ice auger

"Calif Bill" wrote in message SNIP

Not always. Was in Chicago on business years ago, when a mile of the ice
cracked loose from the shore. One guy with a new pickup and the rest with
snowmobiles headed out into the lake. Snowmobiles were rescued by boats,
the insurance company paid off on the truck. I was there when some guy
bought the truck for a pittance from the insurance company and he and his
buddy went out to the smaller ice floe where the truck was setting, and
attched 55 gallon barrels and floated the boat to shore. The original
owner
wanted the truck back. Was informed he had sold the truck to the
insurance
company. Truck looked fine, probably just need a differential and tranny
oil change and a good lub job.


Yeah Bill, but you're talking about ice on the Great Lakes. That's a whole
different ballgame. With the center of the lake unfrozen, the wind can (and
frequently does) push shore ice loose. The same thing happens here in
Wisconsin on Lake Winnebago almost every year.

Typical inland lakes that freeze over entirely don't have the problem of ice
breaking loose and sailing around the lake. Typically the lake will freeze,
the ice expands and has a hard time going anywhere. So it cracks, relieving
the pressure, then the split fills with water and refreezes. On some larger
lakes, there will be huge expansion heaves, with the ice piling up 10 feet
or more, but this doesn't happen on most lakes.

What Randy experienced was simple expansion cracking, nothing more. But, if
you're not used to it, experiencing it for the first time will make you the
poster child for Depends!
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

"Calif Bill" wrote in message SNIP

Not always. Was in Chicago on business years ago, when a mile of the ice
cracked loose from the shore. One guy with a new pickup and the rest with
snowmobiles headed out into the lake. Snowmobiles were rescued by boats,
the insurance company paid off on the truck. I was there when some guy
bought the truck for a pittance from the insurance company and he and his
buddy went out to the smaller ice floe where the truck was setting, and
attched 55 gallon barrels and floated the boat to shore. The original
owner
wanted the truck back. Was informed he had sold the truck to the
insurance
company. Truck looked fine, probably just need a differential and tranny
oil change and a good lub job.


Yeah Bill, but you're talking about ice on the Great Lakes. That's a whole
different ballgame. With the center of the lake unfrozen, the wind can (and
frequently does) push shore ice loose. The same thing happens here in
Wisconsin on Lake Winnebago almost every year.

Typical inland lakes that freeze over entirely don't have the problem of ice
breaking loose and sailing around the lake. Typically the lake will freeze,
the ice expands and has a hard time going anywhere. So it cracks, relieving
the pressure, then the split fills with water and refreezes. On some larger
lakes, there will be huge expansion heaves, with the ice piling up 10 feet
or more, but this doesn't happen on most lakes.

What Randy experienced was simple expansion cracking, nothing more. But, if
you're not used to it, experiencing it for the first time will make you the
poster child for Depends!
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

"Jim Laumann" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 22 Nov 2004 16:04:03 -0500, "Alwaysfishking"
wrote:

So let me ask this.... last year we went out on a small lake here, when
we
were drilling we heard a thunderous crack in the ice and ran like hell,
thought half the lake was going to collapse in. When we did get settled,
we
drilled 10 inchs down, but every now and then when shifting to a
different
spot we would drill and hear that crack again.. Was this just ice
shifting
below us? safe? Un safe? I went with we were nuts and went home
early...

Randy

Ice is constantly "talking", espec. on sunny days, w/ little snow. The
sun's rays will penetrate in to the ice, can cause a little expansion,
causing the ice to crack. But as it cracks, it gets stronger, as water
will fill the cracks and then re-freeze.

Jim



Not always. Was in Chicago on business years ago, when a mile of the ice
cracked loose from the shore. One guy with a new pickup and the rest with
snowmobiles headed out into the lake. Snowmobiles were rescued by boats,
the insurance company paid off on the truck. I was there when some guy
bought the truck for a pittance from the insurance company and he and his
buddy went out to the smaller ice floe where the truck was setting, and
attched 55 gallon barrels and floated the boat to shore. The original owner
wanted the truck back. Was informed he had sold the truck to the insurance
company. Truck looked fine, probably just need a differential and tranny
oil change and a good lub job.

