ATV on the Ice

[wiperhunter2]

Well that must be what [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/community/community.cgi?do=user_page;pg=user_profile_view.html;username=redneck_delux"]redneck_delux[/url] was talking about. The water is low enough right now that some of those tires are exposed along Freeway Bay but even in the low water years, I don't remember seeing any around the Feedlot area but they must have been there, since you got the pics to prove it[]. Thanks for sharing the pics. For some reason, I just thought redneck_delux was talking about something bigger, like a christmas tree wrapped in cable. Maybe they were wrapped like that at one time, many years ago. Funny thing is that was exactly what I saw along the West dike, near the light pole during those same low water years of 06/07.
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[patstarfish]

RonPaulFan,

Screw all the haters, it sounds like you will have a lot of fun either way. Yes, a good tent city is much like a tailgating party, and the hot chocolate is a good idea if you have Bailey's. Bonfires on the ice are inadvisable.
Buy as much gear as makes you happy and most certainly try to ride a bike on ice because it will be sweet if it works. When you slay massive amounts of fish with all of your ideas and planning, laugh jovially and dance around on the ice as the haters look on with envy.

BTW, and with all seriousness, only complete idiots play around on thin ice for braggin rights. And I too ski off of cliffs.
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[BigBuck3333]

the island is where the transits were set for all the diging that went on to build the dam lake what do u think it is a volcano.good lord and all yer christmas trees and tires are laying on the east dike,apparently the helicoptors couldnt fly over a hundred yards.o and why were on the sub. notice how much the water level is down,u can thank the duck comanders on the spur for that one. tell the farmer that next year when there is no water,that the airboaters didnt have enough water to get out.
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[wiperhunter2]

Well I got a reply from the new Willard park manager, here is his comments:
[#0000ff]I am not planning to allow OHV's on the ice here at Willard. I had considered the possibility but feel it is a safety issue with the condition our ice normally is. It is also in State Park policy what parks may be accessed on the ice by OHV's and Willard Bay is not on the list. Sorry for this inconvienience but I feel it is for the overall safety of the fishermen. You may be interested to know that we are working on a project in the south marina that will allow for access longer in the year. We have also received most of the fishing docs for the north marina and as soon as we get the rest in and weather permitting we will be installing them. Hope this information helps and please let me know if I can be any further assistance[/#0000ff]
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[N.E.T.O.]

RonPaulFan,

Reading your post about never having been ice fishing before, and wondering what the conditions will be like and proposing to use a bicycle on the ice, I need to say one thing to you, especially if you are planning on using a bicycle to ice fish at Strawberry:

be prepared, be very prepared...for the Slush Monster.

I know, and have been with people, who would abandon equipment just make it back to their truck while ice fishing on Strawberry. I also was with someone once who actually asked how much he thought it would cost for LifeFlight to come pick him up. All due to the slush monster.

Even Snowmobiles, which are the very best transportation method when ice fishing, are sometimes caught by the slush monster. I know of one snowmobile, that is still visible between two islands about 15 feet underwater. I know of one person in particular (well, two actually, they were together), who almost abandonded their snowmobile at Strawberry, as it was consumed by the slush monster.

The Slush Monster is real. Very real...at the Berry when ice fishing.

I suggest leaving the bike at home.

My cousin won't even take a 4-wheeler out on the ice anymore as his first trip with it almost ended in disaster when it broke through a pressure ridge and nearly sunk. I still wish I would have snapped a picture of that rather than helping him save the 4wheeler.

Randy
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[Kent]

Randy, I have a hunch that your advice for Fish Lake would also be to leave the bike home.[]
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[N.E.T.O.]

...thanks for the reminder Kent. (and the bad memories!)


Yes. Everything I stated above about Strawberry and the Slush Monster there, also applies to Fish Lake. Except that once you DO get back to the truck at Fish Lake, sometimes the adventure is just beginning trying to make it out of the parking lot!
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[CoyoteSpinner]

[quote N.E.T.O.]...thanks for the reminder Kent. (and the bad memories!)


Yes. Everything I stated above about Strawberry and the Slush Monster there, also applies to Fish Lake. Except that once you DO get back to the truck at Fish Lake, sometimes the adventure is just beginning trying to make it out of the parking lot![/quote]

and Pineview gets attacked by the S-monster too, no?

Plus - your point about making it off, or ON - will typically involve some sort of slope. Whether it's walking down a launch ramp, or climbing a 30ft hill - pulling gear, or having a sled come chasing down the hill after you - well, it's all exciting!

Mars Rover! That's the ticket!


And hey- they're not MY Xmas trees, I just regurtitate what others have shared. Like ABC gum dontchaknow!

[RonPaulFan]

Thanks, Randy and Kent and CoyoteSpinner.

I wasn't considering a Slush Monster.

I suppose for that I should wear waders and drag a sled like ordinary Earthlings.

Well, at least until I get another idea. How about I fabricate a frame for hauling things and attach a pair of old skis to the bottom? Does that work in the various conditions or all except the Slush Monster?

I haven't bought a sled and they look like a poor value for just a piece of vacuum formed plastic. But, I have a quality Venture Outdoors fly fishing pontoon boat (at least until I sell it to replace it http://www.ventureoutdoors.net/productpi...t8TGal.htm with a fishing kayak -- I like the Hobbie sailing version with pedal powered propulsion). The pontoon boat should be a stable base for loading with lots of gear and dragging it over the Slush Monster with buoyancy to slide over without sinking into it. What's going on with that? A lake forming on top of a frozen lake surface? Am I thinking right on that?

Will a pontoon boat win against the formidable Slush Monster?

