Ice Fishing Safety

Ice fishing can put an angler in some dangerous situations. Icy cold waters and bone-chilling air are unforgiving elements. Unsafe behavior can have deadly results. Before going out on the ice, be prepared with safety equipment and know ice safety precautions. In early winter, it usually takes a week or more of below freezing temperatures to form safe ice.

Thickness and Quality

Take the time to check (and double check) the ice on which you are planning to fish and take all safety precautions. Before venturing out on the ice, drill a hole in it from a dock or the shore to gauge the thickness and quality.

Four inches of clear blue ice or eight inches of black, honey-combed ice will safely hold an adult-sized person. Five to six inches of clear blue ice is needed for snowmobiles, four-wheelers, or groups of three or more people.

Avoid ice that appears dark, this is “rotten ice” and can be unstable. Avoid danger spots where the ice may be weakened or thinner. Snow covered areas are insulated by the snow and the ice underneath may be weakened. Immersed objects sticking out of the water gather heat from the sun. This can melt the ice surrounding the object. Areas used frequently by ice anglers can be full of old auger holes – use extra care in these spots.

The water movement from springs or where a stream enters a lake can cause non-uniform ice thickness. In rivers, currents near the river bank and sunny cliff bases can produce areas of thin ice. Know the area you will be fishing and avoid locations where ice thickness may be unpredictable. Large lakes can be especially dangerous because wind and wave action can break up very thick ice in a very short time.

Fishing Partners

As with most activities involving water, it is a good idea to use the “buddy” system. Take someone along when ice fishing! Always let someone else know where you will be and when you expect to arrive back. This way someone will be able to find you in the shortest amount of time if you do not show up on schedule.

Safety Equipment

A five gallon bucket used to carry gear to the fishing spot also can be a life saver. The five gallon bucket can be inverted, holding air, and allowing a person to float on it until help can arrive.

It is also a good idea to take a  throw jug ice fishing. This is simply a plastic jug with a lid and some nylon rope. The rope is stored inside the jug until needed. It then can be tied to the milk jug handle and the lid replaced. The jug can be thrown from shore to someone who has fallen through the ice so she can be pulled to shore. The jug also can keep someone afloat until help arrives.

A small board with a nail or spike attached perpendicularly to one end can be used to help you get a grip on the ice and pull yourself out if you go through the ice. Include a personal floatation device (PFD) in the gear you take ice fishing. Even with the best of planning and safety checks, accidents occur. Be prepared. A PFD can keep you afloat until help arrives. A piece of rope (at least fifty feet in length) can be tied to a PFD and thrown to someone in trouble.

A rope also can be tied to an anchor on shore (e.g., a tree) and then around your waist for extra safety when fishing alone. An angler alone who falls through the ice, must try to get herself out. Two minutes in cold water is long enough to make hands too stiff to use. On average, a person can survive in cold water only twenty to thirty minutes before hypothermia overcomes him.

Grasp the edge of the ice in the direction of shore or safe ice and, if it breaks, keep going until you find solid ice. Use your legs to get your torso out on the ice. Roll to safety. Don’t try to get up to walk, you may break through the ice again. Rolling spreads your body weight out over a larger area and will put less pressure on the ice. If you are unable to get out of the water, you must conserve body heat. Try to remain as still as possible and tuck into a ball shape to conserve heat until help arrives.

 

Remember

• There is no such thing as 100 percent safe ice.

• The Iowa Department of Natural Resources recommends a minimum of four inches of quality ice for fishing and at least five inches for snowmobiles and ATVs.  

• Ice thickness is not uniform on any body of water.  Things like current and springs slow ice growth. Rocks, trees or docks that poke through the ice like will conduct heat and make the ice around it less stable.  

• There could be pockets of thin ice or places where ice recently formed, so it would be wise to check ice thickness as you go out.

• The insulating effect of snow slows down the freezing process.

• Safety items in the bucket: Ice picks, about 50 feet of rope and a throwable floatation seat cushion, or old empty milk jug.

• Ice fishing is a social activity, don’t go out alone. If the worst should happen, someone would be there to call for help or to rescue. 

• Avoid off-colored snow or ice. It is usually a sign of weakness. 

• Trust your instincts. If it doesn’t look right, stay off.