# Anyone fall through the ice before?



## [email protected] (Jun 4, 2011)

Just wondering if anyone has any thin ice stories...

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## crappiewacka (Apr 7, 2009)

My brother and I were fishing a quarry about 15 years ago. It was in early March with ice starting to melt around edges but a good cap w/3-4" of white ice. We fished an area for crappie and caught a few in about an hour. We decided to head to an area along a steep bank with a large down tree in about 10 to 12' fow. He drilled the first hole, cleaned it out, stuck his hand down to gauge the thickness, came up and showed me how thick it was (about 3"), then he was gone!
I instantly laid down and watched him bob right back up. He was panic stricken, clawing and fighting his way up, breaking ice all around him. I slid my way to him, grabbed his hand and attempted to pull him on top while calming him down. 3/4 of the way out all ice broke all around us and we were both in. LUCKILY we were only about 60 feet from shore and only 30 feet to the trunk of the down tree. 
I broke a trail directly to the tree (pulling myself up and breaking ice) and after about 10 minutes (seemed like hours) we were both able to stand on the trunk.
We got to shore stood there awhile, dazed. I looked at him and his fingers were a bloody mess and his boots were gone. I looked at my hands and they too were shredded. He began to shake and vomit from the ordeal.
Eventually he regained himself and we began to take off our heavy outerlayer and walked back to the car.
We went back a couple hours later with a canoe to retrieve our gear still laying on the ice. It looked like someone had drug a deer out.
I still ice fish and that was my second fall thru, first not as bad. Him, however, never to return!


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## puterdude (Jan 27, 2006)

Use to ice fish all the time,loved it.I took chances just like they all do and have.One day while pulling duty at the firehouse we got a call from a frantic wife,her husband and his friend was missing,long overdue from a fishing trip on the ice the night before.Being on duty I had to go on the run to find out I knew both of the guys and actually fished & hunted with them both.We started looking for them and found thier 4 wheeler upside down in broken ice.The county dive team,what there was back then,was called and just before dark channel 10 tv's helecopter found what appeared to be a darker spot and radioed down to us.We recovered both bodies within the hour.To this day the picture of them both is burnt into my mind,skinned back finger nails,boots off both of them.it was horrible.To this day I can't get on ice no matter how thick it is.The odnr's statement rings personally true to me regarding ice on our lakes.That being"There is no such thing as safe ice"
I don't knock others that do it ,more power to them.I know it's a lot of fun and the excitement of watching that small float disappear in the hole still entices me today,but I just can't overcome the memories.So to those that do,be safe!


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

Puterdude,

Your story and others like it is why I ordered Josh a flotation suit with a hypothermia rating last year.

Sometimes you only get to make one mistake and have no chance to learn from it.


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

I was fortunate to be in shallow water both times. First time was at Maoquito and broke through near shoe, only up to my knees. Second time was up to my navel and that was a chilling experience to say the least.
Bought a survival suit after that.


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## quackpot (May 17, 2009)

Never went thru but have had a few times that have been very close. Really scary that's why I need 5 inches or I'm on the bank. Got my flotation suit last year and boy gets one this year.


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## [email protected] (Jun 4, 2011)

Yes 5" or I'm at home dreaming about fish...survival suit is the way to go...maybe next year

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## Minnowhead (Jan 12, 2011)

Puterdude and crappiewacka, thanks for sharing. I was bulletproof until I had my daughter. Now I think of my family before I do stupid things. I purchased an Artic Armor suit this year for the peace of mind. I hope I never go in, but if I do I want a chance to get out.


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## Jigging Jim (Apr 3, 2010)

I had stepped in a snow-covered Ice Hole once. The person who Spudded the Hole made it pretty big. I stepped in it and my whole right leg went into the water up to my Crotch. I was lucky - and only got a wet leg out of it. Next year I am hoping to buy a survival suit.


