# How do you spud?



## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

I get the fact that alot of this comes with time on the ice,knowing what to look for on the ice,and knowing what your personal spud bar can do for yourself. 
But how do you guys go about spudding to a location? 
I have a heavy chiseled BPS 2 pc spud bar given to me by quackpot. 
So far my rule of thumb- if I go through it less then 4 hits in the same spot I do not continue on(I should add,I am fairly new to ice fishing). If I go thru on the 4th hit I continue with caution. 
Out of the 50 plus fisherman I've seen walk out this season. Maybe 5 of them was spudding. Now I realize some of those guys are following there own paths from prior trips. But not all of them. People are either crazy,or I just really value my life. 
So anyways. How do you guys spud,what keeps you from proceeding on. What prevents you from proceeding on? What spud are you using?


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## bobberbucket (Mar 30, 2008)

Saugeyefisher said:


> I get the fact that alot of this comes with time on the ice,knowing what to look for on the ice,and knowing what your personal spud bar can do for yourself.
> But how do you guys go about spudding to a location?
> I have a heavy chiseled BPS 2 pc spud bar given to me by quackpot.
> So far my rule of thumb- if I go through it less then 4 hits in the same spot I do not continue on(I should add,I am fairly new to ice fishing). If I go thru on the 4th hit I continue with caution.
> ...


Three solid hits or 4 like your currently doing is fine most of the time. Your not just checking thickness your feeling the ice quality with the bar. You’ll feel exactly how hard it is and what degree of hardness and thickness your comfortable fishing. The more you use it the better Ice judge you’ll be. 

When the ice starts to go down hill it will start to rot . Rotten ice is a very dangerous thing it could be 6” thick but super soft & brittle like a solid snow cone. Never trust any ice especially that stuff! You will feel the difference with the spud 

Just keep after it after you get the feel then you can start to learn to read the ice by sight and feel. 


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## General (Oct 28, 2009)

Check out this quick tutorial out of “how to” properly spud bar your way onto safe ice. This video clip is be fueled by the countless videos being... | By Hardwater Freaks | Facebook


27K views, 253 likes, 5 loves, 28 comments, 149 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Hardwater Freaks: Check out this quick tutorial out of “how to” properly spud bar your way onto safe ice. This video...




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Pretty good video


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## Morrowtucky Mike (May 2, 2018)

Personally I hit it only once. If it’s good clear ice I continue on. If it’s a virgin location I’ll usually drill a hole every so often after I spud just to confirm everything. If the spud buries very far I’m hitting it again and probably drilling a hole to investigate. Usually good solid ice just chips when hit. I’m thinking my spud is a Rapala brand and it has some heft to it.


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## fishnguy (Apr 14, 2004)

With the ice continuing to build like it is now I only spud outside of others paths out. I have a homemade heavy spud bar that most wouldn't carry due to its weight. Once I leave the path traveled by others and head out to my own area I strong punch 1 time maybe twice and I can tell what I'm dealing with. Never got a boot wet in 25 years of ice fishing.


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## RStock521 (Jul 17, 2008)

I'm using the Cabela's 1-piece spud, it's not too heavy which is why I'm using it. I have a 2-piece Eskimo, but it's pretty heavy and I found myself not wanting to use it as often. If I'm testing new waters, I'll jab it into the ice as hard as I can 3 times, if no water, I'll take another step, jab 3 times, and so on and so on. I too see a lot of people, especially non-fisherman, just walking onto the ice. I especially hate when I see kids out there with their parents. 

I was at Edgewater on Wednesday, and a mom who was out a little ways (in the open area between the marina and breakwall) asked me if I could get a fish (dead shad) out of the hole for her son. I said sure, and started walking her way and spudding since they were in an area that I knew was newer ice, and the spud was going through in two hits once I got to the new ice/pack ice transition. I told her I wasn't going out there and showed her how the spud was going through in just a couple hits. Thankfully she got the point and got her two kids and they left. I've been fishing a lot at Rocky River this week by the marina, and I'm amazed at how many people just waltz out there with no spud. River ice is especially dangerous due to the current.


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## RMK (Feb 21, 2017)

my first trip to indian earlier this year... i was amazed at the lack of spudding. and this was when there was very thin ice (not passible less than 2") in the area we were in. big circle where somebody fell through and an area of very thin ice on the main channel that was impassable. i didnt see a single person with a spud out of the dozens of people out. i know of 2 guys that had been out the day before and maybe they checked it better then but i dont know. we started out following them out. i spudded, even while following their path. and checked a few times outside of their path and found a couple spots that went through in 2 hits. "spud goes through in 2 so will you!" 3 hits with mine i feel comfortable, 2 I could be on it if i needed too but i wont be comfortable. that same day walking in we passed a couple kids heading out that were going to go right through a thin spot i found while we were walking out. thin spot in deep water. i told them it was pretty thin that way and they turned around. no spud, no picks, no lifejacket. just out walking pulling their gear. long answer but it just amazes me people see others out and think its good to go everywhere. its not. ever. wind, current, depth, aerators, geese, some jack wagon cutting a 4' square in the ice, spot where somebody or somebodies vehicle went through.....


