By Daryl Bauer, Fisheries Outreach Program Manager
Been on the ice as much as possible the past couple of weeks. Have some observations to share. . . .
First the obvious. This weather STINKS! Do not expect me to agree with you when stating how nice the winter has been.
So, as always, “safety first”. Ice conditions are always changing and with a January thaw, they can deteriorate rapidly. YOU have to make sure it is safe every time you walk onto the ice. Take a minute and review some ice safety suggestions, Ice Safety. That topic is particularly important at first and last ice!
We have had an unusually dry winter. I am afraid we will pay for that later, but that is another topic for another day. Now, we have had hard, clear ice on many waters and that ice is very slick! We always talk about being safe from falling through the ice while offering only a few, brief comments about being safe from falling ON the ice. Going to emphasize the importance of ice creepers here.
Slipping on this winter’s slick ice can ruin your day too. Years ago on a trip, my fishing partners and I hauled Gramps Roth back to town and hospital fearing he had broken a hip. That happened while chasing a wind-blown bucket across rough and very slick ice. We all cringed when he slipped and went down, hard. Thankfully, his hip was not broken, but it put an early end to our day on the ice.
This ice season, I have held my breath watching several guys slip and slide. Fortunately, none of them crashed. Speaking of the wind, there have been times when I have seen the ice so slick and the wind blow so hard, that a person without creepers literally could not walk back into the wind! If you get in that situation at the end of a long day on the ice, you can get yourself into some real trouble.
Let me say once again that I am not sponsored by anyone, but I will tell you what works for me. In this case, it won’t make any difference if I was sponsored by an ice creeper company because they do not make ’em anymore. Yep, I am old. Still have several pairs of full-size Staatsburg creepers that are operational. I love ’em. I know several of my ice fishing partners have said good things about Kahtoola Microspikes. There are several other brands on the market, pick one and wear them! I will say this, pick a pair that is aggressive, has long spikes. With any snow on the ice, or slush, or ice chips, you will want them.
You need to be as safe walking on the ice as you do to keep from falling through it!