How thick is the ice?

[MNRinkRat]

I might be going out on the Northern side of Upper Red Lake this weekend. How thick is the ice?

[Nate McVey]

Will I need an extension?

[HANS76]

I wouldnt bring a extension. It takes up way to much room in the truck!

[Snowking]

i had 22 inches under the house this past weekend

[MNRinkRat]

Anybody else get any measurements. I'm visiting some friends in that area and they want to bring us out ice fishing to one of those rental fish houses. It's been so long since I have been ice fishing and I get concerned with the safety of the ice.

[northspear]

was up there on monday and with the snow and how thick the ice was we just about didnt make it. so to be on the safe side yeah i would bring it. and i we measured 27in.

[norm25]

Absolutely ridiculous that a man has to disguise a post to ask a fair question on ice thickness and you rat b-terds respond with the typical fair.

I am going to lake of the woods next week....my friend who is going with called tonight and asked if I knew how thick the ice was there. I said that I have not seen an ice thickness report in some time for red lake or lake of the woods.....

We will both bring our extensions along would be nice to know if we need to put them on before we get there at buttcrackodawn without, a . hole. d . ba.gs making a laff out of it and not answering the ? on how thick the ice was where they were fishing.......cause it is more awesome to make fun of people.....

[traveler]

Lighten up Norm! 2 of the 3 posts before yours give measurments, Yeah, a couple before that made mention of a running joke on this forum...deal with it without calling everyone ratbast....'s for cripes sake!

Nobody making fun of anybody...(although I'm tempted right now!)

BTW...how is "How thick is the ice?" "disguising a question about ice thicckness??? Seems pretty straightforward to me. Maybe a little less computer time at 3 a.m. would be a good idea for ya:)

[Random guy]

As for the ice on the North side we are seeing anything from 10"-20" in the areas we can get to with trucks. Past that with sleds I have ran into spots that I didn't hang around long enough to measure but it didn't take very many auger revolutions to punch through.

Now MNRinkRat

Quote:

they want to bring us out ice fishing to one of those rental fish houses. It's been so long since I have been ice fishing and I get concerned with the safety of the ice.

As long as you are headed to an outfitters rental you should be very safe as all the outfitters on Upper Red use plows to place the rentals. A V-plow has already plowed the road to the rental, a straight blade truck has cleared a spot for the rental and hauled in everything from propane to toilet paper and we just didn't fly by we spent a lot time around the houses so if anything was going to happen it would happen to one of those heavy rigs as it is ramming around the area. You should be more then safe at a rental.

Norm, settle down, it will be ok.

[kelly-p]

OK Norm what do you want us to answer? When opening up a new place I can be standing right here on 18 inches of ice. Take 2 steps and I can be on 10 to 12 inches of ice if there was a deeper drift there. Take 10 steps the other way where the snow was cleared off a week ago and there could be 24+ inches of ice. The ice thickness is not the same in 10 feet let alone all the way across URL.

if we need to put them on before we get there

How hard is it or how long does it take to put an extention on or take off an auger? 3 to 5 minutes! That'll wreck your trip!

not answering the ? on how thick the ice was where they were fishing.......

It a little more complicated then that. Were they fishing where the snow was cleared off a week or so ago? Were they fishing at a place where deep snow was just cleared off or were they fishing where the ice sheet sank, turned to slush and then refroze? In those 3 places the ice thickness could vary 20+ inches. How do we know what the conditions are where you are going to be fishing?

Sorry Norm but if the time ever comes that a person can not have a little fun on the forum I'm out of here. We do our best to provide information that is as accurate and informative as posible but there is no one answer to some questions. We are dealing with Mother Nature not some 27 page Government booklet on how to make ice.

[cookie129]

Lol.

The area I have two houses blocked up I needed my extenion today so she is on there for the rest of the season as its to complicated to put on and off.

[Nate McVey]

Geeeezz.....just a little "URL Humor", didn't mean to get anybody's undies in a bunch

Thanks for the responses from those in the know..........I will bring my extension

[SFC]

Welcome to the forums,dont be afraid to ask any questions, lots of good info on this site. By the actual answers u got , it looks like it was a good question.

[Xplorer]

Hahaha,

Gotta love that "3am drunk posting", LOL

Looks like you just lived up to your signature Norm. Lighten up a bit, and read what the posters have said. Ice thickness is inconsistent all over the lake, to say the least.

[shaky legs2]

We were set up on a small off-shoot that Jonny P. plowed for our house. We had the house set on 2" blocks but by 9:00 p.m. the water had moved up so far in our holes that we had to pull ahead about 20 feet. We set the house down on 4" blocks and I noticed the ice was at least two inches thinner than the previous spot which I thought was unusual as the second spot was closer to the main road. By the next morning the water was up to the frame of the house in the new spot. The thickness varies a great deal and with all the slush/slow on the lake the quality and uniformity of the ice isn't as good as previous years. On a side note. I saw Kelly fishing on an off-shoot road that he was trying to plow to get to a gravel bar. His vehicle looked like it was on an Island as it was surrounded by water. As we stood talking on the road the water ran right by us on it's way to the main road.