Bowling ball on ice

[packmann]

i was on the great monster lake George on sat and we kept hearing this sound, we then looked over and there was a 2 guys fishing and one of them was rolling around a bowling ball on the ice. after awhile we figured he was looking for bad ice. has anyone seen this before? does it work? am i an idiot and they were just playing with a bowling ball on the ice?

[IceFiserman4Life]

I think they were just messin around

[brujharr]

Maybe, their working on the old, stir them up, make some noise theory! I, think most of us have seen it? Slow day, not much happening, friend drives past or up to a tipup, BANG, FISH ON!! 

[pikemaster789]

Im sure they were messing around, to test for ice they would have to roll the ball away from them, and on smooth ice, it may go to unretrievable lengths. In addition it would find real thin ice, but ice that can hold a 15lb bowling ball wont neccisarily hold a 150lb+ person

[brujharr]

Testing, ice with a bowling ball?

[Tommyboy18769]

bowling balls arent cheap either..

[packmann]

thats the think he must have been rolling it good 50 to 75 yards. also the lake i was on didnt have much snow so it would roll and roll and roll. it made the creepest sound through the ice.

[LENNY]

If they were fishing tip-ups they were probably trying to get the fish moving, we sometimes walk the edges of the lake with a walking stick pounding it on the ice as we go. Can't say if it really works, sometimes it seems like it saturday we took home a couple northerns,but most of the time I think it relieves the boredom when the fish aren't hitting our minnows.


Lenny

[packmann]

ya no tipups they were fishing for crappies i believe just because of the area they were at.  but i guess i will never know unless i see them again.