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[cool][#0000ff]Brett Prettyman included an article and warning to ice anglers in his Outdoor Section fishing corner of the Tribune this morning. [url "http://www.sltrib.com/outdoors/ci_4743375"]LINK TO ARTICLE[/url][/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]He also advised that the Blue Ribbon Fisheries Program is having to foot the bill for plowing at Strawberry again this winter. [url "http://www.sltrib.com/outdoors/ci_4743377"]LINK TO ARTICLE[/url][/#0000ff]
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Brett mentioned, "Early- and late-season ice fishing is the most dangerous.... Such was the case in late January 1999 when melting ice on Yuba Reservoir stranded more than 20 anglers on a floating chunk of ice. Only quick thinking by anglers already on shore prevented a tragedy that day."
Does anyone know what happened there. Just curious.
Nate
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Thanks for the links TD. I can not wait to get out there on the ice as I have never done it before. I am sure that this weather is helping I discoverd that my dogs little electric water bowl is not working when i found 4 inches of solid ice in it yesterday morning.
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[cool][#0000ff]Sorry, I was living in Arizona at that time and do not have any first hand knowledge of the event. Maybe some of the other Yuba fans can help.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I also sent an email to Brett, asking if he had any archived info or articles he could provide.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Sounds like what happens almost every year on some midwestern lakes. The ice starts to erode, there is some open water and when wind and waves start up it breaks off a big chunk of ice...with hole drillers on it. That could make your laundry bill go up.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The ice starts to erode, there is some open water and when wind and waves start up it breaks off a big chunk of ice...with hole drillers on it. That could make your laundry bill go up.[/#0000ff] [/reply]
Yep but, whats the worries? After all thats what Min-Kota's are fer... It make trolling while fishing for the contest legal as I see it.... HA! [  ]
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there was about 2 dozen people out on the ice fishing when a man had just arrived and was going to go fishing also. he started down to the ice but he saw no way on the ice. there was about 4 feet or so between land and the ice. he was looking around and just about at that time a gaint micro bust of wind came thru and rippled the whole lake. he got a rope and tied it to his sled and threw it out to the people on the ice and he pulled them across. some guys just ran and jumped. it sounded pretty crazy, walleyebob was there that day. later chuck
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[cool][#0000ff]Here is a copy of the article Brett did on that.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff] [font "Arial"][size 5]On Thin [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 5]Ice[/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 5]; Rescuers, Fishers Race Against Death On Thawing Lake[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 3] THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE [/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 3]When Draper's Dan Eliason arrived at [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]Yuba[/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3] Reservoir at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, he didn't like what he saw.[/size][/font][font "Times"][size 4] [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]The [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]ice[/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3] near shore looked unsafe. Normally, he would have just turned around and went home. But two dozen people were out on the stronger [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]ice[/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3] in the middle of the lake, unaware of deteriorating conditions close to shore.[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 3]They were catching fish, never dreaming they would soon be hauled one at a time on a flimsy plastic sled across a freezing channel full of broken [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]ice[/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3].[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 3]A 20-yard swath around the perimeter of the lake cracked and shifted in classic spring-thaw patterns. A 35-mph south wind had come up and was blasting the [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]ice[/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3] with warm air. Eliason saw sleds and buckets blowing across the [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]ice[/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3].[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 3]A man broke through the [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]ice[/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3] near the shore, waist deep, and crawled out. The people on the [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]ice[/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3] shifted nervously from the middle toward the cracking shoreline.[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 3]A man with a dog sled made a running start and careened across the dangerous shore area, now a melting, cracking moat. He struggled to safety.[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 3]Eliason thought of calling a ranger, but decided there was no time. Fifteen miles of dirt road lay between the reservoir and the ranger station.[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 3]Park Manager Pat Jerome said rangers usually patrol the lake to make sure it is safe for [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]ice[/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3] fishers, but in this case conditions changed quickly.[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 3]It was up to those on hand to attempt a rescue.[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 3]"There were three of us there that figured, `We have got to get these people off fast,' " Eliason said.