Hi guys,
This year I have been scouting a small local river for walleye. I have never ice fished it but I have been on the ice on it and I know it very well in open water. This means that I have knowledge of the calm areas that freeze the best, and I have watched the river freeze a few times and scouted early ice to know where to watch out for. With this info, I have began to scout (make swiss cheese out of) some of these holes. I am finding up to 6" of good ice, and am making more. With this info I have developed a few areas I can fish safely.
Unfortunately in my favorite hole I encountered something I had not expected. It looks like before this stretch froze, there was an ice jam at that location, and the remnants are sticking out of the new sheet. Immediately adjacent to this mess I have a solid 6" of ice. I took a spud bar to some areas I can reach without getting too bold, and it seemed like the remnants of the old ice (the result of an early freeze that later broke up) was frozen into a fairly solid sheet. Still, I have never seen this ice before. While I assume it is weaker than a single sheet, and I accept the inherent risks of fishing on rivers in any case, I am still interested in scouting this ice.
Have any of you seen this type of ice before? How much more unsafe is it? What additional info do I need to look for in assessing these kinds of areas for safety?
Thanks.