Ice safety: Autumn considerations

Most love ice fishing or at least walking on the ice. But there are special needs, often overlooked, that your life may depend on. These relate to ice thickness and variations that can occur.

In times of crisis, you may have to rely on others for help. There are four basic rules that will help you with another individual. A fifth rule will allow you to help yourself.

(1) Never walk on the ice alone. A fall through the ice can leave you helpless and another person, with the proper rescue equipment, can save you.

(2) Never drive your vehicle on the ice. This one is difficult. Traditional ice fishing books have spoken of 'safe" ice thickness. The old rule of looking for a vehicle on the ice that is larger than yours can sometimes work but it overlooks the possibility of warm spots (and thinner ice) at certain locations. A vehicle traveling fast over the ice pushes a small ice ripple ahead of it not unlike a summer wave ahead of the prow of the boat. This can cause hidden weak spots. The dangers include a vehicle going through the ice or the possibility of a vehicle on a large piece of ice that breaks free and floats into open water. This is easy to avoid — just make the decision that you will not drive on any ice. The cost of recovering a submerged vehicle, not counting personal safety, is not cheap.

(3) Have a rope with you, at least 10 feet long.

(4) Have a device on your vehicle that can be retrieved in an emergency and pushed over the ice to you. Ideally this would be an aluminum ladder, but fishermen have been known to use small canoes. Another possibility would be a staff or long aluminum pole. Be sure that the device is not padlocked to the vehicle where a person attempting to help would not have access to it.

(5) Finally, and most important, have with you a pair of ice awls that could be used to pull yourself up on the ice. These are easily made and consist of two wooden handles about five inches long and one to two inches in diameter. A small screw eye is placed in each handle and a light cord attached that will be long enough to allow the awls to reach about an arm's length. In the opposite end of each handle place a furniture screw that is threaded on each end. Attach to the handles so that about an inch and a half of the thread protrudes. The cord is placed around your neck and the awls carried in jacket pockets. These can be used to grasp the ice edge and pull yourself up on the ice.

So there you have it, five simple rules to ensure your safety.

No one wants to admit they foolishly fell through the ice, but this author did. The experience taught me a lot and hopefully you will benefit.

Several years ago, on March 24 (too late in the season), I decided to fish one last time at a lake in central Michigan. I was alone (violation of rule 1). I parked my car in the parking lot and proceeded to venture out on the ice. I was about five yards out on the ice when all of a sudden I was standing on the bottom of the lake in three feet of water, For some unknown reason, I had always assumed that if you fell through the ice there would be a gradual weakening of the ice and it would slowly collapse as you slowly sink into the water. Wrong. You go down like a rock. I grabbed the edge of the ice but it kept breaking off. Soon I had the ice awls out and had pulled myself up on the ice. I promptly stood up and suddenly I was standing on the lake bottom again in a second hole.

I repeated the ice awl process and this time I rolled across to solid ice. Angry at myself for stupidity, I reached the car and the end of the ice season.

The story didn't end there. The next day 'reported in the paper several days later) two elderly gentlemen were fishing on the other end of this same lake in 16 feet of water.

They were close together and fell through the ice. One man hung on to his overturned ice bucket that allowed him to float. There were four or five other fishermen nearby but no one had a rope, a ladder or other device to use for the rescue. Finally, one drove his truck to a nearby farm and got a small boat that allowed them to rescue the one man. The other drowned.

The rules are simple and safety is easy to come by. Consider your own safety and enjoy the winter environment.

Dukelow is a resident of Somers.