Spud bar!

[ftwwalleye]

I know ice season for many is over....or never started for others. I have seen mention of spud bar on several postings. Roeboat mentioned he only saw one person this year with spud bar. I have seen zero. I haven't been out many times this year but I sure as hell had my spud bar.
I have had people at community holes glare at me when I spudded mu way out. Just cuz there are 10 other people doesnt mean ice is great.
I would say just make it a habit if you are going to use one. I dont leave without my vexilar, float suit, spikes, or spud. I have forgotten my vexilar, mickeys, and bait several times...ha

On my last outing I walked out onto lake and on a section that had "good ice" a  guy said 5 inches everywhere he had been. 2 thumps with my spud on a section and it went clean thru. Only bottom inch was real ice and rest came up as chunks with first whack. Get used to your spud and how many strikes to break thru.  That section was fine in morning when everything was locked up and below freezing. On way back those top layers in sun and wind can soften up real quick. I can tell on first whack sometimes from sound and have even broke thru on one strike and backed my skinny but other direction.
Just 2 cents from younger guy who likes to stay dry and fish another day. ....and dont discourage and mean mug someone who is just being cautious. I dont give you the bird when you run gas auger on 3 inches of ice all around me..ha
Fish on and stay dry. Def time for long rods and waders for me...unless I get up to northern michigan for work trip.

Chad

[fishinator]

I put mine to use the few times I got out this year.
  I did have a lapse of judgment and almost got wet though. I was spudding my way out at the slough and about 250 yards out I bumped into another guy and he said ice was pretty consistent. I had observed the same so I started taking more steps in between hits. Got about 500 yards out to where a friend was fishing. He asked what I was holding. I said "my spud bar" and slammed it into the ice and straight through in 1 hit. I quickly backed off until I got back to the last place I checked.
  The next day it warmed up quite a bit and I hit several spots where I was going through in 1 hit on the main trail everyone was using.
 

[RoeBoat]

Well said Chad, we just can't say it enough.  It's been a terrible year for ice and a spud is the ONLY way to know if the ice you are on MAY hold you up.  Even the one lake I've fished this year that usually has early ice has been dicey.

Stopped one day when there were a bunch of guys out. Walked out on it, about 3" of somewhat clear, melting ice.  2 wacks and that was it, cracking every step and boards got you on.  Another trip after the snow, same lake had spots where the snow had pushed the ice down.  Shore ice had tightened up nicely.  When I tried to get out where I had fished previously it was a no go, one wack and threw it went and there was much cracking.  Next day (yesterday) couldn't even get out that far.  About 15 guys or so fishing in the hot sun and two guys walk on pulling a sled with a toddler in it.  I was one of the furthest guys out so I didn't realize what was happening until a guy behind me started yelling and telling them to check the ice so they stopped.

I guess some people will just never use a spud, not sure why.  You can get one cheap, so that's not the problem. 

Don't assume the ice is "safe" just because there is a guy on it.  Ice is never safe!  Thickness can change Very quickly.  Sometimes you can tell something by looking at it but sometimes you cannot.  Especially if there's snow cover.

Be careful out there guys and girls, the end is near and we know what that means, more danger!

[kevs]

 My observations this season are the same as many others. I didn't fish much because I will not go out on ice that does not pass the spud test, physical measurement and visual appearance/structure. I went to lakes that one whack of my spud straight thru the ice. I didn't go out. Other people were out on those lakes fishing where I was finding thin or junk ice. Just not worth the chance of losing my equipment or what years I have left to live. I only seen two fellas with spuds bars this season and neither went out on the ice I was checking, it was thin.   

[badbrad2186]

I live in central NY and my buddy and I were fishing our favorite bay on Feb 2nd we walk out to the home hole spudding the whole way find constant ice 5 iches of black ice the whole way. Only end up picking up 2 fish so we moved to another way point and checked ice and was consistent from 4-5" of black. We sit down fish pick up half a dozen fish we we decide to head back in to some shallower water we are walking my partner and I look at each other and say stop I dont like the look of that ice so we spud 3 hits it go through and this is the start of the "bad" looking ice so we back off and head back where we can from to get around this spot as we ar beheading back I hear what I think is my zippers on my bag clanging together so we stop and we both say the ice is cracking underneath us check the ice 1 hit through it goes so we say stay away from each other and keep moving to get off this ice. We end up back on safe ice. A week later 2 guys go for a swim a little east of where we found bad ice. In the end we are the only ones with spud bars out there

[Hexagenia51]

I used my spud every outing this year! On two or three tries I decided not to fish, ice just wasn't solid enough. But I probably fished twelve or fifteen times on fair ice, in the three or four ice ups we had, but only on a channel. Worst ice season I can recall and been ice fishing for 60+ years. Definitely need and use a spud guys can be a life saver! Hex