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Are you saying that you use the spud to punch the hole through the ice you're actually gonna fish out of? If so I agree. However, while walking on skeptical ice, I always spud in front of me. Take a few steps then spud again. If I find a patch of thin ice, my spud will tell me before I step foot through. I don't like using a spud to make holes only use it for safety.
If spudding will break the ice, youd better stay off that ice.
Since I have started early ice using only my cordless drill I have been leaving my spud at home.. For the same reason, that a spud hit weakens the ice far more than a precision round hole cut in it.. I just drill when I want to check. My spud is heavier than my drill too.. <°)))>{
Just what I want to do. drill a hole to tell Im standing on 1" of ice, I think I'll take my spud, Im not worried about "hurting" the ice, I want to stay topside!! Always spud out in front of where you walk!!
After reading the previous twenty posts about spudding or drilling I am surprised no one mentioned "wear flotation" until you are absolutely certain the ice is good. Anytime I'm walking from point A to point B particularly early season I wear a flote suit or a life preserver. As Eriksat1 said the entire lake does not freeze uniformly. There are a lot of factors that go into a particular lake and how it freezes. And that's not to mention unknown springs and currents. Trust me, I only went for a swim once and would prefer do my swimming at the YMCA. Be safe. Lou
Last ice is very hard to read as to the honeycombing process, that's the most dangerous ice, as you can go in standing on 10" ice!!
Good article, that's honeycombing at its finest!! Water filtering thru the ice, causing it to look that way!