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Ice Fishing Safety Tips

Ice Fishing Safety Tips

To maximize ice fishing safety when enjoying winter fishing outing, it is important to know a few things about ice:

  1. New ice is usually stronger than old ice. Four inches of clear, newly formed ice may support one person on foot, while a foot or more of old, partially thawed ice may not.
  2. Ice seldom freezes uniformly. It may be a foot thick in one location and only an inch or two just a few feet away.
  3. Ice formed overflowing water and currents is often dangerous. This is especially true near streams, bridges, and culverts. Also, the ice outside river bends is usually weaker due to the undermining effects of the faster current.
  4. The insulating effect of snow slows down the freezing process. The extra weight also reduces how much weight the ice sheet can support. Also, ice near shore can be weaker than ice that is farther out.
  5. Booming and cracking ice isn’t necessarily dangerous. It only means that the ice is expanding and contracting as the temperature changes.
  6. Schools of fish or flocks of waterfowl can also adversely affect the relative safety of ice. The movement of fish can bring warm water up from the bottom of the lake. In the past, this has opened holes in the ice causing snowmobiles and cars to break through.

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