Author Topic: Warm front moving though. How does it affect the ice? (Read 3796 times)

Grush · « **on:** Feb 09, 2009, 01:05 PM »

Hi gang,

I posted this in my local Wisconsin forum but it is not getting much action and I really want to know the answer to this.

Since I am so new to ice fishing I wanted to know what all this warm weather is going to do to the ice.

Do we want the ice to melt and refreeze or is that bad? Can someone explain what is good for the ice and what is not? I saw someone say that rain is very bad but melting snow is okay?

I just want to be safe out there.

Thanks in advance.

Grush.

P.S. Here is what the weather is going to be here for the next week. These are the highs and lows:

Today
Feb 9
44°
42°

Tue
Feb 10
56°
37°

Wed
Feb 11
41°
29°

Thu
Feb 12
36°
24°

Fri
Feb 13
34°
24°

Sat
Feb 14
30°
20°

Sun
Feb 15
32°
24°

husb0023 · « **Reply #1 on:** Feb 09, 2009, 01:14 PM »

With the cold winter that we have been having you have nothing to worry about yet.

The weather might be warm during the day but it is freezing at night still... and night lasts about 14 hours of the day. Believe it or not you are making more ice or at least maintaining ice on the last 5 days you posted.

You won't have to worry about running out of ice for another month or so. It takes quite a few weeks of warm weather to thaw us out.

Oh yeah, when it warms up like this, get out there... it is great for fishing.

MnSportsman · « **Reply #2 on:** Feb 09, 2009, 04:47 PM »

JuUst be careful if you are fishing near inlets/outlets & springs(both year-round & precip.-based).
As warmer temps come through... Any of these areas either get the influx of warmer "run-off" water. Whether through percolation through the ground through springs(fissures in the ground), or from the inlet to a body of water(like a stream,river/etc.). Any warmer waters entering a lake or pond can cause some grief for those who are on the ice. Even the outlet areas of water bodies can be affected by these changes..
Be careful...use common sense.
Watching, or talking to the people that have been going to the places you fish, will usually show you where the safer places to be & to travel are.
Especially watch the Older-folks.. Thats why they are "Older".

fish_finder · « **Reply #3 on:** Feb 09, 2009, 05:02 PM »

Another thing everyone should watch out for especially with a warm day and heavy rain,with the warm water running down them whne there is no snow on the ice,drilled holes will become huge and the ice around them will become very thin and weak, ive seen a lot of times after a day or 2 of rain or warm temps, ill go back to some old holes from the day or 2 before and a 6" hole will have become a 12" hole almost over night with only inches of ice around them...2 feet of ice the day they were drilled turns into 6" or less of ice around and 10 feet away from the hole. scary stuff especially if u don't know its happend and when u walk by one water pushes out of them

eyesfishing · « **Reply #4 on:** Feb 09, 2009, 05:15 PM »

Please change the "effect" in the title to "affect".

gmanfuzzy · « **Reply #5 on:** Feb 09, 2009, 05:21 PM »

we have had a lot of ice this year. warm days and freezing nites only make for more ice. with the rain coming and warm days it will be nice fishing. cold weather this weekend will hold the ice for another month. just be careful when getting on and around water runoff holes.

brokenline · « **Reply #6 on:** Feb 09, 2009, 05:25 PM »

be care full!!!!!!!!!!! i found a few 6 inch areas that were 28" 4 days ago!! and 4 under some snow banks.. on the bright side if it gets cold again there will be no snow!! yeppeee

Grumpyoldman · « **Reply #7 on:** Feb 10, 2009, 04:19 AM »

Quote from: eyesfishing on Feb 09, 2009, 05:15 PM

Please change the "effect" in the title to "affect".

Good catch on the proof reading. Effect and affect are easy to misuse. Now if you can distinguish between "ensure" and "insure"...

kdcon · « **Reply #8 on:** Feb 10, 2009, 06:07 AM »

Quote from: eyesfishing on Feb 09, 2009, 05:15 PM

Please change the "effect" in the title to "affect".

Hope it gits changed before we becomme fected wit a konflicton

kdcon

tundraboy · « **Reply #9 on:** Feb 10, 2009, 06:12 AM »

Quote from: eyesfishing on Feb 09, 2009, 05:15 PM

Please change the "effect" in the title to "affect".

HMMMMMMMMMMMMM

jkoegel · « **Reply #10 on:** Feb 10, 2009, 08:44 AM »

Please change the "eyesfishing" to "icefishing", its a common mistake.

