ICE - Tips To Be Safer
Be Safer On The ICE
ALWAYS travel in pairs and stay several feet apart to ensure you do not both fall through if the ice breaks!
BE CAUTIOUS if you hear or see cracking! Get low on the ice with your arms and legs spread out to distribute your weight.
CHECK weather updates and stay informed. Wind can rapidly alter an ice pack by separating and creating ice floes, which can cut off your return path home.
DON'T forget your equipment!! Ice picks, a compass, a marine radio and life jacket are the BARE minimum essentials you need to bring with you.
ENJOY the beauty of the Great Lakes and Ice Fishing! Being safe can keep you alive to enjoy more fishing seasons to come!
Click on this link to open an ICE plan(Adobe file) that you can print out and leave with a responsible party.
Note -- you can Email the completed ice plan to your responsible party -- no need to even print it out!
Here are some tips and tricks....
Bring your ice picks!! Keep them high on your body so you can grab them easily if you fall in.
Reflective tape! You can never have enough reflective material on your body or shanty. Reflective material is much easier to spot in the fog especially if your are wearing dark clothing.
Buddy Check! Know the person you are fishing with. Do they have any medical conditions? Are they wearing the proper clothing? What gear did they bring with them?
Always, ALWAYS fill out your ice plan (click here) and leave it with someone reliable. Having that information for the Coast Guard is incredibly beneficial when something happens.
Check your protective clothing in a controlled cold water environment to understand its level of protection.
Talk with the people coming off the ice where you plan to launch. Some may have information about conditions and hazards.
WEAR YOUR LIFE JACKET!! If you fall in the ice you have 1 minute to understand what just happened and catch your breath, 10 minutes of valuable movement and 1 hour of consciousness. That live jacket WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE!
This information is brought to you by the men and women of the United States Coast Guard Station Saginaw River and the members of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary in the Saginaw Bay Area.