please dont cover the holes!

[Zfisher]

We went over to Seward last weekend after hearing it was suppose to be 33!! We got there for a windy 15 or so. Fished the first day with no luck after digging out almost 3' of snow and used the entire length of my auger to get to the water. The next day we went out to the same place, still cold! and no action so moved across the lake to another place when I fell through a 10" hole that was covered over by snow! my boot sunk through the ice and got good and stuck under the ice. Luckily my wife was with me and got my shovel so I could chip my foot out. Did I say it was cold?lol Anyway, if you dig a hole in the ice, please leave it open so it will freeze over!!! and throw you cig buts away too!!!

[groundsluice_pete]

I agree, people are out-n-out pigs on the ice! Garbage, cigarette butts, snarled line, empty egg jars, etc. The worst I came across was on the end of Skilak where people had hauled big rocks out on the ice to hold down a tent and left them to thaw and refreeze into the ice. Couldn't tell they were there under skift of snow, but my auger blades found one. @#$%^&*!
Anyway, don't be that guy! (save it for your trailer living room for your old mom to pick up after you).

[Drifter_016]

It doesn't take long for wind to cover up the hole with snow.
I've had it happen in only a few minutes.

[PikeSticker]

Seems the wind always blows on the lakes most days so holes do drift in naturally and become invisible very quickly. I've made up a dozen new insulated hole covers this winter to keep my jigging holes open between visits during the day.

  I have stepped in my own freshly drilled 10 inch hole once. It was a "test hole" for checking water depth before cutting my spearing hole with the chainsaw and I had plans to use it for dropping my underwater camera down it for recording my spearing decoy and action so it was close to the spear hole location. Since I didn't need to remove the slush to drop my bottom finder sinker in the hole to measure bottom I left it slushy -- make that INVISIBLE. Wouldn't you know it, finished sawing a 2'x3' hole in 30 inches of ice (two tier layer removal process of course with a 21 inch bar). Climbed out of the hole, hand sawed the last two inches of ice to water up the hole and open the bottom, then turned to my two buddies standing there and with a big grin (  ) started to begin the sentence "Now that's how its done!" and took one step forward and proceeded to go to mid-thigh in my test hole. Was similar to the feeling of walking into an open elevator shaft I believe.  Found out my Sorel packs will fit in a ten incher. Naturally I've yet to live that one down and it seems to enter the conversation every year when the chain saws come out. It can sure jerk your back out of whack if nothing else.

[jkw]

i put my boot thru a 10" hole once myself...had drilled it earlier, and then tried to find it again........10 minutes stomping around and stabbing with a stick...dammit its gotta be RIGHT HERE!!! Next step and in i went, a little above my knee....i reacted with the reflexes of a ninja and managed to get out before any water really trickled in...however my pant leg of my bibs was soaked....froze solid in just a few minutes.....was like wearig a cast haha couldnt even unzip the leg.....

[jiggenfrogs]

I'm glad I wear a size 13 boot

[AlaskaOutdoorsmen]

Truck Driver - Drive the haul road to Prudhoe Bay

[akdube]

Truck Driver - Drive the haul road to Prudhoe Bay

[groundsluice_pete]

Either on the wrong thread, or worried about falling into a hole on the Haul Road.

[RIVERRAT2]

i see the same here,but what is the BEST way to deal with the open holes???
 
RAT