It’s happening already – the rush on social media to be the first anglers on early ice. In some cases, ice that is as little as 2 inches thick.
As for me, no big rush; the fish will keep.
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“With age comes wisdom,” the old adage goes. And while I sometimes wonder about the wisdom part of that saying in my particular situation, I’d like to think I’ve acquired at least a modicum of smarts when it comes to being safe on the ice.
I’ve generally been pretty careful, but there have been times.
The thinnest ice on which I’ve ever fished – and I’ve written about this in the past – dates back to a fishing excursion more than 20 years ago now, when I joined ice fishing legend Dave Genz, inventor of the Fish Trap portable ice fishing shelter, and Bruce Mosher of Ice Buster Bobber fame on a small lake in Polk County.
Genz had been in town for a weekend appearance at a local sporting goods store and wanted to find a place to wet a line. It was one of those annoyingly late freeze-up years, but Mosher, no stranger to thin ice (based on some of the stories he’s told me), knew of just the spot.
I was invited to tag along, so in my quest for a story, I took the bait.
Set the hook and reel me in.
Inching their way out from shore, the two of them checked the ice with a spud bar as I hesitantly followed behind from a safe distance. The spud bar didn’t break through so they knew the ice was safe. Still, when they decided we’d gone far enough from shore – and it wasn’t very far – the ice was barely 2 inches thick.
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The ice made horrible noises if we got within 50 feet of each other, and I swore I saw it move.
Think of a giant, undulating water bed, and you’ll get the idea.
It was creepy.
We didn’t catch much during that short excursion, if I remember correctly, but I still considered the afternoon to be a success because we made it back to shore without getting wet.
Never again, I vowed.
Another thin-ice excursion – but not that thin – occurred a few years earlier, when a co-worker friend and I made an evening crappie trip to Maple Lake near Mentor, Minnesota. Walking out from shore with a hand auger and a bare-bones arsenal of fishing gear – this was before I owned any electronics – we set up on 4 inches of ice.
We lit the Coleman lantern, drilled our two holes apiece and commenced with bobber-watching.
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The crappies were snapping that night, and we came home with a limit. But more than the fishing, I’ll always remember the sight of the bobber sliding along the bottom of the ice and the crappies emerging from the depths before they came up through the holes.
It was almost like we were watching every bite – and every fish – through a window; the ice was that clear.
When it comes to ice fishing, I’ve become more of a fair weather – and thick ice – angler in my advancing years. Rather than venture out at the first opportunity, I’m more inclined to follow the recommendations of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and play it safe.
Here’s what
on its website:
- 2 inches – stay off. (No arguments from me on that one.)
- 4 inches of clear ice for walking.
- 6 inches of good ice for a snowmobile or ATV.
- 8 to 12 inches of good ice for a car or small pickup.
- 12 to 15 inches of good ice for a medium pickup truck.
“Read and heed,” would be my advice on those recommendations.
That being said, here’s hoping for a more traditional winter than the warm, snowless season that cursed us during the winter of 2023-24. Whether it’s ice fishing, skiing, snowmobiling, outdoor skating or just about any other winter outdoors pursuit, winters like that aren’t good for much of anything.
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Striking a chord
Last Saturday’s column about bonus fall fishing days struck a chord with a few readers, who shared their own stories about memorable fall fishing excursions.
One reader told of a late October fishing trip he took with a friend from Pocatello, Idaho, who was making a stop in western North Dakota after helping a relative who lives near Jamestown harvest corn.
The original plan was to go pheasant hunting, the reader said, but the weather was much too nice – 77 degrees, with light winds.
So, instead of pheasant hunting, the pair went fishing on Lake Sakakawea (a lake I’d like to visit myself again one of these years).
“We had a blast telling stories and reminiscing about the good old days,” the reader said in his email. “We even managed to bring seven fish home – all in the 17- to 20-inch range. We listened to loons, we saw eagles, and we sat and relaxed eating lunch as we slowly drifted along.
“It reminded me of (Henry David) Thoreau’s quote, ‘Many people go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.’ ”
So true. …
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If the past week is any indication, bonus fall fishing days are history for another season. They sure were nice while they lasted.
The Trust Project
