Safety Tips

[Ihateriversnags]

Greetings all, Say I was looking at the ice fishing forum and found some tips on River fishing safety from one of the pro's we all know and love. So after getting permission from ED on the RED here are his fishing tips and safety tips for river fishing. Thanks again ED for the info perhaps it will keep some of us safe this year.

Jason

Quoting ED:

"I ice fish a lot of rivers and backwater areas and they demand a lot of respect and caution. This season I will be even more cautious due to the high water on all the rivers on the Red River basin. Some slow flowing tribs are icing up already, yet a bit high. I anticipate they all will fall a few feet yet so ice conditions will fluctuate often and dangerously.

A frequent effect of this high water freeze up is “Cave Ice”. Cave ice is sloping ice resulting from falling water levels that often insulate open water near shorelines and snags. Very dangerous stuff to say the least! It may appear to be solid and then the bottom falls out from underneath you. I have gone down several times due to this type of ice and it will scare you half to death. The risk of getting trapped by ice and pinned to the shore or under water is very high with this condition, so exercise EXREAM caution where you suspect this to be a factor. This season here on the Red River basin I am certain it will be, so be very careful folks!

A chisel is necessary anytime you test ice and especially on rivers. Cave ice when tested has a hollow sound and is most frequently found near shore and at a slant. Frequently on rivers, ice depth can change in less then a foot due to currents under the ice. For this reason I test with the bar every foot on all areas I plan to travel by foot. I do not stray far from this test area without again checking the ice carefully.

River ice is always dangerous stuff and demands a lot of respect. This season we may need to be even more cautious.

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Ed "Backwater Eddy" Carlson

Backwater Guiding

"ED on the RED"

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