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## mrphish42 (Jan 24, 2008)

Twice in my pre 20 years.........Twice in the same year at post 65 years of age....Was on the cusp of giving it up after going thru 2 X in one season.......Old age catches up and the body reactions slow down......I can verify that going thru the ice at any age, will totally give one an event... life changing experience......Was going to give it(ice fishing) up last season after my great break thru events..........But pressure from my close group of fantastik and younger friends....to not give it up.......set me off on a journey to put a better degree of safety in still remaining a "ice walker"........My journey took me in the direction of floation suits...As my son is a fire/medic and does ice rescue work and training in the suits the fire dept. has .........Using that line of thought, sent me on an internet search of the various floation suits...and much to my delight..... I came across one of the newer suits on the market and it was with-in my price range....ARTIC ARMOUR (made by IDI Gear) is the name of the company and any one that views the video's on their site, can't help but come away in awe of just what this line of suits can do for you.The suit will float up to 850 lbs........Well, I'll just stop short of a sales pitch and say see for yourselves....How about I just mention some of my personal OGF friends that wear this out fit for their own personal welfare......LovinLife/Fish 2 Win/IcebucketJohn and his son/ Shortdrift/Bassmastermjb/mommabass and her dad/pappabass/quackpot..... Beginning to get the picture.........These suits only cost a little more than (Clam/Frabil/Vexilar Ice Fishing suit)...As for Me!!!!!!!!!!!! I haven't set foot on hardwater without my Artic Armour suit on and never will again........Oh Yes....One of our site advertisers MARKS LIVE BAIT in RAVENNA is a distributor of ARTIC ARMOUR Products ...Give Mark a call @ 330-221-5213.................


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## foundationfisher (May 12, 2008)

i just dropped the hammer on a floatation suit myself. looking back at the crazy things i've done on the ice over the last 30 years, i got to thinking what is my life worth. i fish gravel pits with steep banks. 3 steps out and you're in 20 fow. 4 inches is where i start. never went through, never plan to, but i'm prepared if i do.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

Artic Armour are great suits and in fact I plan on buying one from Mark soon, but please realize they are not survival suits, they are flotation suits. They have no hypothermia rating. There is a substantial difference in survivability

In most cases a flotation suit would be all you would need, it keeps you afloat and give you an opportunity to get out.

Over 35 years of ice fishing I've never fallen through. Got one foot wet at the edge of a pond 25 years ago.

I can tell you though that my butt is puckered everytime I'm on the ice I don't care how think it is, especially when I drove my vehicle on a lake in MI


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## craig (Feb 9, 2008)

Ive been into ice fishing hard for around the last 5 yrs, around 4 yrs ago my brother and I hit ff beach at buckeye and were probobly the first ones out, wich i wont b again, but we fished sucesfully for a couple of hours and we were pretty far out around the area that is 12 to 14 ft and were heading in to parking lot and those familar with that area know theres that big point off to the right when your walking back to the parking lot, well we decided to hit it for a few, drilled holes and fished like normal, then after packing up are gear we started to head to land and and walk around the cove instead of going back across to the parking lot, it was slick as snot and didnt have spikes on our boots so we figured it would b easier, well like any thing else when u least expect it it happens, my brother is about 15 ft from shore and im 10 ft back from him when I happend, I looked up just in time to see him dissapear then pop up thru the hole and had about enough time to think "holy #$%#" when It broke on me, all I can say is u are INSTANTLY in a different state of mind, it takes all the air out your body and thankfully we were close because we had to break the ice withour elbows till we could crawl out. It truly is some thing that you hope never happens again and never again will I be first out, hopefully u or any body else reading this never expieriences it because it might not turn out the same, BUT in the same, maybey thats part of why we risk it every year for the thrill of pulling that monster eye thru a 8 in hole, not much bettr than that. Be safe and enjoy the ice.