Tainterslayer · « **Reply #11 on:** Feb 10, 2009, 08:54 AM »

Ice becomes rotten. It does this faster than it can totally melt away. I fell through a foot of rotten ice a few years back. Luckily I knew it was a good possibility so I was only in waist deep water. With the cold temperatures at night, I wouldn't worry too much. Once it stays 32 and above you should start to be careful. When it doubt, check it with a spud. Rotten ice will just crumble/shatter away.

winchester 88 · « **Reply #12 on:** Feb 10, 2009, 05:10 PM »

Please change the "effect" in the title to "affect".

affect: to produce an effect on..influence

effect: to cause to happen..influence

Websters College Dictionary

Winchester 88

eyesfishing · « **Reply #13 on:** Feb 10, 2009, 05:48 PM »

Winchester, why don't you carefully examine the thread and all of the posts.

brokenline · « **Reply #14 on:** Feb 10, 2009, 06:07 PM »

would how many of you would drive on the ice after this weather and rain?

winchester 88 · « **Reply #15 on:** Feb 10, 2009, 06:16 PM »

Quote from: eyesfishing on Feb 10, 2009, 05:48 PM

Winchester, why don't you carefully examine the thread and all of the posts.

Why.....?
Winchester 88

eyesfishing · « **Reply #16 on:** Feb 10, 2009, 08:37 PM »

Because you corrected him for the second time and the title has long been adjusted.

winchester 88 · « **Reply #17 on:** Feb 10, 2009, 08:49 PM »

It's not about the title and I wasn't correcting him, just having fun and showing that both words are similar;that this site is more about ice fishing and less about grammar...Sorry if it affected you in the wrong way...or is it effected you?

Winchester 88

eyesfishing · « **Reply #18 on:** Feb 10, 2009, 08:50 PM »

haha got me there

chimsweep · « **Reply #19 on:** Feb 10, 2009, 08:57 PM »

This thread my help you to make a decision. http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=108524.0 better safe than sorry.

winchester 88 · « **Reply #20 on:** Feb 10, 2009, 09:01 PM »

Quote from: eyesfishing on Feb 10, 2009, 08:50 PM

haha got me there

Your a good sport....Good fishin....

Winchester 88

Grush · « **Reply #21 on:** Feb 10, 2009, 09:09 PM »

Wow, all this over one letter.

Too bad about that truck going through the ice.

I am really itching to get out there this weekend since it will be below freezing for the next four nights but I am scared to do so. This is my first year ice fishing so I don't know as much as some of the "old timers".

lightningz · « **Reply #22 on:** Feb 10, 2009, 09:21 PM »

Quote from: Grush on Feb 10, 2009, 09:09 PM

Wow, all this over one letter.

Too bad about that truck going through the ice.

I am really itching to get out there this weekend since it will be below freezing for the next four nights but I am scared to do so. This is my first year ice fishing so I don't know as much as some of the "old timers".

I resemble that last remark - (old timers)

brokenline · « **Reply #23 on:** Feb 10, 2009, 09:47 PM »

think i should pull my shanty with my snowmobile?? but there is no snow to get traction on

i got a lawn tractor but dont run very good..

Spin · « **Reply #24 on:** Feb 10, 2009, 10:25 PM »

Sorry but we are not making more ice at night then what melts during the day. I've got small ponds in my backyard due to swales contoured in to control runoff. A week ago I had solid ice several inches thick on them. Several days ago we started a mild warming trend mid thirties daytime mid twenties at nite. An ice crust formed at nite but would cave in under foot exposing water the next morning. This happened every day and each day there was more melting and more water. This is whats forcast for what 2 or 3 days out of seven.? (The rest is above freezing with rain mixed in to boot.) Then it hit a high of about 40 and the real melt started, along with this a little rain not much but a little. Today it was 48F and I took the cycle out to Stockbridge Harbour on Lake Winnebago to check things out, so did loads of people. It was a continuous procession of cars and trucks and at least 90% of them stopped, looked for a short while and turned around and drove away. A few guys drove out to their spearing shacks to block them up higher. there were areas that were higher here and there on the lake but they were small, scattered and pretty much soft slush. Water was everywhere else and some of it was easily 6" deep.
Drilled holes were enlarging and some permanent shacks that had holes cut close to walls and closely spaced had tipped some as that side had sunk in. There have been small busts between holes where wheels have dropped in and the truck got stuck. That was today. It's 10:08PM as I'm typing this and it's 41F. I'm hoping things will freeze up again and soon but it will take a real hard, deep, prolonged freeze. It takes and real cold to make 4 to 6" of ice. Piddly little spurts of sub freezing temps may cap the top but that seals water below it - sub freezing water. The ice below that softens and honeycombs loosing strength. This isn't a fluke 2 or even 3 day warm up, it's a pretty major warm spell and melt and it's going to take an equally hard freeze to restore ice conditions and at least so far it's not yet in the forecast. As for the former ice rinks in my backyard
they are now just standing water.

Spin

needice · « **Reply #25 on:** Feb 11, 2009, 10:02 AM »

I am going fishing in a few minutes.Might need my waders

.I am very untrusting of ice and if in dought drill,drill,drill and examine.I have seen some serious variations in ice thickness during these warm-ups probally a little more this year due to the amount of snow mixed with the ice inmy area."if in doubt,drill it out"

It is 52 degrees right now where is my suntan lotion

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Author Topic: Warm front moving though. How does it affect the ice? (Read 3796 times)