Soon the rifles from hunting season will be put away and outdoor enthusiasts across the province will switch their focus to getting out to do some ice fishing. I plan to write a future column on the rules and regulations around ice fishing, but figured that I had better start with some basic ice safety.
I have spent some time in the far north where safety on the ice is very important, and I have taken some ice rescue courses as a conservation officer and as a fireman. So much of what I plan to discuss is based on my own experiences and knowledge. Please check online for supporting information.
This year is and will be no different than many others in the past with a wide range of snow depths, ice thicknesses and temperature variances. Around early December is when our officers often get calls about ice thickness and people wanting to know if it is safe to go out onto the ice. No officer is going to give someone the OK to go out onto the ice and the public should not count on the opinion of the conservation officer just because we perform compliance checks on ice fishermen. I can assure you that if the ice is not thick enough, you won’t find us out on the ice. The onus is on you to make sure that ice conditions are safe for you to venture out on ice.
If you plan to take a vehicle onto the ice, be sure it is safe to do so.
Ice thickness and quality can be affected by warm weather, snowfall and underwater currents.
Ice colour can be an indicator of ice strength. Blue clear ice is strongest, while white and opaque ice is a mixture of ice, snow and bubbles, and thus is much weaker than blue ice.
Poor quality ice is often a result of repetitive freezing and thawing of the ice.
The Saskatchewan Anglers’ Guide has an ice thickness chart that is to be used as a guide only. We take our figures from the Canadian Red Cross. There should be at least 10 centimetres (four inches) of ice to walk on, 15 centimetres (six inches) to drive a snowmobile or ATV on, 20 centimetres (eight inches) to drive a car or light truck on, and 30 centimetres (12 inches) to drive a heavy truck on.
I know that many people have gone out on ice thinner than that and lived to tell the tale, but I certainly would not recommend it just to catch a walleye. I remember watching commercial fishermen in the north walking on ice that was only a few inches thick using four-by-eight sheets of plywood to hold their weight while they pulled nets. At times you could actually see the ice moving in waves… It was crazy!
Ice thickness should not be the sole measure of whether it is safe to go on the ice. Clear hard ice is the only ice that is recommended to travel on. Remember that even the strongest ice still cracks from time to time, which is usually a result of expansion and movement of the ice from changing temperatures. I know that the loud crack is enough to make my kids drop their iPads and look to Dad to assure them of their safety.
Remember to avoid ice that is slushy in appearance, ice near moving water and ice near structures such as pressure ridges. Pressure ridges often occur when two large pieces of floating ice collide, joining and making one large piece of ice. Often there is open water and pools around the pressure ridge where the two masses collide.
Slush is not always a sign of weak ice and may just be a result of water on the surface of the ice which is covered and blanketed by the snow. Although not always dangerous, you should take care to avoid it.
For those of you driving, make sure that you do not make speed a priority. Speeding across ice creates waves under the ice that will make it to shore sooner than you will and can damage the ice as you come off.
As a rule of thumb, I do not travel on lakes where no one has travelled before me. Why be the explorer of untraveled ice when you do not have to be? If you choose to travel on ice, it is a good idea to open the windows of the vehicle.
If you happen to go through the ice in a vehicle, do not panic. Exit the vehicle as soon as you can. The open window will assist you as water pressure or ice around each door may not allow it to open. If you have kids in the vehicle, help them out first before you exit the vehicle. When you get onto the ice, roll away from the vehicle. Don’t go back into the vehicle for your phone, iPad or favourite fishing pole.
As well, remember that there may be hazards out on the ice other than ice thickness.
Reduced visibility, open holes and large ice chunks are all possibilities when out on the ice. It has happened to me where you are in a nice toasty ice shack oblivious to the outside world, when all of a sudden you get up to leave and you cannot see your truck because of the blizzard that just arrived.
Ice fishers sometimes like to make large two-by-four inches or bigger holes in the ice.
Those ice chunks, or the hole left behind, can cause hazards for you or others. I recommend marking the hole after leaving to make others aware of the potential hazard.
Finally, remember to always tell someone where you have gone and when you plan to come home. Most of us have cell phones now, but it is safer to check in from time to time.
Until next time, keep yourself on the dry side of the frozen water.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Ministry of Environment conservation officer Lindsey Leko has spent more than 25 years as a conservation officer in Saskatchewan. For many years, Officer Leko contributed a column to local papers on a variety of issues related to hunting, fishing, and other resource-related issues. If you have questions, please contact lindsey.leko@gov.sk.ca.)