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## HappySnag (Dec 20, 2007)

following their path.made me swiming.
it was late season,we had litle snow over night -10 and winchiled -36.i got to lake afternoon 6 shanties in mitel by bouy line mosquito lake,i told myself do not walk rondamly just falow the path,fresh foot print from morning.i am walking and bam i was in water up to my chest,i push the sled and my fishing stuf tords mitel lake,then i was going 50' on my nees,then i stand up and i say i am not going swiming back in that hole.i went to mitel lake sit on chear dump the water fro mykymose boots and i told myself if you feel cold you have to go home first sighn.i setup tip ups no shantie and i walked to guys with shantie and i told themi was swiming,they should wach for the hole when they get out.30 minutes later 6 shenties go on.i stay til dark hit few crapie and mis eyes,i would stay longer ,but in my head was quastion.will i go around hole fine?i packed walked back to the hole and new foot print went around hole i falow them bam i was in water up to my neck,i push my stuf out,only now i feel how the water was cold.i strip in parking lot found dry jacket and pantc in my van,put the on and went home.
the safe path got me 2 times in one day.


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## ltroyer (Feb 6, 2013)

I use just a spud bar 2 good whacks if it produce water or goes through it to thin for me .it's different for everyone how I learned was spud n then drill a hole check the thickness .if I fished a area before I still spud if I venture to a different area.freaks me out how many walk out onto ice without checking as they go


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Great replies everyone. Thanks. 
Happy that's some scary stuff,and glad I've learned not to just follow the path. But will spud my own path. 
I should of added I will also drill test holes to see what I'm working with and will now pay more attention to what my spud/ice does why spudding near my test holes. I've been fishing a shallow pond the last few days and have found what I believe to be under water springs,creating unsafe ice. 
If it wasn't for this website I wouldn't even of known what spudding the ice was. Never heard of it before I started. 
Lots to learn but I'm getting there. And so far have stayed top side. But I'm not gonna risk it either. I can always find a river to fish.


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## fishnguy (Apr 14, 2004)

HappySnag said:


> following their path.made me swiming.
> it was late season,we had litle snow over night -10 and winchiled -36.i got to lake afternoon 6 shanties in mitel by bouy line mosquito lake,i told myself do not walk rondamly just falow the path,fresh foot print from morning.i am walking and bam i was in water up to my chest,i push the sled and my fishing stuf tords mitel lake,then i was going 50' on my nees,then i stand up and i say i am not going swiming back in that hole.i went to mitel lake sit on chear dump the water fro mykymose boots and i told myself if you feel cold you have to go home first sighn.i setup tip ups no shantie and i walked to guys with shantie and i told themi was swiming,they should wach for the hole when they get out.30 minutes later 6 shenties go on.i stay til dark hit few crapie and mis eyes,i would stay longer ,but in my head was quastion.will i go around hole fine?i packed walked back to the hole and new foot print went around hole i falow them bam i was in water up to my neck,i push my stuf out,only now i feel how the water was cold.i strip in parking lot found dry jacket and pantc in my van,put the on and went home.
> the safe path got me 2 times in one day.



How thick was the ice once you were able to drill a hole for your tip-ups?


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## HappySnag (Dec 20, 2007)

fishnguy said:


> How thick was the ice once you were able to drill a hole for your tip-ups?


8"


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## HappySnag (Dec 20, 2007)

when you falow 4wheeler trail on lake erie,make sure that is not air boat trail,they are heavy and some time they bust true ice making big hole frozen only on top 1/2".


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## BIGDADDYDB (Jul 1, 2006)

My spud is one of the 2pc Eskimos that is like 12lbs...I weigh 185 and based on MY experience with MY spud bar, if one solid whack doesn’t produce water I’m not going in. However, the feedback from that one whack will tell me if another is needed or something is not quite right and by and large I’m quite skittish. I’ll admit once I get a feel for an area on a given day, drill multiple holes etc, my guard tends to come down and the monster spud goes back in the sled but I wear a suit and always have my picks...kinda like your car, lots of safety features to keep you from getting in an accident but a seat belt and air bags in case you do. This is my personal level of risk tolerance, ymmv


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