Keeping Warm

[irvpenn]

Taking my daughter out for her first trip tomorrow, was wondering what the consensus was on building a fire on the lake?  Was talking to an old-timer a few weeks ago and he claimed they did this quite often back in the day.  I've never seen anyone have an open fire on the lake and I don't want to chase her away with slow bite and cold temps on her first trip.  Any info would be great.  Thanks!

[Terasec]

how old is she?
someplace to get out of the wind would help,
even if its a tent/tarp setup on shore,
as for fire? yes its common, but wouldnt do it on 5-6" of ice
unless its contained in something,
small fire would look into coffee can stove or something similar
in the open small fire doesnt warm you up as much as you think, yes warm up your hands, but not much for the body,

[irvpenn]

Thanks!  She's only 8, but very excited about getting out on the ice tomorrow.  Was thinking of building it in a half barrel or something similar.  Wasn't sure what the wardens would say.

[chez]

we built fires on the lake all the time.you keep warm also just looking for firewood.

[riverjunky]

you can take a 5 gallon bucket with holes in the side and just put some charcoal in it. you could then make some burgers wrapped in foil for her

[Terasec]

Thanks!  She's only 8, but very excited about getting out on the ice tomorrow.  Was thinking of building it in a half barrel or something similar.  Wasn't sure what the wardens would say.

fires on state forest/gamelands are generally allowed for warming/cooking,
that usually extends to state waters, would check local regs on that.
fire in 1/2 barrel, if officer thinks thats a bit too much might be a problem,
also dont know how ice is where your going, wouldnt do that on ice i been seeing in NE PA. 6" or so.
i use a metal box like this, its 12"x14"x6"
i also sometimes use a coffee can stove when packing light

[irvpenn]

Awesome, thanks for all of the tips.  I'll rig something up that won't draw too much attention to us.  Thanks!

[1moslab]

you can take a 5 gallon bucket with holes in the side and just put some charcoal in it. you could then make some burgers wrapped in foil for her

  is that a metal 5 gallon bucket

[Gills-only]

Never tried it but I have heard old timers say they used to take a metal coffee can and soak a roll of toilet paper in I think lighter fluid and light it and supposedly last for hours, never tried it so if you do be careful!

[1moslab]

Never tried it but I have heard old timers say they used to take a metal coffee can and soak a roll of toilet paper in I think lighter fluid and light it and supposedly last for hours, never tried it so if you do be careful!

  how much heat could that give outside?

[ComplexSimon]

Depending on the wind, I would guess enough to keep hands warm.  A friend of mine just told me a similar thing, but suggested using rubbing alcohol rather than lighter fluid.  I would also suggest punching some holes for ventilation along the verticals sides of the can.

[1moslab]

why not just use handwarmers

[Gills-only]

Might have to put inside a fishing box where a lantern usually sets should keep hands warm!

[bigvfb]

ive built some big fires on the ice but check with fish wardens to see if its leagle.
put a bunch of logs very tight next to each other
this is your barrier from the ice and what your going to build your fire on.
make sure the logs are going to be able to have your coals build up on them
then build your fire on top it will help keep her busy putting wood on it until she gets a fish
and will help keep her warm

[Fishingjg]

You not only have to worry about her getting cold but her getting bored. If you're not catching fish, you have about 2 hours, maybe. Also let her take a sled so she can have some fun on the ice. Just talking from experience.

[subtlehustle76]

I always have a fire on the ice. Never even occured to me not to. I can't even deliberately think of a reason why you can't, even if I try.

[Buckloaf]

I agree with fishingig. Boredom with young kids always biggest issue when first starting out. Being warm good start but have a distraction in case fishing slow.

[paulinpa]

  Kerosene is what we used as a toilet paper soak...not a great deal of heat, and I certainly wouldn't cook on it. Probably a coffee can with some match light charcoal to start, and feed it regular briquettes as you go

[Fishingjg]

Okay irvpenn, how was your fishing trip with your daughter?

[ComplexSimon]

I mentioned rubbing alcohol as a fuel source earlier, but my buddy used kerosene when we went out on Sat.  It smoked something vicious, and the wind basically negated the warming effects.  I was surprised at how well it burned though, and if the wind was not a factor it probably would've been effective.  I would not have taken it into my fliptop though, due to the smoke.

As for keeping young kids un-bored as it were, I used to take a small snow shovel with me so they could build snow forts (assuming there was snow on the ice) or even wind breaks by mounding the snow.  Keeps them warm while shoveling, and allows them to be creative.  Also, I was able to use it to prep tipup hole areas when we were setting up for the day.

...and very interested to hear how she enjoyed the first trip on the hard water

[TeamBlueGear]

I can't wait to take my Daughter out. She's 7 and has asked a few times since I've been going out this season. Problem is it's been very, very cold and very windy. I was out the other day and it was 8 F and 25mph sustained winds so needless to say even in my hut it was cold. This week temps rising to high 20's/30's so Im thinking i'll have a fishing buddy soon. Like someone said, look into a Little Buddy heater, as long as its not too windy it will still throw out some heat sitting outside. I know last week when it was 10 or so degrees out I turned mine on in my Outpost hut and it was getting warm with just an under armor shirt, hoodie and bibs on.

[fishbone]

just sum thought on this guys---be careful about taking branches and logs off peoples shorelines--also you cant cut any live trees--also lake shore owners dont like half burnt logs---or big piles of charcoal or firepits on their shores--in the spring they dont like cleaning up after us---just remember that sometimes access points can be lost by people making a mess--one of our best spots was lost because guys made a mess --started fires--had ash all over the ice---and so forth---i know it all melts and the ice dissapears--but if the people who live on a lake get mad---then nobody gets to fish---even dumping these coffee can fires on the ice makes a big mess then guys get mad--next thing you know--you cant park you cant fish and you start to lose spots----leave the ice clean---no dead fish no trash---no big mess-----just a thought

[irvpenn]

Okay irvpenn, how was your fishing trip with your daughter?

Fish, we had a good time despite the wind and snow.  She was a trooper, trudged through about 6 inches of snow on the ice, we opted for hand and foot warmers.  We fished for about 3 hours, drilled some holes, a few bites, but nothing through the ice.  She wants to go back, so she must have had a good time.  Thanks to all for the suggestions.  Hoping the bite picks up for our next time out.