checking ice

[missoulafish]

good points from Gutshot and Phil.

[hardwater diehard]

Spud/Chisel is for trekking before checking with your auger for thickness confirmation .

[filetandrelease]

 1 of the lakes I fish has gas holes , and always has pressure cracks and ridges to cross so my spud goes along for the ride even on the sno sled

[thomasthepikehunter]

If the ice is thin enough I feel the need to check it with a spud bar, then the spud bar is all I need to get as many holes as I'll need.  I'm 69 and not in the best health, but with the ice less than 6" it's no problem.  If the ice is over 6" then I'll know it's safe and drag an auger out.

Exactly, although I still drill holes in 4" ice. I always spud on questionable ice, but I also always drill to confirm ice thickness. I'm not like some, if I ever punch through with my spud, that's the end of the trip for me. I'm not about to hunt around looking for patches 3" of ice surrounded by 2" or less. Obviously there is some discretion. I don't expect a main lake to be the same thickness as a bay. I'll gladly fish bays early, but I don't push my limits. I will not fish less than 4" of ice. I still don't feel 100% at 6" ice, but if I've already been out there before, I'm not spud bar every step at 6" ice. At 8"+ of ice, I'll pretty much walk out anywhere within reason with no spud bar. Pressure ridges are always sketchy, but I don't see much value in a spud bar. Just drill next to it, and use your eyes and judgment. You always hear no ice is safe, which is kind of true, but it's not a great saying. You sometimes hear anecdotes of someone on "a solid 20" of ice", suddenly finding 2" somewhere. I'm not saying it can't happen, but the only situations that happens should have been pretty dang obvious to anyone paying attention, no spud bar needed. That's usually going to be a creek mouth or something. I don't go to that level of paranoia. Those who blindly walk out are wild to me though. It is a level of trust I've never had, and do not want. Plenty of people drill a hole, see 4", and off they go. Some of them fall through too.

As for lakes with a lot of dangers, just don't fish them. Almost every lake has something like a creek coming in or some other well known danger. If you honestly need a spud bar in February on a lake, you probably shouldn't be on that lake.

[zcm_82]

Exactly, although I still drill holes in 4" ice. I always spud on questionable ice, but I also always drill to confirm ice thickness. I'm not like some, if I ever punch through with my spud, that's the end of the trip for me. I'm not about to hunt around looking for patches 3" of ice surrounded by 2" or less. Obviously there is some discretion. I don't expect a main lake to be the same thickness as a bay. I'll gladly fish bays early, but I don't push my limits. I will not fish less than 4" of ice. I still don't feel 100% at 6" ice, but if I've already been out there before, I'm not spud bar every step at 6" ice. At 8"+ of ice, I'll pretty much walk out anywhere within reason with no spud bar. Pressure ridges are always sketchy, but I don't see much value in a spud bar. Just drill next to it, and use your eyes and judgment. You always hear no ice is safe, which is kind of true, but it's not a great saying. You sometimes hear anecdotes of someone on "a solid 20" of ice", suddenly finding 2" somewhere. I'm not saying it can't happen, but the only situations that happens should have been pretty dang obvious to anyone paying attention, no spud bar needed. That's usually going to be a creek mouth or something. I don't go to that level of paranoia. Those who blindly walk out are wild to me though. It is a level of trust I've never had, and do not want. Plenty of people drill a hole, see 4", and off they go. Some of them fall through too.

As for lakes with a lot of dangers, just don't fish them. Almost every lake has something like a creek coming in or some other well known danger. If you honestly need a spud bar in February on a lake, you probably shouldn't be on that lake.

A lot of that is just dependent on location, too. Areas like down here on the fringes of the belt, there are a lot of seasons you'll never see 8" of ice.

It's also prone to entire meltoffs and refereezes, so you may go from 6-8" to open water, then back to 6-8" again over the course of a month.

[WARRIOR_ON_ICE]

Unless the entire surface where you plan to be fishing is safe ice, IT IS NOT SAFE ICE.

It is not worth the risk to be fishing where there are random springs or gasholes that can make the ice drop from 8" to < 2" and you have no chance of predicting where that could be !!!