Nothing works well it seems from the posts since I've heard: helicopter, Mars Rover ... abandon expensive equipment ... interesting challenges!

You guys put up with all that for ice fishing! It must be fun. I'm glad I'm getting into it!
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]An inflatable "ice sled" is not a bad idea. Especially on thinner ice...or when there is likely to be super slush.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]In days of old I rigged one of my "donut" float tubes as an ice sled. That was before the acquisition of power auger and a lot of the other "refinements" I have accumulated for ice fishing. Just put a bucket in the middle, tackle in the pockets and drag it across the snow...and ice. The downside is that even seemingly smooth ice can take a toll on the underfabric of the craft. And if you have to drag it across parking lots or dry ground the cover will wear out quickly.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There was another thread recently about using skis as a bottom on an ice sled. Like all such ideas and modifications, there will be conditions in which that will work very well...and other conditions in which the ski runners will be more of a liability than an asset. It has a lot to do with total size and weight of the sled, depth and condition of the snow or slush, etc. Ain't no universal solution.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Under most conditions, the standard ice sled design gets the job done for most ice tanglers. If you wax the bottom for better sliding over the snow you can pull heavier loads with less effort. And unless your sled is seriously overloaded you can pull it across slush and even standing water.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]So, if you encounter a hefty ice fisher lady who begs a ride in your sled, think twice about doing the gentlemanly thing. The downside risk may not be "outweighed" by the upside potential.[/#0000ff]
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[patstarfish]

You might try fashioning a tricycle with felt rear wheels and a ski instead of a front tire...
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[N.E.T.O.]

Now that we've told you what DOESN'T work, here is what does:

Optimally, you have two people. Both with JetSleds (or any other brand of larger ice fishing sled). Assuming you are both on foot, this allows one fisherman to drag/carry the ice-shack in his sled, while the other drag/carries the power-auger. Thus dividing the shared weight fairly equally. Along with the ice-shack and power-auger, I always have with me a heater, my poles and tackle, coats/gloves/hats/rain gear, food/drinks/snacks, sometimes an ice fishing underwater camera, fishfinder (with GPS to return to the good spots), a chair to sit in, and bags to put the fish in if I am keeping any.

As you can see, to carry/pull all this stuff by ones self could get pretty difficult (but doable, I've done it before) especially if on foot. Now if you add just one snowmobile, the job becomes inifitely easier, unlless the snowmobile gets stuck in the slush, or if it won't start. At which point you wish you would have left the blasted thing at home.

To make the job REALLY easier, you can leave the ice-shack and power auger home, and just take a manual auger and a chair. This makes the sled really light. You have to decide whether you want to be comfortable getting to and from your spot, or AT your spot. I choose to be comfortable AT my spot.

But either way, on foot, or by snowmobile, or even ATV, the big sled is where it's at. I've sat in it before to keep my feet dry on slushy days. We have also used our sleds to traverse the thin ice or even non-existent ice on the shore to get out to the thick ice to fish. This requires a few ropes and some shifting of the equipment, etc. but works well. I've also taken 4-wheelers out on the ice, but too many times I've wished I left it home, so I don't bring it often anymore. I still do that if I KNOW the conditions are conducive to 4wheelers, since I do own one of those.

I'm a low budget fisherman. However, if money is no object, here are some options for you to make your ice fishing experience more pleasurable:

1. Air Boat. There are a few people around that do own and use these. They are very loud, and I have seen some issues getting it from the parking lot the ice, but other than that, it's pretty darn safe and since it's a boat...won't sink whether it's ice, slush or water. Thin ice is no problem for these craft. They have their pros and cons. This in my opinion is the most low-budget solution, for those with high budgets.

2. Hovercraft. Although I haven't seen one personally being used, I'd have to think this would be just as good as the airboat, and maybe even a little better.

3. Helicopter. For those with serious money...just get airlifted to your spot. This would be AWESOME to get down to Renegade at Strawberry when the road becomes impassible even with snowmobile, and when you can't get to it over the ice because of the hot springs via snowmobile. If you REALLY have an unlimited amount of fundage, you could have your hardsided ice-shack drop lifted to your spot in advance. This is my ultimate ice fishing fantasy.

In the meantime, I consider ice fishing a good source of wintertime exercise and constantly tell myself that even if I were rich I would likely just walk and pull my sled by hand, to benefit from the exercise. However, I realize that I am just lying to myself when I say that.

I'd definitely go for the Helicopter!
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[RonPaulFan]

[quote N.E.T.O.]
... I consider ice fishing a good source of wintertime exercise and constantly tell myself that even if I were rich I would likely just walk and pull my sled by hand, to benefit from the exercise ... [/quote]

Exactly! Since the expensive toys become a moot point, I'm forgoing having a warm luxuriously customized nuclear submarine under the ice in order to get good exercise fighting Slush Monsters with creative low budget exercise intense versions of hauling stuff and getting around with modifications of a 32 inch wheel bicycle or hauling my pontoon boat wearing waders or whatever next idea I dream up.
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[a_bow_nut]

Lets not forget the ultimate way to get to where you want to go.

Just have Scotty beam you out onto the ice and back home with your personal transporter. Then you don't have to worry about traffic, finding a place to park, or moving to a new spot if they aren't biting. A quick flick of the wrist with your communitcator and a few words and you off.
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[kastmaster]

RPF,

I think I found the bicycle for you. If you need more info, this angler is on Iceshanty.com. Just do a search for 'ice bike'.
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[Jim-G]

I worked at wal-mart a couple of years ago, at 5400 south store. They had studded tires for bikes..
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