Alwaysfishking wrote:
So let me ask this.... last year we went out on a small lake here, when we
were drilling we heard a thunderous crack in the ice and ran like hell,
thought half the lake was going to collapse in. When we did get settled, we
drilled 10 inchs down, but every now and then when shifting to a different
spot we would drill and hear that crack again.. Was this just ice shifting
below us? safe? Un safe? I went with we were nuts and went home early...



You never know what that ice cracking sound might be.....
http://tinyurl.com/5ycqa

On Mon, 22 Nov 2004 16:04:03 -0500, "Alwaysfishking"
wrote:

So let me ask this.... last year we went out on a small lake here, when we
were drilling we heard a thunderous crack in the ice and ran like hell,
thought half the lake was going to collapse in. When we did get settled, we
drilled 10 inchs down, but every now and then when shifting to a different
spot we would drill and hear that crack again.. Was this just ice shifting
below us? safe? Un safe? I went with we were nuts and went home early...

Randy

Ice is constantly "talking", espec. on sunny days, w/ little snow. The
sun's rays will penetrate in to the ice, can cause a little expansion,
causing the ice to crack. But as it cracks, it gets stronger, as water
will fill the cracks and then re-freeze.

Jim

Randy,
If the temp was falling it could have been the expansion causing cracking
(See link below). Several years ago I spent a night in an ice shack on Mille
Lacs Lake in Minnesota. The temp dropped to 25 below that night and I did
not sleep very much due to the booming of the ice. The guys I was with were
experienced and told me to drink some more whiskey, shut-up and go to sleep
as there was no danger. The next morning we noticed about 200 yards away the
ice had buckled and heaved up about 15 feet. Glad it wasn't under our shack!
On Mille Lacs they actually pull metal bridges out on the ice to span
expansion cracks in the ice. No ****! Joe Z.
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/wa...ge_photos.html


"Alwaysfishking" wrote in message
...
So let me ask this.... last year we went out on a small lake here, when we
were drilling we heard a thunderous crack in the ice and ran like hell,
thought half the lake was going to collapse in. When we did get settled, we
drilled 10 inchs down, but every now and then when shifting to a different
spot we would drill and hear that crack again.. Was this just ice shifting
below us? safe? Un safe? I went with we were nuts and went home early...

Alwaysfishking wrote:
So let me ask this.... last year we went out on a small lake here, when we
were drilling we heard a thunderous crack in the ice and ran like hell,
thought half the lake was going to collapse in. When we did get settled, we
drilled 10 inchs down, but every now and then when shifting to a different
spot we would drill and hear that crack again.. Was this just ice shifting
below us? safe? Un safe? I went with we were nuts and went home early...



You never know what that ice cracking sound might be.....
http://tinyurl.com/5ycqa

So let me ask this.... last year we went out on a small lake here, when we
were drilling we heard a thunderous crack in the ice and ran like hell,
thought half the lake was going to collapse in. When we did get settled, we
drilled 10 inchs down, but every now and then when shifting to a different
spot we would drill and hear that crack again.. Was this just ice shifting
below us? safe? Un safe? I went with we were nuts and went home early...

"Pat_RI" wrote in message
news:jPPmd.10869$nj.10867@lakeread01...
I am looking to purchase an gas ice auger for fishing this year and was
wondering if anyone can recommend one or what to stay away from. I know it
is a little early for this but I just want to look early.

Thanks,
Pat


I believe that I have a little experience with this subject.

First of all, DON'T get an electric. Also, unless you plan on fishing for
large pike or trout through the ice, don't bother with a 10 inch hole.
They're nice, but I've done too many "One Leggers" down a 10" hole when snow
covers them up. An 8 inch auger is plenty big for 99.9% of the fish that
you'll catch.

Don't get one of those monster Jiffy Augers. They're too bloody heavy to
carry around and when ice fishing, mobility is one of the keys to success.
Get a heavy auger and you won't want to move too terribly often. It's just
too much work.

I have a StrikeMaster 8" lightweight gas auger and it's all that I've ever
needed. I've been hearing some problems with the Jiffy augers. You might
want to avoid those, look at StrikeMaster and Eskimo.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com