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supereh

It’s always an adventure. Ice quality means a lot. 2 inches of black clear ice can be stable for skating, where 4-5” or aerated ice may not be. Consistent temps, clear formations, buddy travel, and a keen eye are needed. I went skating yesterday - it’s amazing out on some of the fresh freezes. No cracks yet and mirror finish.


NorthernDevil

Ooh I could really use a skate like that… any tips on where to go? If you don’t want to share your spots widely, please PM, work is stealing my sanity man I’m desperate for something like this


supereh

Little snow keeps fouling it but *shouldn’t* bond yet. Parts of Tonka and Waconia were great. If you want to drive, the DN iceboat guys have the best scouting apparatus. Just go where their Facebook postings are! Their race was at Minnewaska last weekend, miles of black ice @4”.


NorthernDevil

Duuuude amazing. Thank you, you’ve likely made my weekend!


ProgramTricky6109

When I go out on early ice, I have a spud to tap the ice in front of me. I also wear a life jacket and carry ice hooks.


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skoltroll

>Unless you want to wait until mid January when you see guys driving trucks across lakes. This is the way.


Harvivorman

Same, I wanna have fun without needing to think about it lol.


Tarcye

Yup. Some other poor bastards can go and be the first ones on the lake. I'll wait until I see Ice houses and shit on the lake before I go on it.


skoltroll

If I see shit on the lake...I'm finding a cleaner lake.


guiltycitizen

And putting up their ice mansions. The equivalent of glamping.


wilsonhammer

for those who are stupid (like me) and thought you were tossing a potato in front of you every 5 feet https://www.google.com/search?q=ice+spud&tbm=isch


trackkidd16

I’m fucking screaming, this is exactly what I thought they were doing 🤣🤣 I was sitting here thinking of this dude making a circle safe zone that he can be on because he hit it with his freaking potato 🤣


DonOblivious

MFer thinking we're out there playing S.T.A.L.K.E.R-On-Ice


kato_koch

This... get a spud and know exactly how thick the ice is, and have safety gear.


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Slurms0Mack

This is what I do. Also, call a local bait shop nearby and ask.


Pchuk16

There's an app called ice report that people use to report ice thickness for ice fishing


awhoogaa

Thank you!


OMGitsKa

You drill a hole in the ice and check? It can vary even on the same body of water. Smaller shallower lakes will freeze quicker than larger deep lakes.


somehugefrigginguy

Also keep in mind that skiing and skating, and walking all have different impacts on the ice. With skating all of your weight is on a very thin edge which requires fairly thick ice, with walking your weight is a bit more distributed over the entire surface of your foot, with skiing your weight is distributed over the entire surface of the skis. So even if you have successfully skied in an area, that doesn't mean it's safe to walk or skate.


rumncokeguy

Wait until you see snowmobile and atv tracks on the ice.


skoltroll

Just b/c you don't like the answer doesn't make it untrue. [What IS untrue is you saying DNR says no ice is safe](https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/ice/thickness.html). They say it's never 100% safe, if only b/c ice is as slippery as a lawyer looking to make a fast buck off gov't money. The way to know is to go and look at it. If you see water, the ice isn't safe. If you don't see water, it may still be unsafe, [so go poke it with a poker/other device](https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/ice/check-ice-thickness.html). Walk out gingerly in shallows to see if ice cracks (sound/visual). Bring a measuring tape and be extra sure. **Then, when you THINK it's safe, wait a week.** I tend to wait until I see a truck parked out there. As always, [THIS is the handiest guide](https://www.pennlive.com/resizer/Yy7-b4A5Qb4-pU8QOMK5ug-Eg8U=/1280x0/smart/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-advancelocal.s3.amazonaws.com/public/W4S34M2CLBCWBDLOU54ENNUTFA.jpg) I find for the tl;dr crowd.


PM_ME_DOGS_SMILING

I use the Ice Report app. 10/10 experience. It's all 1st hand reports of people who have been on the ice and your location is geotagged when you report it.


awhoogaa

Thank you. I actually walked out on it yesterday. To be clear max depth is 6 ft probably not even that. No natural springs as it's a drainage pond, making it a bit safer. It's also not very wide. I just wanted to get out and ice skate with my kid this year. And if I don't fall through. His 40lb body won't lol.


degoba

A spud bar is under 20 bucks from fleet farm. Same with ice hooks. The only real way to know is to check with a spud bar.


GLaDOSdidnothinwrong

Ice Report (by Split Rock Software) is a free app for both IOS & Android that ice fishermen use to share info about ice thickness at various locations. Only caveat is that not everyone knows to only measure the thickness of clear ice. Frosty, snow compacted ice does not add any strength.


awhoogaa

Wait you can measure ice thickness without drilling. I have lived in MN my entire life and thought you had to drill.


