seeing this, he did an awsome job of opening my eyes to a lot of things I would have never though of.

List says
1' you get wet
2' you get wet
3' ok for 1 cross country skier
4' 1 angler + gear 200 pounds
5' 1 snow mabile 800 pounds
6' ice boating
7' groups of people 1500 pounds

I have only ice fished as a kid once, this is just coppying of the sheet provided to us by OGF.


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## BFG (Mar 29, 2006)

Those cracks develop in nearly the exact same places on Erie everytime she freezes...

My buddy was out there off Crane Creek last year when the "big split" occured...knocked one of his buddies off his bucket. 

Opened up a 18" crack...which they stepped over on the way back in. 

No frickin' ice is 100% safe...keep those screwdrivers around your neck.


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## swantucky (Dec 21, 2004)

I follow this: WHEN IN DOUBT SPUD YOUR WAY OUT. This has kept me from swimming more times than I care to remember.


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## Papascott (Apr 22, 2004)

Randy, you would not believe me if I told you how many people ask me, " why is there a spud bar mounted to your dog sled"? I always smile and tell them they should probably be fishing with a guide for a few trips if they need to ask.

Scott


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## swantucky (Dec 21, 2004)

What is worse than that is there are guys that scratch their head and wonder what a spud bar is. Lucky for me I had Polish Grandfather and I inherited more spuds than I could ever hope to use. I never saw him use an auger, EVER!!


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## swantucky (Dec 21, 2004)

After giving the above post some thought this is the wrong forum to be a smart-ass. A spud is a heavy iron bar that is somewhat sharp on the business end about 5' long, shorter for little guys like Scott. It should weight at least 20# or more. It is a probe, you reach out with it as far as you can comfortably reach and hit the ice as you walk. If it sounds funny (you will learn the sound) back up the way you came or worse if it crashes through the ice back up in a hurry. I have gone from 6" of ice to one spud hit into water in 3 steps. If you want to venture on the ice alone a spud is more important than a fishing rod.


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## hardwaterfan (Apr 6, 2004)

another thing, trust your gut instinct (after it develops). last time i went through i knew i shouldnt have been where i was. i knew i was pushing my luck an i paid for it. 

theres unreasonable fear (seen that a lot... fear of noises, fear of the unknown, fear from lack of experience), then theres fear because you know what youre doing is dumb.


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## 1977 walleye guy (Mar 11, 2006)

What I have gleaned most from this thread is I apparently have been playing russian roulette for the last couple of ice seasons............OK so since I can make one at the shop tonight (gov't project), What is the typical weight, length of the ice spud? I see Randy posted his info., is that about the ave. for one?


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## tomb (Oct 9, 2004)

I agree with Hardwaterfan. I fell through on my first trip out last year, pushed my luck when I knew better. Don't ignore the voice in your head telling you you're being dumb just because your slammin' the fish. You won't see me on three inches of ice anymore.


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## yonderfishin (Apr 9, 2006)

They had a lot of ice spuds for sale in wal mart in Alpena , as well as the big thick black plastic sleds for hauling your gear in. Those spuds looked like spray painted rebar about 4 to 5 feet with a small T welded on one end and a 3X4 or 3X5 inch chisel welded at the other. But they have spuds for sale here at menards and tractor supply I belive that are a little different and maybe a few dollars more ....havent checked the price yet.


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## jobu (Sep 15, 2005)

Guess I'm gonna need a spud too!


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