Clear lake info

I have heard about one guy who was killed, open water and other things. What is it like now

Yes, that is the sad news from Clear Lake in Waseca, MN. An elder fellow (85 years old or so) left shore around 6 AM (in the dark) and proceeded out onto the ice. There has been a large area of open water on the east side of the lake for the past 7 to 10 days….near the public access and to the north. His cleat marks went across the ice and right into the open water. He was found the next day I believe. No one seen him go in or heard him and there were other fisherman out during the daylight that did not see nor hear him. It’s sad to hear about! I tell people in my posts that the ice is not necessarily safe…ever and to always use a spud bar to check the ice. I guess I should mention as well that I don’t personally head out to new areas for the first time in the early morning darkness…I do that during the afternoon sunlight. You really need to practice safety out on the ice….it can change for unknown reasons. It is also easy to get turned around and forget which way you came out from and get yourself into bad situations. Two anglers fell into Lake Washington near Mankato on early ice after evening darkness set in….they got turned around and forgot which way they came from …..started walking the wrong way and walked right into open water. Luckily a home owner on the lake heard one, grabbed a spot light, seen one of the two (one was 85 yrs. and the other 90 yrs.). He stripped down to his boxers and dove in to save both of them…..Heroic to say the least!

Look at the story of the 68 degree water opening a hole in the middle of North Long Lake near Brainerd. It’s just unexplainable, but an example that 12+ inches of ice and people driving trucks across it doesn’t mean bad things can happen. Good Luck and Be Safe! TGIF