what's the strangest, scariest, bizarre experience you've had on the ice?

[trapper2000]

Lol!!! Hey sh%%  happens...

 

[Icelife4]

Haha that's a good one

[mrm57]

me and a buddy use to go to sandy pond a lot back in the 70,s/80,s and stay at the old wigwam hotel.rent a room above the bar,which was an experience in itself and fish all weekend.one day we left and decided to fish across the pond by the sand dunes/ lakeshore. I haven't been there in around 25 yrs. so some of my geo. descriptions could be off but this is what I remember. at dark a bad storm came in with blowing snow and whiteouts of hardly no visibility. it was bad.i use to pull a small jon boat with a towbar behind my old Polaris.a idea I got from going out of tripps at Oneida yrs ago. so anyhow we start back trying to keep the wind direction with what I thought would get me back to the wigwam. we had no compass.no cell phones or electronics back then.so we're going and going and I know I,m lost and getting nervous hopeing I hit shoreline somewhere before I hit the lake. I think that,s possible there. it,s dark and nasty and cold.all of sudden a ghost appears out in frnt of me and my budy is yelling in my ear for me to stop. like I wasn't going to stop ::)so I kid you not here's this guy alone walking around out there in a leather jacket and desert boots. couldn't believe it. tells us he owns a cottage over on the lakeshore and left just before dark when it was nice and was heading across the pond to the wigwam for some drinks and dinner. gives me a wind direction to stay on says it's close and could he catch a ride in the boat. sure go ahead. and we're going and going and finally my buddies yelling for me to stop. the guys trying to tell us something.he jumps off talks to the guy and comes back just about crying.he says he thinks the wind changed and doesn't have any idea where we are.and we're going and going I'm afraid this guy is going to be frozen solid by the time we get back.then a glow from a light on shore appears and that's where this guy came in handy. knew it was seber shores or Selkirk shores or something like that and if we just kept following the shoreline to the right we would make it back. and we did.

[choo choo]

Some great stories !!!
I've been through the ice a few times, but mostly close to shore in less than waist deep water...except 1 time.
Way back, when I was married(1977) , I was up early, getting ready to head out and check my trapline on my way to work. My wife gets up say's she was going to need the van that day for laundry  and shopping. So I wait for her , and we head up the road. I park the van, put on my hip boots, and tell her i'll be back in about 10 minutes, gotta cross the pond to check a couple of sets....got halfway across and through I went to the top of my head. I remember that fridgid water literally took my breath away , and I could not even yell back to her for help....ice kept breaking as I tried to get out...finally did some kind of lift and barrel roll, and got out.
Ran, slipped and fell several times , tripped on logs, scrambled up the steep bank,  clawing my way for most of it, back to the van half froze. My wife frieked out when she saw me and I told her "drive to Hancock" as I climbed in the back of the van stripping down naked. Thankfully, in the back of the van were bags of our dirty laundry and towels...Got dried off and dry clothes on in record time.
When I got to work my boss said "are you OK " "You look like you seen a ghost"

[trapper2000]

me and a buddy use to go to sandy pond a lot back in the 70,s/80,s and stay at the old wigwam hotel.rent a room above the bar,which was an experience in itself and fish all weekend.one day we left and decided to fish across the pond by the sand dunes/ lakeshore. I haven't been there in around 25 yrs. so some of my geo. descriptions could be off but this is what I remember. at dark a bad storm came in with blowing snow and whiteouts of hardly no visibility. it was bad.i use to pull a small jon boat with a towbar behind my old Polaris.a idea I got from going out of tripps at Oneida yrs ago. so anyhow we start back trying to keep the wind direction with what I thought would get me back to the wigwam. we had no compass.no cell phones or electronics back then.so we're going and going and I know I,m lost and getting nervous hopeing I hit shoreline somewhere before I hit the lake. I think that,s possible there. it,s dark and nasty and cold.all of sudden a ghost appears out in frnt of me and my budy is yelling in my ear for me to stop. like I wasn't going to stop ::)so I kid you not here's this guy alone walking around out there in a leather jacket and desert boots. couldn't believe it. tells us he owns a cottage over on the lakeshore and left just before dark when it was nice and was heading across the pond to the wigwam for some drinks and dinner. gives me a wind direction to stay on says it's close and could he catch a ride in the boat. sure go ahead. and we're going and going and finally my buddies yelling for me to stop. the guys trying to tell us something.he jumps off talks to the guy and comes back just about crying.he says he thinks the wind changed and doesn't have any idea where we are.and we're going and going I'm afraid this guy is going to be frozen solid by the time we get back.then a glow from a light on shore appears and that's where this guy came in handy. knew it was seber shores or Selkirk shores or something like that and if we just kept following the shoreline to the right we would make it back. and we did.