[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 3]The group was now stranded on cracking [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]ice[/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3] above water 20 feet deep. It would be a disaster if they fell through.[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 3]"You might have five or 10 minutes in water that temperature. The only way they could be rescued is with a boat," he said. "And there was no boat.[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 3]"This one guy had a blue plastic sled, maybe 2 by 5 [feet], so we threw him the rope and he tied it on," said Eliason. "The sides of the sled were 3 inches high. No way it would float if it stopped."[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 3]It would be women and children first. The two children were pulled to safety across cracking [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]ice[/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3] that would still support the sled if it was pulled quickly.[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 3]But the rescuers realized the turnaround time was too slow. They tied the sled to the middle of a long rope so it could be pulled back and forth across the channel, then added another rope to the sled's front so it could be pulled more quickly.[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 3]Jennifer Guelker, who was [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]fishing[/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3] with her boyfriend, Dave Thompson, recalls the melting [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]ice[/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3] sheet sinking under their weight. One by one, the anglers crossed through open water cracks and bobbing chunks of [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]ice[/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]. In 30 minutes, all but two were pulled to safety with no more than wet legs.[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 3]But the [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]ice[/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3] where the last two anglers stood started to break up, and the last [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]ice[/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3] between them and shore melted and blew away.[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 3]"It was eerie. You could feel it drop, and this floating feeling, and then you're standing there on this 20-foot iceberg . . . separate from the other people," said Thompson, second to last off the [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]ice[/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]. He got in the sled and skimmed across the slush as rescuers pulled on the ropes as fast as they could.[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 3]"There was just enough crushed [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]ice[/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3] to buoy you. I thought, `I hope the [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]ice[/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3] lasts for the last guy.' "[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 3]It didn't.[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 3]There was no [/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3]ice[/size][/font][font "Arial"][size 3] remaining when the last man's turn came. Five people grabbed the ropes, turned and sprinted away from the lake. The stranded man shot across the water. He arrived on shore a bit wet but safe.[/size][/font]
Brett Prettyman Outdoor writer Salt Lake Tribune
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Man that's crazy! I never heard that story before. I'm Glad that everyone was able to get off that ice safely. It's a good thing those guys decided to help. I have heard of the ice melting away from the shore of Fish Lake before, but I don't know if it's trapped anyone out there. Has anyone heard any stories like that from Fish Lake?
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[cool]I know that Bassrods said that he fell through the ice once at Yuba (I think it was). Perhaps he was that last guy in this story, or another time altogether, but I'm sure he'll chime and tell us about it at some point...
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This happened to me at Rockport 3 years ago. I think it was about the end of March. When we went out in the morning, the ice was fine. By 1:00 pm the wind and slight rain had deteriorated the ice along the edges to the point that I couldn't get back to shore.
My best option was to make a mad dash to shore and then jump knowing that I would be wet one way or the other.
I landed in about 3' of water and slid to my knees and ended up face first in the water and mud.
I was safe but very wet, muddy and cold.
My son was with me and weighs only 140 lbs. so he made it back dry.
I now take a plank with my when I ice fish in the spring.
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Several years ago, we headed for Bear lake to ice fish. We stopped in Garden City at the cafe for breackfast There was 4 local guys there. They started talking loud enough for us to hear. They said there had been a bunch of people ice fishing and the ice they were on broke off and started to float out to the middle. They claimed they had to drag a boat out on the ice to rescue them. We thought they were just trying to make us nervous. It did a little, each time the ice would crack and groan we would start to look around to see if we were floating off.
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ROCK PORT DOES THAT EVRY YR. ITS THE RIVER IN FLOW THATS RAISES THE WATER LEVEL OF THE RES AND PULLS THE ICE AWAY FROM THE SHORE LINE. I LOVE THAT TIME OF YR UP THERE, WE ALWAYS USE A PLANK FROM A NEAR BY CONSTRUCTION SITE. THERE ARE 2 GUYS THAT ALWAYS BRING AN EXTENTION LADDER IT WORKS GREAT. SLEDS MOVE EASLEY ACROSSED IT.
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Makes ya want to wear a PFD when it's early or late ice, and carry 100' of rope. The modern sleds are bigger and deeper but I wouldn't want to have to use one as a boat, let alone a 3" deep sled.
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