Ice under an Ice House

[Judd]

I have had my 10 x 20 out in same spot since Dec 27th. I have noticed over the years that the Ice under an Ice house doesnt seem to get as thick as the surrounding ice. (I have a well insulated floor) Given the current Ice conditions I'm wondering if pulling the house over 30 to 50 ft would put it on better ice? I have measured and it is still 12" underneath.

[hoggs222]

It wouldn't be a bad idea! My dad had a buddy up there that was up there for 6 weeks straight and he dropped a walleye and it started swimming around under his house. There was 6 or 7 inches of water under the house. He moved his house.

[J Smith]

Tip of the day...your house is banked right? Uncover about a 12 inch patch of banking at each end of your house so air will circulate and keet the Ice thick under your house when you leave for the week. When you get back a couple shovel scoups of snow to fill the vent holes and you'll be back in shape till you leave. Thats the best you can do at this time...unfortunately.

J.

[gizmoguy]

Most of the time what causes you to get water under your house, when the ice is this thick, is the ice bends due to the weight of your house. It's ok, I have never seen one break through. I have had it flood as much as 8 inches deep around my house in the past. Park your truck away from your house to minimize this. I agree with the practice of digging out a hole in the snow bank around your house when you leave. Do this the entire season. Make sure your house is blocked up above the water level first. You are doing it now because the ice is bending from being thin. This can happen later in the season even when the ice is much thicker. Here's what happens. You are up for the weekend. There is no flooding because the ice is thick enough to support your house. It's nice out, warm and sunny. You leave. Then there is a big blow with 4 inches of snow 2 days later. A 2' drift forms around your house. Your holes are still open. Now there's enough weight to sink the ice around your house. It floods above your runners. Then it gets cold with the front moving through. Sub zero and the water under your house freezes solid. You return and find this mess. It can take many hours to free a frozen in house. This can happen even when the ice is over 2 feet thick. I always make sure there is at least 2" of clearance above the water when I leave and I dig out a hole in the banking on each end of the house to let the cold air flow through. Never had a problem since I started this practice.

[bturck]

Gizmo: good advice. Also sorry to hear of the loss of your father in law. I stopped over at Brads house today talked to him regarding what the two of you had discussed if and when a move is possible. Talked to Kevin this morning still not good from Hennepin on out. Not much action where we were at (just NE of Brads on E) kept 6 nice perch, no eyes. Did get to enjoy a couple of perch fillets that one of Brads friends was frying up when I visited. Sure would like to get out to the spot you and I were at last year. Lets keeps in touch and see if it will work before the deadline to get the houses back off. Road out of Macs was good, some slush but not bad at all no problems, other than no eyes. Bill

[hoggs222]

I was out on "E" a week and a half ago. I saw 1 perch the whole time out there on the camera! Good to hear that they were showing up. I did get out there again today, out of Hunters Point, about 8 miles out, just past boot flat. Same ol' story, no fish, a few marked.

[bmg]

Gizmo -

Great advice; I use a similar method as you, and agree that you really gotta keep your house blocked up high --- I keep it 4" inches above the water.

Do you have a solution for re-drilling the holes? If it's not too cold, you can just use an ice chisel to open the old holes. However, if it's been really cold, then you gotta use the power auger again, but that really dulls the blades quick and it becomes a quality workout.

[gizmoguy]

I just force my way though to reopen the holes. I have a old Jiffy and they are not the best for reaming out a hole. Some other brands are designed to do this better. Based on recommendations here I think I'll get the Nils Master 8" someday. Anybody, does the Nils design lend it's self to reopening half refrozen holes. Also looking at the handle design it looks like it could drill out the corner holes that I have in my house. My jiffy is the old suicide handle style with the single arm and a handle on top. Hard to replace it for that reason. It also seems to keep on working just fine after 25 years or so.

Also by allowing the water to freeze under your house week after week. You can actually make the ice thicker under and around your house than the surrounding area.

[FishingRXTime]

Bmg

I have a older Esko auger that has the old style chisel teeth blades instead of the flat laser style and a flat plate that extends to the edge of the chisel teeth on one side so it rests on the new edge as you are cutting. That old style just seems to work better reopening the holes.

If you could find one of those aguer shafts I think it will attach to your power head.

I don't stay in any one place long enough to worry about reopening holes since I am totally mobile and not fishing out of a fixed location. But you may want to experiment with a old timers method. In southern Minnesota when i was growing up the older guys had black 36 inch stove pipes with one end sealed off with a cap,soldered shut, and a piece of scrap metal attached to pull it down the hole. The pipe would fit the hole they augered and had a piece of metal across the open end that stopped the pipe from falling down the hole. When they left they would place it in the hole, when they came back they would pour alittle rubbing alcohol in the tube and light it to heat up the metal just enough to slide it out of the hole. I have not tried this and would sure experiment outside the house to see how far the flame comes up and if that would be a problem. These were the same guys that used a L shaped pipe to heat the house by dripping used oil into that pipe would be cherry red and not what I would even think of doing in a wood fish house.