thin ice?

[Mink Islander]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Standing on the Cattle dock; looking to the right or west, it's mostly all open water out to flasher-3. Looking to the left or east, it's mostly all ice out to Rock Island and beyond.

FLL: Just curious whether the recent colder temps have started to lock things up in Cattle Landing. May make a day trip up on Sunday to investigate. Will be very interested to hear whether any sleds have been going through there (without going through - LOL).

Thanks much.

MI

[fatlazyless]

Yes, the cold temps have already made a fast change with the open water freezing up.

[Mink Islander]

Please keep us posted. I'm guessing with the pond hockey tournament, activity on the lake will increase this weekend quite a bit.

Excited to be up next week for some ice fishing!

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by Mink Islander

FLL: Just curious whether the recent colder temps have started to lock things up in Cattle Landing. May make a day trip up on Sunday to investigate. Will be very interested to hear whether any sleds have been going through there (without going through - LOL).

Thanks much.

MI

That was open water last Saturday so anyone that goes through there by foot or on anything like a sled is a fool. Further on up by Sheps the situation was no better....

[Mink Islander]

Thanks Maxum. I agree the lake is more than a week behind "normal" ice-in. I'll check things out on Sunday. Keep in mind though that once the lake skims over, ice builds at around 1/2" to 1" a day depending on how cold it is. Guessing the water at that end of Sheps skimmed over on Sunday. Snow cover, clear skies (radiational cooling), wind, etc. all play into this too (for better or worse).

Based on the colder temps since Sunday, I'm betting there's as much at 4 inches off that end of Sheps now, possible a little more. Hoping by Thursday next week it has at least 6 inches since I do usually get my sleds on the ice there. Over by Cattle Landing (south of Bear) has been ice covered for some time so it should be in better shape. The channel there is always the question mark, however, as it locks in late and is prone to movement too. When I'm on foot, I get on the ice near there.

I'll post pix on Sunday.

[MAXUM]

Yeah that area has been locked up then open then locked up again. Just haven't seen the sustained consistent cold to keep it hard.

Let me know what it looks like this weekend and if you take any ice thickness readings what they are. At least armed with this pic I posed you know what was last to freeze. I'm anxious to get out there myself I have a number of bulky and or heavy items that I'd prefer to get out over the ice versus by boat.

Sadly I think it is supposed to warm up again next week.

[Mink Islander]

Progress....

Cut some holes over by the ramp where Maxum's picture last Saturday show'd open water. Now about 4" of black ice there -- I went out only about 50 feet though. Certainly wouldn't try to put a sled on there right now, but in another week, it will be a very different story given the weather forecast (excluding next Wednesday).

At Cattle Landing, I got on the ice a few hundred yards west of the public docks. As usual the fan boat has done a nice job destroying the area around the town docks as a safe access point onto the ice for the public. Live Free Or Die does not mean do whatever the F you want regardless of the impact on those around you. But I digress.....

Where I got on (near the bend in the road west of the parking lot), has been frozen for some time and there is a good 8" anywhere that has snow cover. Couple ice fisherman out there today. Out to the east approaching the town docks area is a different story. This too was clearly open water a week ago. I initially found 4" of ice as I moved onto the black ice, but when I got roughly even with the town docks near a pressure ridge, I measured a paltry 2" and stopped.

I want today to be remembered for the Pats winning another Super Bowl, not me getting wet because I needlessly pushed safety limits on the ice.

It will be in much better shape come next Thursday. FIngers crossed.

Mink Islander

[MAXUM]

Thanks for the ice report, 4 inches is pretty impressive in such a short span of time. Be really nice if in a couple of weeks it'll be safe enough to cross with the snow machines.

Nice auger! Those things I hear are the best manual ones money can buy.

[NHGUNOWNER]

I measured 10" in Sanders bay this afternoon, off Gilford beach. That's a huge increase over the 6" or so I found last weekend.
I walked out past Varney point onto younger ice and measured 5.5". I wouldn't have even walked out there last week.
Very pleased with my findings.

[Mink Islander]

I'll be back Thursday and will cut some more test holes. If I get to 6 inches I'll probably venture out on my sled from Sheps. Otherwise, I'll be on foot from Cattle Landing heading to Mink Island.

The Nils augers are really awesome. Very sharp and quick. I have their gas auger too and love it.

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by Mink Islander

I'll be back Thursday and will cut some more test holes. If I get to 6 inches I'll probably venture out on my sled from Sheps. Otherwise, I'll be on foot from Cattle Landing heading to Mink Island.

The Nils augers are really awesome. Very sharp and quick. I have their gas auger too and love it.

If you can post updated findings from Thursday that would be awesome! I'd like to venture out as well if safe enough to do so.

[Mink Islander]

So I drove up today (Friday) due to the storm yesterday. The conditions at Sheps have continued to improve. I measured 6-7 inches 75 feet or so out from the barge access ramp. There was about 12 inches out by the black nav marker visible from the shore there. I pretty confident the ice in and around that access point is overall in pretty good shape now.

But...

I loaded up and rode over to Cattle Landing over the lake. Small drifts but also some slushy spots - not uncommon when we have the weight of the snow plus the wind pushing on the ice and bring up some surface water. Over near the Cattle Landing docks where I cut holes last week, there was a good 5 inches of ice now -- some is weaker, snow ice, however, but overall better than last week. I crossed through Cattle Landing but pulled up just past Dolly Island where it looked a little questionable. Cut several holes around there and found 3-5 inches of black ice with water and frozen slush on top. One hole had just over 2" of black ice with water on top of slush. That's all I needed to see -- backed up, turned around and went back to Sheps.

Given how thin the ice was in the area around Cattle Landing and how unprotected that area is from the wind, I was quite concerned that Some of it may have started to break up again. Or at least plates could be moving around creating dangerous gaps in the ice -- I've seen that before through there. Please be very careful if venturing through there.

I'll try again next weekend, weather permitting....

[MAXUM]

Ventured out to Bear Yesterday on foot. Was surprised to see how many people were out on sleds running around. There are some pretty brave souls out there is all I can say going in places I wouldn't even think of going on foot never mind sled.... and clearly from the news last night a few punched their ticket as a result.

FYI - cut a series of holes on the NE side of bear. Did a line of them starting from about 100 feet off shore out about 400-500 yards every 100 yards or so.

There are a number of places where there is a lot of slush over the ice. Those areas tended to measure out the thinnest. In general there was no less than 4-5" of measured black ice with varying amounts of white ice on top of that, anywhere from 1-5 inches. Of course that white ice does not have nearly the same strength.

[dickiej]

I wouldn't say brave.....I'd say stupid.