Ice Nuts

Villages come in all sizes. Here on the backwaters of the Mississippi, different kinds of villages spring up in a matter of hours as Amish buggies / trucks begin parking near the river in Stoddard / in waysides north of the river town and bundled up men appear out of their vehicles...

You may ask what's going on here ? It appears this is a 'male' winter activity as these men are dressed in special winter gear with something in tow...

Out of  their trunks come boat shaped deep plastic sleds which are filled with all types of equipment.

Yep this is called 'ice fishing' and I think you have to be a nut to be this kind of sportsman.

My Southern blood is thin and I don't choose to be outside in winter any more than the occasion demands...

So what do you need for this winter outing?  A major requirement is that you need strong ice then some kind of shelter, fishing and emergency gear. 

Reality is Northern winters can be really long and one guarantee is the extreme cold and that means a frozen river. That strong ice always would be a concern to me as how do you determine  'ice integrity'. I am told that the ice color is the key as black, blue or green ice is the strongest. Considerations of  thawing, a lot of slush, cracks, breaks/ flowing water determine safety.

Here's a chart I discovered: Generally guidelines for ice thickness are as follows:

• 3" (7 cm) - Do not go on ice!!!!!
• 4" (10 cm) - Ice will hold about 200 lbs. (91 kg) It is okay to walk 
• 5" (12 cm) - Ice will hold about 800 lbs. (363 kg) You may drive your snowmobile or ATVon the ice.
• 8" - 12" (20 - 30 cm) - Ice will hold between 1500-2000 lbs. (680-907kg) You may drive your car on the ice or bring fish with a large group of people.
• 12" - 15" (30 - 38 cm) - Ice will hold over 2000 lbs. (907 kg) It is okay to drive your truck or van on ice.
• 
  

Every year there are reports of people/ their vehicles ATVs/cars a falling through the ice. I kid you not.  You have to realize now that the mere thought of driving a car out on the river is another indicator that you have to be 'nuts' for this sport.

OK once that ice safety is established, you need shelter. Of course some of these nuts just dress really warm and don't use a shelter. In my  'Southern' opinion, you have to be crazy to brave the elements.  That wind can be fierce.

Some use their vehicles as shelter and go back and forth but most tow an ice house (ice shack/shanty)

to their spot. These pup tents just have room for one person and one ice hole but  larger ice houses have bottom areas where holes can be drilled for fishing. Hey these guys bring space heaters, tvs, even bunk beds. And others just have a bucket/chair to sit on and fish.

Gear? An ice auger is needed to drill the fishing holes and a measuring device to measure ice thickness and water depth. There are hand augers for thinner ice or electric augers for hard to drill through, thick ice.

Tipups and jig rods are the most popular for catching fish. Tipups have a lure and line and are spring loaded with a pop up flag once there's a strike. Tip ups are used if you can fish using multiple lines.   A jig rod is just a little fishing pole.

You also need emergency gear. So here comes that safety again: first aid kit, blanket, change of clothes in a waterproof bag, cell phone.  I wonder if I took a poll how many of those guys have all this stuff. Hey they are MEN.

Dressing properly includes hats,mittens, face masks, thermal underwear and socks, snow boots. Dressing in layers is key. 

The MALE bonding is a lot of this sport although that flash frozen fish is pretty dang cool- 

And I bet their womenfolk don't mind not having to go...