Creative and Traditional Ways to Cross from Shore to the Ice

[roasterx]

So far, I've been told that one can take a plank to bridge the shoreline to the safe ice.

I think that Bob Hicks (me new favorite poster) said that one can use waders.

What do y'all think of using an inflatable raft?

What other ideas are out there?

[liv2hunt]

A raft would work, many trips with items that can poke holes in the raft. Remember though  the ice has moved off the shore all around the body of water. When or if the wind starts to blow it will move the ice. Happened to me yesterday, wind picked up and move the ice15 ft further from the shore, to deep for chest waders. Good news you could walk right off on the other side, but the truck was on the edge with the large opening of water now. Be careful!!

[muskyon46]

This time of year can be dangerous as liv2hunt said, the wind can move ice many feet exposing more open water than was there when you got on. I do use planks and as you can see in my post from yesterday we backed a trailer in the water and dropped the back ramp on to the ice. Now that being said i will only do these things when there is open water just starting, so as not to get stuck on a floating ice sheet like the boys at Grantsville reservoir. If there's enough room for the ice to shift I'm not going out on it. Some friends of mine got stuck on a piece of ice at the gorge a few years ago that broke away and the sheet they were floating on almost broke fully apart by the time rescuers got to them. I just hope everyone is very careful, this year especially as our season is going to be cut short with all the new run off coming into the reservoirs, opening up edges that will not freeze enough to be safe

[fishonone]

if you got to use a raft to get on the ice maybe you do not need to fish,myself i would not even think of doing that i will wait for next ice season

[Mac daddy]

Im with you fishonone if i cant reach ice with wheeler ramps its time to shift gears.