How thick do you like the ice to be before you start walking out and fishing?

[guywhofishes]

Deep small lakes like Spiritwood and Stump make heterogeneous ice.

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39 degrees is when water is heaviest. Strange but true.

 

[lunkerslayer]

Deep small lakes like Spiritwood and Stump make heterogeneous ice.

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39 degrees is when water is heaviest. Strange but true.

Is that because of the high salinity which makes the ice soft and cloudy since brine solution in water changes the freezing temps but since stump is so deep it causes the ice to become cloudy. When I lived on the farm the water had a little salinity and the ice cubes were always cloudy, also was great for suds in the washing machine.

 

[watson]

I like to hard water fish but I wouldn't care if it didn't get thick enough to drive on this year, walking is fine by me. Thats my wish for a mild winter

 

[Hookin8easy]

I like to hard water fish but I wouldn't care if it didn't get thick enough to drive on this year, walking is fine by me. Thats my wish for a mild winter

i agree, fishing is always better without the campground anyway...

 

[Enslow]

We need snow so we gain some water back. We lost a lot this year.

 

[lunkerslayer]

We need snow so we gain some water back. We lost a lot this year.

Amen brother Enslow, it's going to be interesting up north of devils with low water, my neighbor fishes up there regularly and told me there is a lot of water pockets with no outlets, could be interesting for winter kill. We had some issues by the church's ferry rr bridge. Ndgf made the right choice to open up refuge lakes.

 

[lunkerslayer]

This ones for mushky pretty cool

 

[Bullsnake]

I just do the rock test by the boat ramp. I throw about 10 to 15 big rocks and if they stay on top it is time to go out:;:stirthepot;:;popcorn

Well yea, plus your adding structure for fish when it thaws:;:cheers

 

[Holmsvc]

4 inches is plenty to walk on

 

[lunkerslayer]

What if he a little bit on the heavy side and walking on heterogeneous ice?

 

[Buckmaster81]

Really? I've never ice fished it, only open water. Springs or what?

I think drastic depth variances plays into the ice issues on Spiritwood

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I see guywhoknowsstuff beat me to it

 

[lunkerslayer]

Deep small lakes like Spiritwood and Stump make heterogeneous ice.

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39 degrees is when water is heaviest. Strange but true.

Where did you read about the heterogeneous ice on stump lake

 

[wildeyes]

nothing like the (ah s**t moment on thin ice) one thing you learn if you get the chance is, you cant crawl up on the good ice you swim out works better that way. 4" of ice in one spot is not the same 4" in another.

 

[NodakBuckeye]

I just do the rock test by the boat ramp. I throw about 10 to 15 big rocks and if they stay on top it is time to go out:;:stirthepot;:;popcorn

I did some shearing for some people in West Virginia a few years ago and they told me the had tried to drop rocks off a high wall onto a strip pit without success. Don't get much ice there so no augers and didn't want to loose their spud bar. I know you are referencing that epic thread from the other site...