Ten tech tips for winter angler safety
After reports of several vehicles crashing through ice in recent weeks, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is reminding winter anglers of tips to help make their ice outings safe:
1. Ice is seldom 100 percent safe; this is especially true of rivers. Even during the coldest winters you can find bad spots on almost any body of water due to current, springs, rotting vegetation, water chemistry and schools of rough fish.
2. If the ice is white, multiply the recommended thickness by two. Eight to 12 inches of new clear ice are the minimums recommended for automobiles and small trucks.
3. Multiply the recommended thickness by two any time the temperature rises above freezing for six of the past 24 hours. If it has been above freezing for 24 consecutive hours, stay off the ice; it?s not safe.
4. If you are leaving a load such as a vehicle in one place for more than two hours, multiply the recommended thickness by two. It?s best to drill a hole next to your vehicle. When the water overflows the hole; that means it?s sinking and it?s time to move.
5. Don?t park vehicles close together; they should be at least apart 100 times the ice thickness. If the ice is one foot thick, vehicles should be at least 100 feet apart.
6. Vehicles should stay off the ice in for 24 hours after a cold snap. A rapid drop in temperature makes the ice brittle.
7. Until slush is refrozen, keep vehicles off the ice. Refrozen slush will only support half the weight of new, clear ice. Snow is heavy and causes the ice to sag so its surface will be below the surface of the water. At that point, the ice is overloaded and water will overflow any cracks or holes. This saturates the bottom layers of snow creating slush.
8. Drive less than 15 miles per hour. A car or truck moving on ice creates waves, just like a boat in the summer. If the waves? speed is the same as the vehicle speed a ?critical velocity? is reached that can lead to ice failure.
9. Drive with windows open and be ready to bail out if the vehicle starts to break through. Don?t risk your life trying to save fishing gear or other equipment.
10. Be sure your insurance premium is paid. Even if a person escapes successfully, it can cost $15,000 or more to recover a submerged vehicle from the ice. Law requires removal within 30 days.
And finally, call before you visit, said Tim Smalley, DNR water safety specialist.
?Judging ice by just looking at it can be deceiving,? he added. ?Check on ice conditions with a local bait shop or resort on the lake or river you?re planning to visit. Also, winter anglers need to drill holes frequently to check thickness as they move out onto the ice, since ice thickness can vary considerably from one spot to another.?
Larger image is available by clicking here.
Caption: This pick-up went through the ice on Lake Pepin on Jan. 18. Goodhue County Sheriff?s Office photo
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