Delaware River dcnr ranger run in

[chrisfish1]

So me and a few friends were fishing pretty safe ice today on the tidal river down in Philadelphia.  Usually stacked with nice yellow perch but not the case today.  Anyway we use extreme caution when doing this as the ice on the edges are usually shot only allowing access at low tide.  Ice in the middle was very safe about 4” black ice.  The cove we fish sees no current whatsoever so it makes sense why the ice is safe.  A dcnr ranger told us we weren’t allowed to ice fish the river because it was unsafe.  We accessed the river via public park property and were in a navigable section.  Luckily we were on our way out and the fish weren’t biting or I would have had a lesson in laws with this guy.  Be safe out there everyone

[adkRoy]

hmmmmmm, aggravate the game warden,  smart. 

[sr73087]

Where on the Delaware was this? I saw alot of it was frozen yesterday, but as I got closer to the Navy Yard going south saw less ice.

The chart supplied by the PA Fish and Boat Comission states that 4 inches is safe for an angler and gear, up to around 200 lbs. However, they have small print at the bottom of the chart reading:

There are many factors that influence ice strength including water chemistry, wind and sunlight. Please note that these
are general ice thickness guidelines and carefully check ice conditions before venturing onto the ice. 

You would think if they are supplying guidelines and you are abiding by them, that they can't pull you off a public area. However, I am no lawyer and would be interested in the legality here.