03-06-2019, 02:19 AM
The scariest experience I ever had ice fishing was partly due to the use of chest waders.
I was out on Pineview in the narrows. I had gotten on with little effort, just a short jump. Getting off the edge was quite a bit softer & I broke through. I was only a few feet out and my feet hit bottom about knee or thigh deep in water, but it is very steep in the narrows. I began to slip downhill in the slippery mud. I trudged & clawed my way up only to slip back down again. When the water got over my waders they filled up quickly weighing me down & there was no getting horizontal to drain out against the slope of the bank. It took several minutes clawing my way up / slipping back down the snowy muddy slope to get out of the water to good footing. I still remember how painful the cramping in my feet from the cold was. My fingertips getting shredded on rocks & ice wasn't too great either.
Looking back I suppose I could have turned around and grabbed the ice sheet instead of the shore and got horizontal to "drain out", but when you are trying not to slip under the ice and you are shocked by the cold water you are not at 100% function mentally or bodily. I was only 18 or so at the time and hadn't given nearly enough serious thought to "what would I do".
I had found waders (neoprene) extremely useful prior to that for staying dry & keeping warm on the ice. Certainly would not tell anyone not to use them, but do keep this particular situation in mind. Slopes, slushy edges & waders do not work well together.
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I was out on Pineview in the narrows. I had gotten on with little effort, just a short jump. Getting off the edge was quite a bit softer & I broke through. I was only a few feet out and my feet hit bottom about knee or thigh deep in water, but it is very steep in the narrows. I began to slip downhill in the slippery mud. I trudged & clawed my way up only to slip back down again. When the water got over my waders they filled up quickly weighing me down & there was no getting horizontal to drain out against the slope of the bank. It took several minutes clawing my way up / slipping back down the snowy muddy slope to get out of the water to good footing. I still remember how painful the cramping in my feet from the cold was. My fingertips getting shredded on rocks & ice wasn't too great either.
Looking back I suppose I could have turned around and grabbed the ice sheet instead of the shore and got horizontal to "drain out", but when you are trying not to slip under the ice and you are shocked by the cold water you are not at 100% function mentally or bodily. I was only 18 or so at the time and hadn't given nearly enough serious thought to "what would I do".
I had found waders (neoprene) extremely useful prior to that for staying dry & keeping warm on the ice. Certainly would not tell anyone not to use them, but do keep this particular situation in mind. Slopes, slushy edges & waders do not work well together.
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