Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

Ice popping and cracking???


Recommended Posts

I was wondering if it's safe to be on the ice if the ice is popping and cracking underneath. It's my first time ice fishing really hard this year. A couple of times we went out and the ice moved but we still have at least 6 inches of good ice underneath. It scared the pants off my brother in law. I was told that the ice is forming up when we hear ice cracking and shifting and popping from underneath. Just want to know on what the deal is. Any information can help. Thanks, mlv

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You'll get used to all that noise eventually. Those sounds are what we used to call pressure pops. As it gets colder/warmer the ice expands or contracts depending, thus creating your sound. On larger bodies of water the ice actually moves around in big plates just like the tektonic plates that cause earthquakes. I was on Mille Lacs on year when the ice not only cracked and popped but shook for a good 15 seconds, it was like a mini earth quake. On the way off the lake we noticed the bridge the resort used to cross a pressure ridge was a couple feet higher. Still I've never heard of someone suddenly dissapearing through the ice due to pressure cracks. I hope this eases your fear alittle. Like I said you'll get used to it and actually find it quite amusing when you start taking newbies out for their first time. grin.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Growing up on Upper Red Lake as the son of a Ice Fishing Guide the popping of the ice was music to our ears. When temputures drop the ice actually is cooling and contracting creating hairline cracks. As bad as the words "cracks in the ice" sound they are a good sign. Solid ice will crack and pop all night bad ice is softer ice that does not pop or crack. I remember nights on Red when it would sound like thunder rolling across the lake. When the ice pops you have solid ice that is cooling enough to start forming more ice, the sound of production.

Now if you are walking on known thin ice and you have lots of snapping under your feet its time to start backing up ever so gently. shocked.gifwink.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now when you have 6" of ice and some fool drives their blazer next to you. (Happened this weekend) That can get a little interesting when the ice starts cracking and popping right under your feet. Alot of people are still cautious on driving ATV's on the ice right now, as am I. And we got people driving cars and small trucks on some lakes.

Bus

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the reassurance guys. I just want to be cautious and all with the way mother nature is this year. It should doesn't help much with (Contact US Regarding This Word) driving the atv and sleds at a high speed on the ice either. Thanks again guys.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am new to this site and am happy that I joined. I tried to introduce my GF to the joys of ice fishing and when we began to walk the ice got a crackin'. when she heard it all I could see of her afterwards was elbows and ankles! Thanks for asking this question because I now have a good answer to show her from the "safety" of home. Thanks again. smile.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I personally don't think we have enough ice around the metro to be driving out, but there is plenty for walking. I wouldn't worry to much about it. I've been ice fishing since I was kid and the ice is almost always making some kind of noice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I remember from my science classes that water contracts as it cools to 34 degrees. After that, it expands. So as the lake freezes more, the expansion causes the cracks and ice heaves. I was in my fish house once with a beginner when we heard an ice crack starting on the other side of the lake. It got louder as it got nearer and came under the house and rattled it badly. My guest was almost in need of a change of undies. tongue.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm sure some have experienced worse than I have, but one year on Mille Lacs I was in a buddy's permie and at about 2:00a.m. we had a crack go right through one of our ice holes...it was about 6" wide and a decent chunk of ice popped up through the hole and onto the floor. My buddy was passed out drunk, but man did that ever make me jump! I think I jumped from the top bunk and landed on the floor with one hand already on the door handle ready to jump out. A few hundred yards away the crack was 12" wide and we had to wait for a bridge to be made. That was something else!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.


  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • smurfy
      Looks to me like Leech brought his chair home!!😅😆
    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
      Black Bay had great ice before but a few spots near rockpiles where there were spots of open water. It looks like the weight of the snow has created a little lake in the middle of the bay.  
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
    • leech~~
      As I get older it's really not just about sending bullets down range.  Some of it's just the workmanship of the gun and the wow factor. The other two guns I have really wanted which I'll never have now because of their price, is a 8mm Jap Nambu and 9mm German Luger.   Just thought they always looked cool!  
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.