Venturing out into current can be done using a cautious approach, the thinning of the ice as the strength of the current increases is predictable in most waters, but you do need to start out with at least 12" of ice where the current is zero before attempting to get out farther. Then, drill a hole where you know the edge of the current begins, measure the difference, and then it is OK to keep going cautiously and not too far to make the next hole. All of this while wearing a PFD until you map out the thickness where you are going to be.

[SirCranksalot]

a big reason why I don't go if I'd have to spud every few steps is that I would feel a bit nervous while fishing and moving around to different holes. For me at least fishing is supposed to be relaxing and I could not relax under those conds.

[thomasthepikehunter]

A lot of that is just dependent on location, too. Areas like down here on the fringes of the belt, there are a lot of seasons you'll never see 8" of ice.

It's also prone to entire meltoffs and refereezes, so you may go from 6-8" to open water, then back to 6-8" again over the course of a month.

Yeah, I don't consider that ice belt at that point. I would just take a month or two off from fishing.

[thomasthepikehunter]

a big reason why I don't go if I'd have to spud every few steps is that I would feel a bit nervous while fishing and moving around to different holes. For me at least fishing is supposed to be relaxing and I could not relax under those conds.

That's the whole point to a spud bar, you know for certain it is fine, no guessing or nervousness involved.

[zcm_82]

Yeah, I don't consider that ice belt at that point. I would just take a month or two off from fishing.

That's just boring 

Just gotta be prepared to hit it anytime, as much as possible when things freeze up since you never know how long it's going to last. It might be 3 days, might be 3 months, depending on the year.

[Neil McCauley]

I don't spud. If I ever felt I had to, I simply wouldn't go. JMHO.

[SirCranksalot]

That's the whole point to a spud bar, you know for certain it is fine, no guessing or nervousness involved.

I understand your point. It just does not work for me. Having to spud any time I take a few steps takes the fun out of it for me.

[filetandrelease]

 Everyone has a comfort zone and that’s fine ,

[thomasthepikehunter]

Everyone has a comfort zone and that’s fine ,

I can certainly understand those who wait for significant ice to where a spud bar is pointless. I can not understand those who still go early with no spud bar. Then again, I wont walk on 3" ice, and wont drive a car on 8", but that doesn't stop some people.

[WARRIOR_ON_ICE]

I don't spud. If I ever felt I had to, I simply wouldn't go. JMHO.

Super smart comment, the same as SirCranksalot said. If you are standing there on the ice the whole day with you know what part of your body puckering because you don't trust the ice to hold you up, the only feeling you get is relief from not drowning. I used to do the thin ice adventures in my youth, having the attitude that I could not waste a day off from work without ice fishing. Looking back, as only a wiser me can do now, it was foolish to be on ice that caused " puckering "

[RapShack]

Super smart comment

Except it isn't, at all.  The ice doesn't care if you "feel" it's safe. "Feeling" that the ice is safe wont save you from a watery grave but may lead you to one. 

My spud has literally saved my life.  It didn't save my life at the beginning of the season on thin ice. It didn't save me at the end of the season on 14" of honeycomb.  It saved me in February on a lake with 22" of ice after a two week brutal cold front. 

I identified a spot on a map I wanted to fish that's away from the crowds.  Due to the fact that I expected a little bit of current I watched the spot from the highway for a full season to see how the ice was in that area and everything looked good.  I waited until the coldest part of winter to ensure the best conditions possible for an exploratory trip. I was 99.99% sure it was fine. I still spudded my way out and drilled the occasional hole to check thickness.  I was almost a mile from the ramp when the spud went through about an inch of crusty snow.  Without the spud I would have gone swimming and even if I got myself back topside I doubt I would have made it back to my vehicle.

You don't need to spud every step of every trip when you fish the same spots that you know well and it's the middle of winter, but for early/late ice and exploring new areas the spud is the correct tool for the job.  The fact some people just wing it, or drill a hole every once in a while and haven't fallen in doesn't mean they are doing it right, just that they've been lucky.  Posting that nonsense does a disservice to any novices who might come here looking to learn, which is sort of the whole point of this website.

And while were talking spuds don't forget to sharpen them once in a while.  I saw a guy post that his spud "only" took 6 whacks to get through 4" of ice.  At that point you might as well just leave it home because it's dead weight.

[lowaccord66]

1 of the lakes I fish has gas holes , and always has pressure cracks and ridges to cross so my spud goes along for the ride even on the sno sled

Same.  The ridges without a spud would be suicidal. 