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## Sharp Charge (Jun 24, 2009)

craig said:


> *Ive been into ice fishing hard for around the last 5 yrs, around 4 yrs ago my brother and I hit ff beach at buckeye and were probobly the first ones out, wich i wont b again, but we fished sucesfully for a couple of hours and we were pretty far out around the area that is 12 to 14 ft and were heading in to parking lot and those familar with that area know theres that big point off to the right when your walking back to the parking lot, well we decided to hit it for a few, drilled holes and fished like normal, then after packing up are gear we started to head to land and and walk around the cove instead of going back across to the parking lot, it was slick as snot and didnt have spikes on our boots so we figured it would b easier, well like any thing else when u least expect it it happens, my brother is about 15 ft from shore and im 10 ft back from him when I happend, I looked up just in time to see him dissapear then pop up thru the hole and had about enough time to think "holy #$%#" when It broke on me, all I can say is u are INSTANTLY in a different state of mind, it takes all the air out your body and thankfully we were close because we had to break the ice withour elbows till we could crawl out.* It truly is some thing that you hope never happens again and never again will I be first out, hopefully u or any body else reading this never expieriences it because it might not turn out the same, BUT in the same, maybey thats part of why we risk it every year for the thrill of pulling that monster eye thru a 8 in hole, not much bettr than that. Be safe and enjoy the ice.



That is the longest sentence I've ever seen. lol Thanks to all for your stories. I've only been out on the ice twice at Wallace lake last year. I'll probably get a suit before venturing up to the Islands to give that a try.
Be safe!


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## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

There seems to be a common denominator here, and it's plain ignorance. I have also fallen through twice, due to ingnorance and stupidity just because I was younger, in shape and rarely thought about the consequences because nothing bad was going to happen to me. I hope and think I've gotten smarter and wiser at age 50. Both times I went through, like mrphish42, was late in the ice season, 65 degree day on 6 inches of ice. By the end of those days I was on less than 3" of gray ice and trying to get back to land. Even on a warm day it sucks going through, lost my brand new pair of boots along with minimal gear on the 2nd fall through.Bottom line is I asked for it and deserved what I got. Now, I won't go out on less than 5" of clear ice, have all the necessary safety equipment ,wear my Arctic Armor floatation suit and NEVER EVER go out alone on the ice.We wait every year for the ice season to start, and alot of guys take unnecessary chances just to be the first ones on or the last ones off the ice each year. Bottom line is it's better to be safe than sorry, because the 1 mistake or lapse in judgement you make might be your last.........Mark


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## ironman172 (Apr 12, 2009)

I had one leg go through at Alum by the dam....10inches of good clear ice and I find a 2in soft spot....opened it up and saw air bubbles coming from the bottom, and this was in 20ft of water....real lucky that day, I just drilled a few new holes and was going to move....I might have been sitting in the chair by one of the new holes . ...I was walking fast back to get my gear when I went through and the momentum kep me moving forward and NOT all the way in

I was told by ice boats there are many soft spots out on Alum like this....so beware and don't go alone like I was that day....never again will I go alone, just isn't that important to catch fish and take a chance like that

.


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## walleyehunter (Apr 29, 2004)

i've been ice fishing for 30 years and have fallen in twice. both times i did not hear the ice crack i just took a step and the next thing i was in the water. both times i was in a hurry and tried to take a short cut across ice that did not look good. the first time i was very lucky i was by myself at Findlay res. went down to my waist it was not that hard to get out. the second time i was on lake Erie and went completely under i thank God i came up in the hole i fell through, my friend was right there to pull me out. i will be buying a survival suite also. not sure where the best place is to get one. Larry


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## [email protected] (Jun 4, 2011)

Have to say ironman's story freaks me out a bit....always thought 10" of ice you wouldn't have to worry about that....1st time on the ice last year. But will def. Be more careful this year thanks to all for sharing their stories

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## ironman172 (Apr 12, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> Have to say ironman's story freaks me out a bit....always thought 10" of ice you wouldn't have to worry about that....1st time on the ice last year. But will def. Be more careful this year thanks to all for sharing their stories
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