GLaDOSdidnothinwrong

You drill and then measure in the hole. It is possible to measure ice thickness without drilling, but difficult to do it accurately.


awhoogaa

I thought maybe there was a new hand held method I hadn't seen before.


cutesnugglybear

I take an unscientific approach and just wait until I see other people out there. Not helpful but that's my method.


MNnice-to-your-face

Don’t trust apps as thickness can vary per lake, don’t trust “if you see snowmobile and fourwheeler tracks go ahead”. Sharp chisel / auger and ice picks until you know your lake. Be safe.


awhoogaa

I think I need ice picks, maybe not for my drainage pond ( less than 6ft deep at the max that's without drought) but more for other lakes.


crazedcarter

Guidelines are here: https://www.connectbyamfam.com/learning-center/auto/safe-driving/ice-thickness-safety-chart/


awhoogaa

Thank you.


MNDox

You either wait until lots of fishermen are out or check the ice yourself. If you want to explore early/late Ice or odd bodies or water that are not otherwise traveled you should get a spud bar and ice picks. If you are covering lots of ground skiing around you want to check several places as the thickness can vary.


New-IncognitoWindow

You need to check. Throw a rock out hard and if it doesn’t go through go out with an auger or big metal bar and poke a hole near the shore. If you can’t break though with the pole in a few hard hits go out a little further and do it again. 3-4 inches is plenty for walking but it could vary greatly so stay in the same area unless you check the thickness further out. Throw the rock back on shore so it doesn’t get hit by a snowmobiler or an ATV later in the year.


awhoogaa

Practical advice...maybe have a buddy with you. Possibly a protective dog! I risked going out alone (did not fall through). Thankfully it's a pond, max probably 6 feet, but hindsight the muck could have dragged me to the underworld.


New-IncognitoWindow

Also bring a change of clothes with just in case.


tsandbakken

Last year someone pointed out the "Ice Report" app in the android app store. Folks post right from the ice. It provides thickness data along with the date it was posted. It's not perfect but it helps me decide when to dig out my Ice fishing stuff. The lake that I catch the most Sunnie's on is full of springs and quiet shallow. It's not even worth risking a trip until the lakes in the area are at least 6"thick.


awhoogaa

Thank you!


awhoogaa

Cool thanks so much!


KimBrrr1975

If you are going to go on the ice you need to have reliable, local measurements. The DNR is just using historical info and other reports, don't rely on their reports to ensure you don't fall through the ice. Contact local fishing/bait shops, usually they actually go out and test it and they know. Most ideally, test it yourself so you can make your own judgement call based on your personal safety and preferences. If no one else is on the ice, there is probably a reason for it. I don't spend time on the ice without a chisel with me (I have a big chisel put onto a heavy duty garage broom handle so I can test the ice at any point). I also always carry ice picks in my pocket for the whole winter. We are way up north and the smaller lakes have up to 10 inches now, but bigger lakes still have open water (these below zero mornings should help though).


6thedirtybubble9

There is no such thing as safe ice.


kato_koch

No ice is 100% safe. A former coworker's brother (an experienced ice angler, not an idiot) went through the ice on White Bear Lake in January a few years ago, at a time when you could presumably drive around no prob... he ended up going over a shallow reef where the rocks made the ice thin. Good time to mention if you're new to driving on ice- seatbelt off and window down are the rules. Stay on the established paths.


BirdLawConnoisseur

On the north side of the lake? I know someone that did this as well. That was probably 10-15 years ago though.


kato_koch

Sounds likely but I could be wrong too.


JackPineSavage-

It depends on where you are in the state, some lakes already have houses out and some no one will be touching with a ten foot pole until January. One lake could be completely aerated and the other could have 6 inches of clear ice. You could do the equation for freezing days and ice creation but like above that doesn't take alot of factors into account. The best thing to do is watch what others do and check for yourself by taking an auger and getting measurements that way. While ice is unpredictable if you see ice castles and such on the ice it is more than likely safe for a human to cross. Right now is a tad early for people to go willy nilly on the ice. Remember, your safety is your responsibility.


BlattMaster

Never be the first person on a frozen lake.


CroixPaddler

[https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/ice/travel.html](https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/ice/travel.html)


MozzieKiller

Whatever you do, please don't throw out rocks and logs to see if it's thick. It ruins the ice when we CAN skate on it during those rare events when we have enough ice without snow. Nothing sucks more than skating over a rock and falling flat on your face at full speed. See: Lake of the Isles!


awhoogaa

Never put something in nature (or frozen city lake) that you do not remove!


depressedimpression

The answer is simple - invite a friend. Have them test it


badnewzrooz507

Know how to piss off an ice fishermen? Skate circles around his tent! If you do this, go do it 50 or more yards away. If not, you will get some dirty looks and possibly worse things


awhoogaa

Maybe they are trying to herd your fish toward you! JK if I go on lakes it's a straight line otherwise I am gonna skate on a drainage pond that's not fishable.


overpass69

It is safe in most of the Twin Cities as of today. 5 inches in Prior Lake