As the ice fishing season comes upon those of us in Northern Europe and Asia as well as the central to northern parts of North America, it's time to take a moment to think about hard-water safety. As the ice fishing season comes upon those of us in Northern Europe and Asia as well as the central to northern parts of North America, it's time to take a moment to think about hard-water safety.

For many, the experience of ice-fishing is as much social as it is piscatorial, but there are a number of precautions that should be taken before and during the season.

Booze

To begin with, drinking and either snowmobiling or 4-wheeling, or even just the cold don't mix. I'm not writing this to be politically correct, but because I've heard too many stories, and seen too many accidents to think otherwise. Here in Ontario, Canada, even with the Snowmobile Association being involved in conjunction with the Provincial Police in large advertising campaigns, there are between 30 and 50 accidents causing death each year, most of which involving alcohol.

But alcohol has other serious repercussions not connected with driving your snowmobile off a cliff. Alcohol thins the blood, which, when passing inside skin that is exposed to the cold, cools the body. So, in fact, although a 'nip' won't make you freeze, the more booze you drink, the faster and the colder you will get. 

Ice

The second most common cause for accidents causing seriously injury or death when ice-fishing is that many anglers simply don't know which ice is safe, and which isn't. Although the table below can be used as a rough guideline, there are other factors that may cause the ice unsafe, and therefore we make no warranties that any ice is 100% safe.

If the ice has been exposed to numerous warm and cold spells, there will be pockets of air in the middle that reduce it's strength. In order to be safe, trust only the thickest section of the ice and base your decision on whether or not to traverse it on that trust.

If there has been consistent snow throughout the season, or there is a heavy snowfall over the ice, remember that snow insulates ice from the cold air while the warmer water underneath works away at melting it. This is not a worry on a foot (or a third of a meter) of ice, but if the thickness is thinner, take a second look first.

You may also come across areas where there is a high consistency of weeds, other 'stuff', or even air holes in the ice that degrade it's consistency. It is the bond between the ice molecules that creates the tensile strength in the entire sheet, so beware areas where that consistency is not present. 

Safe Ice Thickness

The following, although not gospel, can be considered conservatively safe guidelines for traversing ice:

 

To Support	Ice Thickness (inches)	Ice Thickness (cm)
Numerous people, single file	3	7
Snowmobile or Small Car	7.5	18
Medium Car, 2 1/2 ton Truck	8	19.5
Large Car, 3 1/2 ton Truck	10	24.5
8 ton Truck	12	29.5

Safety Measures

Other than the pointers mentioned above, there are a few more to be kept in the back of your mind:

• always ice-fish with a buddy
• always carry a compass
• do not park vehicles close together
• always carry a First Aid Kit
• always mark holes with twigs when leaving

Above all, ice-fishing can be not only a terrific angling experience, but can also be a great opportunity to get together with others. I have had some of my fondest fishing experiences on the ice -- even without catching anything -- because of the camaraderie of friends.

Enjoy the winter. When else can you fish that drop off without a boat? But be careful. After all, we want you back at TFN next spring! 

Scott Binnie