river ice

[andercee]

I guess I ain't been around these parts very long, but many people ice fish the Minnesota River back home.  I've been trying to spot someone doing it here on the Missouri but haven't seen anyone.     So.. has anyone ever ice fished the river?  I suppose I could just fish open water, but that's just not the same you know. 

[4cator]

welcome to the shanty newbie, now get outside and fish dammit!!   

[rrfish]

I'm not sure exactly where you are located, but you have to be REALLY careful with the river ice around Helena-Great Falls.  Too much current to form any good amount of ice.

[MrMarty51]

I feel it has`nt been cold enough in eastern Montana to form real secure river ice to want to go out onto it.The Sidney country is usually a little cooler than Miles City so maby someone could post in what the river ice is in that neck of the woods or river.LOL
Fished the Missouri through the ice in the Bainville bridge area a few years back and hauled out some real nice ling.

[wingnutty]

be dang careful on river ice around here.  Like mentioned earlier, these faster-flowing rivers usually dont get good ice.  Plus, if you ever hit a soft spot and go in, you are never gonna come back out.  Not worth the risk for me, just for a couple fish:o

When I was going to school in Wisconsin lots of guys I knew would go fish below the dams on the Miss.  Boy, to me that is crazy.  All it takes is one section of bad ice and your life is over.

To each his own though, I know some areas in the midwest get really good ice on the rivers and are very, very safe 8)

[flyfisherman83]

About a week ago a buddy and myself tried to fish on a "frozen" back channel on the clark fork.  I ran when i heard the ice cracing and my buddy went swimming about ten minutes after drilling a hole. Deffinately be careful i dont see myself doing it again any time soon.