Help Needed: Nebraska Ice Up Map updates

[FishGut]

Ice conditions are changing all across the state. Please use this thread to post current reports from your local lakes. We don't want to lose a friend because they trusted a report of 8 inch ice dated six weeks ago.

Thanks!

Here's the link to this years Nebraska Ice Up map: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=200941602189034249757.0004975d5d61c5f3e34e4&msa=0

[JAM3S]

Twin Lakes (near Pleasant Dale) 6" and many small open water areas near the shore.  Some thin spots away from shore, spud bar is a MUST!

[FishGut]

thanks

[icerules]

on my way to gothenburg from northplatte on the interstate looking at the lake the west end was open on all of them so be really careful like james3 said spud bar a must on them lakes right now

[okcableguy]

Timberpoint had a very good 8" today.  Still open water south of ramp.

[Olpapa]

Cresent by boat dock is 11" thick. South Smith Lake going on from east side ice is 8" and towards the center south it is 6". Also on the northeast end of Island ice is 8" thick with top 2½" very soft/honey-combed. South end of Island has a pressure ridge that broke revealing open water across the south end nearly half way from west to east just north of boat ramp.

[JAM3S]

Czechland 6" everywhere but the south spill tube, open water there.  Good quality ice.

[Bnwilson]

We fished at Box Butte yesterday in the tourney and some ice is still good but some is very rotten! Also open water south of the boat dock!  As we were leaving, the four wheeler in front of us fell through the ice, west of the boat dock! The two men thankfully got out of the water alive!!!! Please fisherman be careful!!

[FishGut]

I have updated the ice map with all these reports. Thank you, and keep them coming. We're going from zero to 60 degrees within a day or two. Thanks for the help, and please keep it up, especially as conditions keep changing.

[JAM3S]

8" to 11" on Timber Point.  No open water.

[nate95366]

Walnut Creek still mostly open - some ice in protected areas skim - 2"

Nate

[okcableguy]

Lot of open water and very thin ice at TP.  Can't say don't go, but after this snow, I wouldn't recommend it.

[ICatchLilFishy]

Chadron City Dams 9-12 inches today

[tbob]

went to wanahoo friday, entire lake was unsafe

[fishngolf]

Merritt Reservoir Saturday, Feb. 23. North of the Boardman campground there is 10 to 11 inches of ice with about 5 inches of snow on top of it.

[okcableguy]

Northwest section along the shore of OxBow is wide open, not to sure about the rest that is still ice.  Not sure I care to find out either...

[FishGut]

The Nebraska Ice Up Map has been reset for this season. Thanks in advance to everyone who contributes to updates. Everyone stay safe, and remember this information is anecdotal. Check for ice thickness every time you go out.

Let's fish


https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=200941602189034249757.0004975d5d61c5f3e34e4&msa=0&iwloc=0004975dbffca715e7f0f

[GrabLifeByTheGills]

Fremont state lakes had about a inch and a half ice but open in the center on most of the lakes

[JAM3S]

Thanks for putting this together! 

[ULking]

Thanks for putting this together!

private pond SE of lincoln had 2-3 today

[alekhunts]

Fished powder creek today caught one dink crappie and a bunch of gills only good ice is overe by boat ramp about 2.5-4 inches be safe trying to fish it 

[GrabLifeByTheGills]

Check the Fremont State Lakes today there's about 3 foot of ice it's only about an inch thick the rest looks like it could be about 2 inches but no way to get to it safely

[2old2fish]

checked sandy channels and blue hole tonight and they both have about 1/2 in along the edges sandy has several open water pockets in the middle   blue hole is all locked-up

[Sandbilly]

I'm getting a few Sandhill lake ice reports coming in. Even with -20 temps ice thickness has not changed much from before the storm due to snow insulating the ice. Anyone venturing on a lake that is snow covered should use extreme caution.

dc

[vHock]

Hershey interstate WMA had 3 inches in the shalows on the east and 1-2 out near the deep section

[whitetips]

I just moved up to Fremont this fall and can't wait to try out these lakes BUT I spent an hour driving around the Fremont state lakes this afternoon to test the ice but couldn't find a place to get on.  Where's the best place to get on these lakes?

Thanks!

All of the Fremont State Lakes are sandpits.  It should be called Fremont State Sandpits.  Pit lakes are found throughout Nebraska and are created by the mining of sand and gravel or excavation of fill material.  Those holes in the ground fill with water because they are located within river flood plains and there is groundwater just below the surface.  Although you cannot see it, that groundwater flows and is flowing in the same general direction as the river in that flood plain.  For that reason you have to be VERY CAREFUL when ice-fishing on any of Nebraska's pits.  Those waters can be safely fished, but ice tends to be thinner than one would expect and thinner than other bodies of water.  In addition you will find that the west ends of those pits especially tend to have less or even no ice because that is where the groundwater flow is coming from.

Where to get on the Fremont Lakes?  Probably somewhere other than the west ends, somewhere where the ice is safe.

Daryl Bauer
Fisheries Outreach Program Manager
Nebraska Game & Parks Commission
[email protected]
http://neblandvm.outdoornebraska.gov/category/barbs-and-backlashes/

[HuskersLincoln]

4+ inches on main lake and north end at wildwood.  6-7 on the south end

[Callahan21]

6 1/2" at Ansley city park pond monday, and someone had fished a good chunk of it sunday. Going to poke some holes around Kearney this week. Will let you know what we find!

[TrackerTarga]

6" at wagon train on east end.  One spot we fished had 10"

[Derag2]

Fished buckling and powder creek... buckskin had 8to10 inches everywhere we drilled.  Powder we fish in trees by handicap dock there was about 6inches there m