I sure thought the same....I can only think the air bubbles was creating current and from 20ft down some warmer air in the bubbles too....all around the hole was good ice...in the one picture you can see a hole I just got done drilling....I scraped the snow around and piled it up around the hole to mark it....Never again for me..... I was warned a few years before from another icer of a soft spot further from the dam....that's when we had 16inches of ice....I thought right....I am a believer now and always


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## crappiewacka (Apr 7, 2009)

bassmastermjb said:


> There seems to be a common denominator here, and it's plain ignorance...... Bottom line is it's better to be safe than sorry, because the 1 mistake or lapse in judgement you make might be your last.........Mark


Amen! Mistakes ARE avoidable!


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## FISNFOOL (May 12, 2009)

This will be my first season on the hard water. Would snowshoes help on the ice or would they just be too slippery? I was thinking that by spreading your weight over a larger area, it would help reduce the chance of break through.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/used-us-military-magnesium-snowshoes-with-bindings.aspx?a=917889


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## Steel Cranium (Aug 22, 2005)

Went through at Wallace lake in about 20' of water - to my neck - caught the edge of the hole with my elbows on the way down. Left bruises all the way down my sides. Over 12" of solid ice in a very cold January. Turns out that some geniuses fished the night before by hacking 3' by 3' (or so) holes with a bar or chainsaw so they would have a big opening in their shanty. The temps were in the single-digits with some snow in the early morning so couldn't see the holes unless you stood high above the lake. I wear neoprene waders as one of my outer layers when ice fishing so really didn't get too wet. I also carry spuds around my neck so getting out was easy. When reviewing the south part of the lake with a ranger (I reported the conditions so they could flag the lake), we could see the darker spots in the snow where the holes were cut with an outline of where the shanty was around them.

I also went in partially when fishing a lake in the U.P. with over two feet of solid ice. We walked over a spring in shallower water where there was only an inch or two of ice. Fortunately, we were walking instead of taking the four-wheelers.


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## nixmkt (Mar 4, 2008)

FISNFOOL said:


> This will be my first season on the hard water. Would snowshoes help on the ice or would they just be too slippery? I was thinking that by spreading your weight over a larger area, it would help reduce the chance of break through.


If spreading your weight to reduce the chance of breaking through is a concern, whatever ice you are thinking about going on is nowhere near thick enough for you to venture out on! Never tried snowshoes but they may be some benefit if you are slogging through deep snow, but on bare ice they most likely would be too slippery.

Keep asking questions. Nothing is too silly or stupid to ask about. There are plenty of experienced folks on here willing to share their knowledge. Best is to find one or more veteran icers near you that you can talk with and go out on the ice with. Starting out fishing on the ice is not something that you should do on your own.


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## Saugeyeaddict (Oct 22, 2011)

Yeah. My post is down a bit nearly met my maker. I was by myself and had the common denominator going for me: stupidity. I was in water for what seemed like 3 hours but was more like 20+ minutes. Doc told me had i been older or out of shape, I'd probably had a heart attack. Definitely shocks you when you go all the way in to 30 degree water. Imagine a non stop ice cold shower + plus gasping for breath then reality set in that u just may pass out, not get out, and/ or die. Wouldn't wish this on anyone.


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## crappiewacka (Apr 7, 2009)

FISNFOOL said:


> This will be my first season on the hard water. Would snowshoes help on the ice or would they just be too slippery? I was thinking that by spreading your weight over a larger area, it would help reduce the chance of break through.
> 
> Usually the lakes are wind blown and no need for snow shoes. I would believe they would benefit for weight displacement but no real need for them on hard pack. I have seen fishermen use skis. Most of the time ice cleats are needed, just to drill holes. I have many a time spun myself around trying to drill.
> Ice picks on ropes are great investments, to pull yourself up, also.
> When in doubt, don't go out!


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## Steelhead Fever (Dec 31, 2009)

wow, I will be way more fearful this year! lol Im glad all of these stories came out ok!


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