This snow is not helping our ice situation

Boy this is sad to see a skim of ice and this snow on top. I’m feeling depressed
It sure looked good this early winter

The good part about this is we won’t have to deal with 8-10 inches of snow on top of the ice……

mahtofire14 wrote:

The good part about this is we won’t have to deal with 8-10 inches of snow on top of the ice……

Well I guess I cant define my area as we.

Well at least the snow is here, no dragging sled over rocks and gravel.

In Princeton we have skin ice not enough to walk on but I don’t hunk the ice would necessarily sink it. What a kick in the sack

I live on cedar, by new prague, it was froze over, but my wife just texted me it’s open!! Great news

In my area of NE South Dakota – Bitter Lake, Waubay, Big Stone we got an inch of snow at most and not to far north and west of use there was no snow. Some wind too so our ice is not covered. Good so far but we still need to make some ice before its time to venture out. May not get so lucky with the WX for Thursday-Friday-Saturday.

It has sunk every bit of skim ice-1.5″ I found on Pool 4. We did have a couple spots that were up to 3″ a couple weeks ago but it’s since melted and been battered by wind and rain.

This could actually end up being a slightly behind average ice on date for the Lake City, Wabasha, Red Wing area.

I checked Lake Byllesby, lake onalaska, and other backwaters up to wabasha and they were all open before the storm. So we lucked out down here in Southeast Minnesota. (:

Or head Northwest MN, up by Red Lake / Bemidji I don’t think they much snow if any

Just west of Chicago. We have nothing but high winds today.

Typically what is the effect of the snow on thin ice? Does it freeze the snow and make not as solid ice?

Usually it forces water up through any cracks in the ice, causing a slushy mess. It’s very hard for this to freeze up as it insulates the ice, and usually the weight continues to push water up faster than it freezes unless there’s a long period of very cold weather.

Getting a heavy snow fall on thin ice bums ice fishermen out because it usually makes it take a long time to increase thickness, and sometimes sets the season up to be a messy, sloppy wet one with difficult travel conditions.

And, you are correct that the top layer of slush that finally freezes isn’t as strong as solid clear ice.

Bluegill89 wrote:

Typically what is the effect of the snow on thin ice? Does it freeze the snow and make not as solid ice?

Agree with all the Curley said, plus the refrozen slush makes for nasty ruts and a bumpy ride.

This is shaping up to be a great example of the strength differences between clear, hard ice — ice that forms without snow, like the last two seasons — vs softer, chalky ice that’s more porous because of the mixed in snow/slush when it formed.

Another fun thing: going on on foot dragging a portable and getting the bottom of the shack wet. Snow sticks and freezes to the bottom of the sled like glue and you’ll be amazed at the amount of friction snow on snow creates.

Can be a lonnnngggg walk back to shore dragging a shack back that went through some slush.

Tucker

Well, I guess the lake did not open all the way, but a good chunk.

Happy thanksgiving!!

curleytail wrote:

Another fun thing: going on on foot dragging a portable and getting the bottom of the shack wet. Snow sticks and freezes to the bottom of the sled like glue and you’ll be amazed at the amount of friction snow on snow creates.

Can be a lonnnngggg walk back to shore dragging a shack back that went through some slush.

Tucker

X2. My plan for this week is building a smitty sled.

mahtofire14 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>curleytail wrote:</div>
Another fun thing: going on on foot dragging a portable and getting the bottom of the shack wet. Snow sticks and freezes to the bottom of the sled like glue and you’ll be amazed at the amount of friction snow on snow creates.

Can be a lonnnngggg walk back to shore dragging a shack back that went through some slush.

Tucker

X2. My plan for this week is building a smitty sled.

You should do a video of your sled. I’ve been considering building one too.

Ok I’ll ask. What’s a Smitty sled?

Definately build a smitty.I allways wondered about them so I finally built one a few years back and surely wish Id have done it sooner.Even packing light as possible a otter cabin pulls hard thru snow,now i load it on the smitty and it pulls ten times easier.

Aaron Oakdale wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mahtofire14 wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>curleytail wrote:</div>
Another fun thing: going on on foot dragging a portable and getting the bottom of the shack wet. Snow sticks and freezes to the bottom of the sled like glue and you’ll be amazed at the amount of friction snow on snow creates.

Can be a lonnnngggg walk back to shore dragging a shack back that went through some slush.

Tucker

X2. My plan for this week is building a smitty sled.

You should do a video of your sled. I’ve been considering building one too.

I suppose I could do that. It’s going to be super simple though. Like literally some two by fours and sixes with some wood screws and some old downhill skis that I have.

Ice Cap wrote:

Ok I’ll ask. What’s a Smitty sled?

Smitty Sleds are homemade sleds that are typically wood or pvc that are on skis, which you put your portable shack on to keep it up off the snow. They ride on the skis making it much more easy to pull your shack across the lake.

When people wish for the ice to sink, wouldnt that kill all the fish? Or are they thinking the ice will only partially sink before melting?

Nodak wrote:

When people wish for the ice to sink, wouldnt that kill all the fish? Or are they thinking the ice will only partially sink before melting?

I don’t know the exact details but my brain tells me it would break up underwater and does absolutely no harm to the fish.

Ice grows from the bottom down and doesn’t kill fish. Why would ice settling in the water kill them?

From the weight of lots of snow on top the ice pushing it down. I’m referencing an old thread on the subject. I’d never heard of it.

The ice on local lake survived the first storm. There are slushy areas but the ice withstood the snow and the lake is accessible. Another 12 predicted so will see were it goes from here.

Tom Sawvell wrote:

Ice grows from the bottom down and doesn’t kill fish. Why would ice settling in the water kill them?

If it “grows from the bottom down” wouldn’t the bottom then become the top?

The ice would never sink more than a couple inches under the water line.

What people are hoping for is a skim of ice is sunk deep enough by heavy snow for it to melt and basically start over without all the snow on top and the mess that can make.

Tucker

Brent Siebenaler wrote:

If it “grows from the bottom down” wouldn’t the bottom then become the top?

Its ice, does it matter? But I suppose, hypothetically, that if the ice thawed and drained enough times you could see this occur but not likely in a single winter season.

curleytail wrote:

The ice would never sink more than a couple inches under the water line.

What people are hoping for is a skim of ice is sunk deep enough by heavy snow for it to melt and basically start over without all the snow on top and the mess that can make.

Tucker

Yup,
That’s what happened at the cabin, we got 18″ and now’s there’s basically no ice.

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