I BET  YOU POOPED  TOO!!!!! =))

[kowboyup]

that's some funny stuff there, but not sure id admit to it lol

[pooley]

I went through in the mid 70's. A pond down the street, about 300 yards from home, in weather like this, single digits. Only up to my chest. By the time I got home, I was frozen solid! My brother dragged me to the shower to thaw me out so I could get my clothes off! In the 80's fishing in Harriman, 2 people tried to come and see what we were doing. Roach kickers and high heels, fur coat, and fell on the ice! Never laughed so hard! The water level had dropped, and they couldn't get up! I live 45 minutes from New York City. Lol!

[reeleyz]

There was one time in college my roommate and I were coming back from a party and we tried to cross a frozen creek for a shortcut. We both fell in. We got out just fine and by the time we got to our dorm our pants were frozen solid. Good times. Laughed our arses off all the way home.

[OneBucketMike]

ok I had to  read this one a couple  times and I'm still scratching my head ......why?

Don't know about this guy but many years ago we had a buddy of ours do the same thing. We were fishing on Oneida out of Tripps. He had one of those old Refrigerwear one piece suits on and didn't get the hood tucked out of the way because he was in a rush situation. He was just about to flip his hood unto his head when he smelled it just in time to avoid adding "insult to injury"!! 

[Icelife4]

Please keep this thread going hahaha

[choo choo]

A more recent strange occurance on the ice was one that i'm sure a few Oneida die hards remember. ....I was on the ice off jewell a few years back,  when that unbelievably thick ground cloud marched down the ice and reduced visibility to zero. It was surreal,I didn't know what the heck was going on, as the cloud wall got closer and closer and closer, then finally enveloped us.
 I've been in plenty of foggy conditions, but this was off the charts  the way it formed and rolled in on us.

[Big Ice Hole]

Hey OneBucket, are you Mike D. From Pumpkin Hook?

[TheManInBlack]

1.  I was fishing Cranberry Pond back in the 90s.  It was a little slick, but I didn't think I needed creepers.  I was shuffling along carrying the minnow bucket, but I slipped so bad that it felt like my feet got pulled out from under me.  I went down, minnows went up.  I hit my elbow pretty hard.  So I am writhing on the ice in pain in a puddle of water with minnows flopping all around my head.  Must have been quite a site.  My Dad didn't know whether to laugh or be concerned.  I still have the bone chips in my elbow (can't really lean on that elbow to this day).

2.  I fished Long Pond late one afternoon by myself, just a few yards from the road.  Shortly after I arrived, everyone else left (fishing wasn't so good).  Then, just before sunset, fishing turned on and I was catching perch left and right, and I had the place all to myself.  If that wasn't great enough, a van pulls up and 3-4 attractive young women come out to tal k to me to see what I was doing.  They were travelling nurses from the University of Rochester.  They were all from Europe.  I felt like I was in a Budweiser commercial!  The only thing missing was the beer truck.

[OneBucketMike]

Hey OneBucket, are you Mike D. From Pumpkin Hook?

Nope, but don't live too far from you. I was given the name One Bucket because Two Bucket Mike was already taken by a Mike C. who also went by Indian Mike.
We did a few trips up to Oneida in the Good Ole Days in the 70s. Getting too old to stray far from home these days.

[OneBucketMike]

1.  I was fishing Cranberry Pond back in the 90s.  It was a little slick, but I didn't think I needed creepers.  I was shuffling along carrying the minnow bucket, but I slipped so bad that it felt like my feet got pulled out from under me.  I went down, minnows went up.  I hit my elbow pretty hard.  So I am writhing on the ice in pain in a puddle of water with minnows flopping all around my head.  Must have been quite a site.  My Dad didn't know whether to laugh or be concerned.  I still have the bone chips in my elbow (can't really lean on that elbow to this day).

