Be Careful Out There

[Steve D]

Town of Burlington
Otsego County
Water Rescue/Recovery: On Jan. 6 at 2:45 p.m., a subject walking his dog called 911 after seeing two ice fishermen fall through the ice on Basswood Pond. Forest Ranger Laymon was at the Jacobs Road trailhead one minute away from the pond. Ranger Laymon saw one of the men treading water, but lost sight of the other. The ice was approximately one-inch thick, unsafe for fishing. The Ranger entered the ice, crawled toward the 42-year-old from Richfield Springs, and used a throw bag to help the subject out of the water. The subject grabbed the rope and Ranger Layman pulled him onto a sled. At 2:55 p.m., the Ranger pulled the sled to shore where he was met by members of the Edmeston Fire Department, who used their truck to start the drying and warming process to help the subject suffering from hypothermia. Ranger Laymon headed back to the ice to search for the second man, the first subject’s brother. At 3:05 p.m., Ranger Laymon located the 41-year-old from Richfield Springs in seven to eight feet of water. New York State Police, Otsego County Emergency Services, and Edmeston, Fly Creek, Schuyler Lake, and West Edmeston volunteer fire departments helped pull Ranger Laymon and the submerged man out of the water and onto shore. At 3:23 p.m., the subject was transferred to EMTs who began CPR. Both subjects were taken to the hospital. The first was treated and released. The second subject was declared deceased by the hospital later that night. 

[Farflung]

2 men and a dog were recued out of Hinckley Lake near Prospect NY yesterday.  Evolution in action, only the smart/cautious survive.

[Doc]

What is the recommended minimum thickness that they recommend as being safe to ice fish on? I know 1" is not it!

[Nytracker]

4 inches for a man . 6 inches for a wheeler or groups of people recommended. That said there is no safe ice . Just because you read 4 inches of ice in one spot doesn't mean you have 4 inches 10 feet away. Conditions can change rapidly do to moving water ,springs ,and gas holes. Be careful and treat all ice as thin ice.

[Doc]

1 hour ago, Nytracker said:

4 inches for a man . 6 inches for a wheeler or groups of people recommended. That said there is no safe ice . Just because you read 4 inches of ice in one spot doesn't mean you have 4 inches 10 feet away. Conditions can change rapidly do to moving water ,springs ,and gas holes. Be careful and treat all ice as thin ice.

Thanks. I tend to add in safety factors on things like that.

I remember when they used to have winter carnivals on the ice at Honeoye Lake (one of the Finger Lakes). Huge crowds gathered out on the lake with motorcycles. I don't know how thick the ice was then, but it was holding up an unbelievable amount of weight. They did discontinue it after just a couple of years. Thinking back on it, it does sound like a rather foolish kind of event.

[jperch]

There is more involved than ice thickness when it comes to ice integrity.  New, black ice is a lot stronger than end of the season gray, candled ice.  I have seen a foot of old ice that was not safe at all and that disappeared in a day.  If new to the sport I suggest finding a local who can give advice, have basic safety gear (picks and a throw rope at minimum), a change of dry clothes back in the truck (driving home in your undergarments is embarassing) and use a spud.  There are lots of videos online about how to correctly use a spud to check ice conditions.  There is always some element of danger of course but it can be minimized.

[luberhill]

13 hours ago, Doc said:

Thanks. I tend to add in safety factors on things like that.

I remember when they used to have winter carnivals on the ice at Honeoye Lake (one of the Finger Lakes). Huge crowds gathered out on the lake with motorcycles. I don't know how thick the ice was then, but it was holding up an unbelievable amount of weight. They did discontinue it after just a couple of years. Thinking back on it, it does sound like a rather foolish kind of event.

I remember seeing part of Skaneateles frozen from the south end heading north ,and seeing people go to the edge of it and fish the open water 

[Nytracker]

I remember a 3 axle dump truck clearing snow for ice boat race on Sodus bay back in the 80s.Scared the chit out of me and my buddies.  We couldn't see what was making the noise as it was covered in a cloud of snow . Coming at us we could see the truck.

[Steve D]

On 1/16/2024 at 4:58 AM, Doc said:

What is the recommended minimum thickness that they recommend as being safe to ice fish on? I know 1" is not it!

As mentioned by others the consistency is more important than the thickness in one area. But here is a good guide:

[Steve D]

Town of Kent
Putnam County
Ice Rescue: On Jan. 20 at 2:47 p.m., Forest Ranger Lieutenant Ashida was in the parking lot at White Pond talking to anglers about measuring the thickness of the ice when an angler ran over reporting someone nearby had just fallen through the ice. Lieutenant Ashida grabbed a personal flotation device and a throw bag and ran to the location. A nearby angler had already successfully pulled the 65-year-old from Patterson out of the water. Lieutenant Ashida helped walk the subject to his car and met Ranger Cowart and members of the Kent and Kent Cliff Fire Departments. Ranger Cowart helped the subject out of his wet clothes and into a sleeping bag for warmth. The subject was checked out by EMS and declined further medical care. Resources were clear at 3:37 p.m. 

[Steve D]

Town of Indian Lake 
Hamilton County 
Snowmobile Accident: On Feb. 17 at 10:35 a.m., a group of four snowmobilers were traveling southbound on Indian Lake when the first rider in the group struck a 16-inch high-pressure crack. The rider and snowmobile travelled 73 feet in the air before crashing to the ice, rolling end over end, stopping 250 feet from the crack. An ice fisherman saw the accident and called 911. Forest Rangers Caswell, Lomnitzer, Milano, and Scott responded with Indian Lake Fire and EMS, and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. While responding, a rescue ATV broke through the ice. The two first responders self-rescued. Rangers used snowmobiles to bring the first responders to an ambulance at Indian Lake Islands campground and helped package the injured snowmobiler in a rescue toboggan. The 67-year-old from Indian Lake was transported four miles across the lake to a waiting ambulance. The subject was taken to the hospital with significant injuries. Rangers also helped recover the first responders’ ATV from the water. Resources were clear at 1:11 p.m.

Pressure crack on Indian Lake
 

Town of Webb 
Herkimer County 
Snowmobile Accident: On Feb. 17 at 12:29 p.m., Forest Rangers Evans, Lee, and Murphy responded to a call for a snowmobile through the ice on Stillwater Reservoir. The rider was out of the water when Rangers arrived, but the snowmobile was submerged. Rangers returned the following day to provide scene safety while a tow operator removed the snowmobile from the water. 

Snowmobile pulled from Stillwater Reservoir