[MumbleSEED]

I always wondered if people thought I was a stooge for using my spud all season no matter how thick the ice happens to be.  Don't care because it's kept me dry and never steered me wrong.  In SWPA you might not have much opportunity and the chances you get might have some less-than-ideal conditions as previously stated so it's important to know what you are dealing with and if you should just get back into the truck and head home.

I call my spud bar Mary Ellen because she's a beaut and always keeps me safe!

[Kobey]

There is only one downside to having a spud.  It's when your kids find it and start chopping small holes all around your shanty.  Twisted ankles on the ice with a long drag back aren't fun. 

[lowaccord66]

I always wondered if people thought I was a stooge for using my spud all season no matter how thick the ice happens to be.  Don't care because it's kept me dry and never steered me wrong.  In SWPA you might not have much opportunity and the chances you get might have some less-than-ideal conditions as previously stated so it's important to know what you are dealing with and if you should just get back into the truck and head home.

I call my spud bar Mary Ellen because she's a beaut and always keeps me safe!

Not a stooge.  My friend went through over 8" of ice and it almost cost him his life. 

[trapper2000]

 3  kinds  of ice  fisherman   ones  with spud bars  and they  know they are on  solid  ice  ...dumb  arses  that  toss  safety  to the  wind  and  march on  ...and  those that have  so  much faith in live  after death   they  don't care  ...................mum ble  i  carry and  use  my  spud  all season  ...................... .  and  ANY  lake  can   have  gas holes  and pressure  cracks 

[jethro]

I also spud all season. There can be 3 feet of ice and I'm walking with a spud cracking the ice every 3 or 4 steps.

[ice dawg]

I was fishing on a 10" of ice with my son and I walked over to a permy with two vehicles parked outside. I went inside to talk to the guys and they were on 6" of ice. While  I was walking back to my porty, a Suburban went by towing a wheel house about 30 mph. I watched them until they were out of sight and they were still on top. Some folks don't have a clue.

[OldSailor]

Some people are very hard on their guardian angel!!!! 

[bootstrap]

 i have an old spud that was made in a railroad machine shop, out of a rail cross bar with a chisel end and huge nut for an end cap. if i cant make it through with that in 2 whacks im good to go. 

[Brian VT]

I always followed my 6'2"/230 lb. buddy that used a home made re-rod spud.
Then my wife made us move away and I'm now on my own on the ice. So I bought one of these. https://www.rapala.com/us_en/62-chisel-2-piece
It's pretty heavy and a pita to carry but I guess the weight is what gives you a better feel for what you're gonna be walking onto.

[jerryfishing]

I fell through ice again today. I was spudding out in front of myself like I stated in earlier post. I found a couple of spots where spud went right thru on first punch. These areas were wet looking and were probably where springs were located and rising warmer water pushed up on top of ice. I attempted to avoid these wet looking areas and make my way to spot I fished the last few weeks. As I walked further out on the lake ice conditions/thickness got better. Ice was about 6 inches in total thickness. Although, about half of ice thickness was cloudy ice. I got a false sense of security/lazy and stopped spudding for a bit. Big mistake! Luckily I had float bibs and coat on. I was able to hold onto spud bar and pull it out of the water and put it horizontally across the ice hole and use it to leverage myself out. I didn't get super wet thanks to bib and coat but I did cut my hand in a few places on the jagged edges of ice when I went down. I was thinking about this thumbnail on my journey back to my truck. If I had only used my own advice and kept spudding out in front of me, I would still be dry and uncut! Also, if I had my auger in my hands when I went thru, I would have probably lost it into lake and went further down into the water with the extra weight. Just thought I would share my experience today in hopes that it prevents someone from getting wet and possibly save someone's life. Be safe out there guys!

[filetandrelease]

 Thanks Jerry for posting
 I had a similar experience
 was fishing off sylvan beach , was on decent ice so spudded out  had 2 guys fishing with me one said your spud is melting in at around 2:00 took my spud and drove it through 9”s of black ice which started to have that grayish look with 1 strike
 I picked our way in single file can’t believe I didn’t drop in ,1/4 of mile of spudding around bad areas took what seemed like forever , never seen ice go so fast , shore never felt better
    the old pucker was in full tightness
 Ask HT how much fun that was 🤪