2.  I fished Long Pond late one afternoon by myself, just a few yards from the road.  Shortly after I arrived, everyone else left (fishing wasn't so good).  Then, just before sunset, fishing turned on and I was catching perch left and right, and I had the place all to myself.  If that wasn't great enough, a van pulls up and 3-4 attractive young women come out to tal k to me to see what I was doing.  They were travelling nurses from the University of Rochester.  They were all from Europe.  I felt like I was in a Budweiser commercial!  The only thing missing was the beer truck.

And I thought I knew you Joe!!  Bet you didn't tell the wife that story??

[TheManInBlack]

And I thought I knew you Joe!!  Bet you didn't tell the wife that story??

That was back in the 90s, before I met my wife!

When I met her, she was a grad student at the U of R too.  I met her at a party of Physical Therapy grad students (my friends and I were living in an apartment above them).  I tell my friends, if you want to find a woman, go to those parties!  We walked in and there were about 30 women and 5 guys.  I like those odds!

[LP Steve]

Guys thanks again for all the great stories!! This has turned into a great read.

[rdhammah]

A more recent strange occurance on the ice was one that i'm sure a few Oneida die hards remember. ....I was on the ice off jewell a few years back,  when that unbelievably thick ground cloud marched down the ice and reduced visibility to zero. It was surreal,I didn't know what the heck was going on, as the cloud wall got closer and closer and closer, then finally enveloped us.
 I've been in plenty of foggy conditions, but this was off the charts  the way it formed and rolled in on us.

any photos of this? this sounds awesome!

[choo choo]

My friend was there too, and said sparks were jumping off his eyeglasses that day!

There was lots of  electricity in that ground cloud. I could feel the hair on my neck and head trying to stand up...I put my jigging rod down on the ice,and got away from my shanty too. I wanted to get to shore, but I was on foot and to far out, near the deep 40 foot drop. So just rode it out and stood there in awe of the spectacle .

 rdhammah,
I personally did not get any pictures(always carry a camera now)..but a few guy's got some great shots of it coming down the lake.I can't remember who posted the pics...but they were really good.

[burningdownthehouse]

I have two...

My first shanty (Clam 2000) was known for icing up if you took it out one day and neglected to set it up that night to dry. It was a chore getting those poles to extend the next day. I had it partially up on Blind Sodus with two heaters going inside. My rear end hit the prop pole and the shanty fell on top of the heater. I was inside and it was on fire. It did a number on the shanty...thankfully they were only going for $150 back then.

The second, and much more serious, was when I went through the ice with my four wheeler. My babysitter's son was on the back and we just happened to stop over an iced-over gas hole on Oneida Lake. The left two tires settled and I didn't think much of it since I figured I had just broken through the crust. Well, I looked over the edge and that is when the hole opened up. We were treading water in 20 ft of water before we knew it. We both managed to scramble out and had a long, cold (12 degrees and breezy) mile walk back to Williams Beach. We recovered everything except my Fish TV a few days later. Many thanks to the awesome people on here and my buddies John and Mitch who offered assistance with everything. 

[tokyo]

I was fishing a favorite lake of mine back in Wisconsin about 15 years ago.  It was early December and I had about 4, maybe 5” of ice.  Much to my disbelief, a pick-up truck pulls up next to me, and asks, “How much ice you got?”  I think the driver was a bit conflicted because I was scrambling to put as much distance between him and me, as I was lobbing every nasty insult I could think of at him.  At first it looked like he wanted to rip my head off, but then...I think he realized he was in a full size truck, on thin ice.  The look on his face at that moment was priceless. 

[trebblehook]

On a sunny day, icefishing the Allegany River, had a few tip-ups out. Sitting on my bucket jigging for crappie, and a muskrat pops up out of the hole! Not sure who was surprised the most, but we both had that deer in the headlight look!

[trebblehook]

One other time, fishing with my father on Silver Lake. He always took a little bottle of Black Berry Brandy with him in his coat pocket. After taking his first swig of the day, he capped it, and attempted to place it back in his pocket.  SPLASH!  Down the whole it went!  I was using an underwater camera at the time, so I turned the camera a little, pointed to the screen, and witnessed a grown man cry!!!    Miss ya dad!

