Tis the season for folks calling authorities, "Help someone is on the ice"

[Rob F.]

http://www.eagletribune.com/newhampshire/x960121433/Warm-winter-has-left-many-ponds-lakes-unsafe

[AQUAASSASSIN]

I have had to deal with the cops 3 times this year for people calling on me during first ice. Man do they get upset when you tell them you are not leaving. They learn to accept it though

[GraniteBass]

I was sent off the ice by police before. I have to admit I did not really know the law at the time.

Since then I tried to correct this mistake and have a question.

RSA 215-A:4 Frozen Surface of a Public Body of Water says:

The executive director may, in the interest of public safety, close temporarily to any motorized vehicle all or any part of any frozen surface of a public body of water, for use by the public, except for fishing on foot.

So am I reading this correctly that even using the "public safety" argument they cannot close the ice for fishing on foot?

[whtmtniceman]

Kick those people out of the state immediately!!! send them back to where ever it is that flatlanders come from... they are not welcome here and only deteriorate the whole "Live Free or Die" New Hampshire way of life. Bunch of no-good do-gooders. I'll report them for harassment.

[rainbowslayer]

The police can only advice you to leave at no point can they actually physically make you leave it is your right as a fisherman to be out on the ice if you believe it is safe.  I've also been advised to leave a pond a couple of times because these people don't know how to mind their own business.

[fishermantim]

I have had ample opportunity to enlighten the clueless about basic ice safety.
Most people have no clue to what "ice strength" is, where to find "Ice strength tables" and how to safely "test" the ice!

I can't recall how many times I've been approached ON THE ICE by people asking if the ice was safe!!!!

Way too many people will venture out ONLY because they see others on the ice, without doing any research beforehand.

I have gotten to the point now where I will just yell back my answer to "How thick is the ice?" by either giving the approximate thickness using my hands/fingers, or by yelling a short and concise "X" inches.

I've only been approached by the police once, and when I explained how thick the ice was (he understood ice strengths) he wished me well and went about his business.

[massbass]

Had same thing Happen first week out there, cop showed up followed by fire chief, strongu urged us for 15 minutes to get off, had over 6 inches of ice. Cop and fire man were good to warn us, but we're kind of dicks, tellin us to leave a note on our to let them know how many bodies to look for when we fall in. stayed there all day, caught over 25 fish, people need to leave us be, we know more about ice than most people, specially since I've been skating on ponds since I could walk

[Oddfish]

I was sent off the ice by police before. I have to admit I did not really know the law at the time.

Since then I tried to correct this mistake and have a question.

RSA 215-A:4 Frozen Surface of a Public Body of Water says:

The executive director may, in the interest of public safety, close temporarily to any motorized vehicle all or any part of any frozen surface of a public body of water, for use by the public, except for fishing on foot.

I think every one who walks the thin ice should copy this and put itin their wallet.  I think it would save a lot of time just handing it to the officer.

Oddfish

So am I reading this correctly that even using the "public safety" argument they cannot close the ice for fishing on foot?

[GrizlyGarou]

I was sent off the ice by police before. I have to admit I did not really know the law at the time.

Since then I tried to correct this mistake and have a question.

RSA 215-A:4 Frozen Surface of a Public Body of Water says:

The executive director may, in the interest of public safety, close temporarily to any motorized vehicle all or any part of any frozen surface of a public body of water, for use by the public, except for fishing on foot.

So am I reading this correctly that even using the "public safety" argument they cannot close the ice for fishing on foot?

I wonder if we have a similar law to that in Massachusetts. I've never been kicked off by the cops, but I've had them called on me a few times. One time, the cop got on his PA and said we were fishing at our own peril, and peril echoed across the pond, it was pretty funny. I yelled back that we were on ten inches of ice, and he left...