First time walking off ice a little freaked out

[potatoe]

We are in our third year fishing, have never felt un-safe until today. We had rain and some warm temps in our area. Ice was a good 6 - 8" out in 14' of water. The edges looked not good and the spud bar proved that. But when we walked off today around 10:30 it started to crack just to my left. I started to move faster and guys were fishing within 100 yards of where we were walking. I am not sure if the warm temps or my body weight caused this to happen but it was the first time I was moving very quickly to get off the ice.

So I am wondering if the warm temps from the sun was causing the ice to crack and move or was it me walking on the ice. I saw the crack form and felt the ice move.

So has this happened to others similar to this

[Ice Scratcher]

Sometimes ice cracks when it's cold.. Sometimes when it warm. Or cold to warm or warm to cold.. Or when the wind shifts.

Ice cracks...

A lot of times a long crack will run down the lake a split your hole in half..

I would have paid attention, but not worried or hurried..

It can even jump or fall a little, lol, I have seen some newer guys ready to bail already..

Good to always pay attention..

<°)))>{

[missoulafish]

Potatoe -
Check this article HERE.
Some interesting information on ice decomposition.

[Idahogator]

Excellent link MF.     

Potatoe, 6 minutes of video for your enjoyment.          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6dMPuwiugM

[Chris338378]

Potatoe -
Check this article HERE.
Some interesting information on ice decomposition.

Lots of great info there, thanks for sharing.

[missoulafish]

you bet:)

[fishermantim]

The best thing is that you were aware of your surroundings and were thinking about them.

I've been on a pond with 3-4" of ice on a warm winter day.
As the morning wore on the ice began cracking/popping more and more.
It got to a point where my friend, his uncle and I decided to leave for safety reasons.
As we walked back to shore we noticed old cracks had opened and water was pushing up as we walked by.
A guy was walking out with a spud to test the ice for a derby the next day and we try telling him that it wasn't safe for pond full of people, but he wanted to check for himself. We got 20-30 feet further and we saw him walking back say there was no way in hell they would be having  derby there at all! He said the spud was popping thru on a single strike.

Funny thing is a packed up, drove about a mile and a half down the road to another pond and found 6-8 inches of ice, and fished there the rest of the day!

[zebj25]

Always better safe than sorry

[UFCreel]

Had a pressure crack lift the sleeper we were in almost 18 inches on Lake of the Woods before. We did not move and caught plenty of walleye and sauger that day. When we got there ice by shore was maybe two feet high. When we left after three days and nights it was over my head around the shore line. Temps of 36 below zero will do that.

[1moslab]

real good reading missoulafish thanks for sharing.

[potatoe]

Thanks for info guys, I think we are going back Friday. We are getting freezing temps at night but during the day we are hitting low 40's. Looked at a local pong tonight and no melting today which surprised me bit most of the day was overcast.

Thanks again foe the info

[Jigmup]

Potatoe -
Check this article HERE.
Some interesting information on ice decomposition.

Yep...great article!
Sun on ice when it is above freezing is worse than rain.

[RyanW]

I've been ice fishing most of my life with my older brother who is 10 years my senior. When I was younger (<10 yrs old, I'm 29 now) I was the dedicated pack mule. I pulled the shanty with all our gear on it along with open top minnow buckets. Needless to say I've spilled the bucket more times than I can remember.

One time we went out with his buddy Paul on a large lake in Michigan during a nice cold winter. There's Paul to my left, my brother to the right, and me the pack mule in the middle. About 20 yards out on the ice a large pressure crack that ran at least 100 yards formed directly between my feet. Since Paul and my brother weren't carrying anything, they took off running in opposite directions and I'm left standing going "OK, thanks guys!" Lol. Loud as all hell too. I didn't budge. They walked back to me and we went on fishing.

A few years ago me and my friend Danny were fishing a shallow (10') spring fed lake that dropped off into a 30' basin. It was -14 degrees that day so ice was forming. Pressure cracks forcefully enough to shake my Shappell WideHouse 5500. Constant pressure cracks for about 15 minutes. Knowing that the lake was spring fed and knowing we were around the springs, we didn't take any chances and went to another lake. I wanted to go back to the basin side but Danny didn't feel comfortable at all (he's newer to ice fishing) and I didn't want to put him through the torment and ruin the experience for him.  We were only set up for probably 25 minutes before we left.

Like previously mentioned, you did good by being aware and processing your surroundings. A brisk pace is alright but running would be a last resort for me. My feet hit very hard when I run. Keep calm and pay attention to approachig ice at all times.

Glad to hear you used your brain and thought about being safe. A lot of guys I know and fish with don't ever seem concerned about ice conditions. My son is turning 6 this year and he's yet to come out with me because of the mild winters we've been having (Michigan) and it just isn't worth the risk. I'm hoping this year will change that.

[Spoondangler]

Safe ice can def crack and pop because of your weight. It the ice is going to crack, and you add your weight to one side or the other, that force can make the crack happen right then, because you added pressure, but it doesn't mean it is going to crack all the way through, there could be many inches of ice underneath.  Best way to go is check ice thickness throughout the day if it gets above freezing.

[jlbrownie_1]

I've been ice fishing over 30 years and in my opinion Connecticut's Weatherfield Cove will test your nerves. It's tidal and those who have fished it know what I'm talking about.