[OneBucketMike]

There was lots of  electricity in that ground cloud. I could feel the hair on my neck and head trying to stand up...I put my jigging rod down on the ice,and got away from my shanty too. I wanted to get to shore, but I was on foot and to far out, near the deep 40 foot drop. So just rode it out and stood there in awe of the spectacle .

 rdhammah,
I personally did not get any pictures(always carry a camera now)..but a few guy's got some great shots of it coming down the lake.I can't remember who posted the pics...but they were really good.

I'm thinking it may have been Snagger because it was an awesome pic like he usually does. My apologies if it was someone else..

[Hardwaternubie53]

I watched a group of guys on sacandaga almost get hit by a small plane who's pilot was being an idiot.  He's lucky I didn't get his tail number!

When was that? I might have been one of the guys almost hit. That was scary as heck! I thought I was a gonner. Really!

[fishingPole]

3 things;

1) seeing the fish I just caught and iced starting to walk away (mudpuppie)

2) one evening fishing for the after dark bite, got caught in a rare winter thunderstorm on the lake, lightening strikes too close for comfort, and with the fog rolling in, very eerie.

3) years before portable shelters, I used to use a small tent.  One windy day, I watched the tent and what gear I had inside go rolling end over end down the ice.

[shimanoman45]

Not got any real good ones of my own, other than a couple break throughs in thigh high water. But i remember reading about some jack wagon in minnesota who took his brand new truck on the ice and his bird dog. They listed him as an ice fisherman in the news but i doubt it. Any how he was lighting half sticks of dynamite and throwing them to blow holes in the ice. His bird dog jumbed out of truck to retrieve what he was throwing. As a good dog would do. As the dog runs back toward him with said lit stick he panicked and shot dog with birdshot. Poor dog didnt know what to do and hid under truck. Kaboom. New truck gone and even worse the poor dog. Very sad story i love my dogs. Needless to say guy recieved plenty of tickets and hopefully jail time. Does anyone ever remember hearing this.

[shimanoman45]

Actually i do got one of mine. First trip ever to chaumont bay with 3 buddies, one of them being a heavier guy was in my shanty. We were crushing the perch and flags flyin like crazy on the pike. The wind picked up big and my buddy jumped out of shanty to get flag. Next thing i know my hole dissapears as well as my rod. Im now flying down the lake at what felt like mach 1. Im trying to get to the door but im spinning. Was late ice and was super slick. I look out and seen i was headed toward a huge open water spot. I decide to go for it and leap out of shanty go spread eagle and grab rope of shanty all in one motion. Finally hit a rough patch a couple of feet later and came to a hault. Prob 50ft shy of open water. I bashed my knee up bad, blood filled my boot. Chipeed the bone and still cant kneel with all my weight at a certain angle. I was about 200 yards from where i started and had to walk back to the hot bite and fish through the pain. Plus mile and a half to shore later on. Cant believe this slipped my mind.

[Icelife4]

I took a good spill on slick Ice about 3 years ago my feet felt like they got kicked out, landed right on my jaw till this day my jaw makes cracks when I chew and I can press a certain part of my jaw (think I chipped something) was painful

[merkleyb]

1) Fishing w/ my dad and one of my buddies late in the season on Cayuga lake. The march temps had warmed all of the snow and the lake was like a mirror, with many, big random puddles. I sat in my Clam while the other two jigged outside. It was breezy that day but not too bad - I did not bother to anchor down. As I'm jigging away, a big gust comes up and I watch my jigging hole go zooming out from under the shanty, eating all of my line and then breaking me off. As I'm blowing down the lake at a good rate of speed, I stand in the door way and watch the shorelines go by. The shanty starts to spin and I see my buddy running down the lake after me. I am helpless at this point, just along for the ride. My buddy hits one puddle, does and amazing one boot slide and stays up right. He keeps trucking and hits a second puddle and it happens...He goes down hard and not only with a big thud, but with a big splash. He was soaked from head to toe. I slid about 200 feet and then came to a gentle stop. What a ride...
2) Watched - well I didn't watch, but I was there - my buddy (a vegetarian) poop on the middle of the lake with no cover. He always has to poop. I bet the next guy that came across that said, "that must have been one huge goose."