Been kind of an odd year ice fishing.. late ice.. varying temperatures, sporadic fishing.. etc.

But as of last night we had a ice fishing shack to visit and fish.. had being the key word.

Between last night around midnight to ~ 7am this morning.. the ice gave way and the shack was partially submerged. Another shack that they were trying to pull off yesterday is already at the bottom of the lake with 4 wheeler still hooked.

We spent the better part of today trying to save our rig... but as of 4pm tonight.. it is at the bottom of the lake with just a back of the roof at ice level. The ice is just not safe enough to continue today. So next weekend, both us and the other gent (went to high school with him) are going to take the saws to the lake.. with plenty of other people in to help as well.. hook on a skidder from the shoreline with hundreds of yards of cable to winch the along the bottom.

Our shack is destroyed.. but Corky's wheeler is the main objective to try and salvage as much of it as they can. Possibly it will be a total loss, but they are going to try.. I will try and take a couple pictures tomorrow.. thought about it today.. but we tried like a dickens to save the rigs.

The bad news.. is all landings on the lake are closed down and the wind it picking up. There are still about 10 + shacks on the lake. Two more are melted down to the axles or have dropped off the blocks. Needless to say, I have thawed out and we are hopeful the gear will stay in the rig.. augers, tip ups, tip downs.. they are all trapped in. Long disappointing and frustrating day.. takes the Packer loss and puts it into perspective.

The ice went from 8 inches to less than three in spots since Thursday, kind of freaky not knowing where the good ice is. It rained this week and that water is finally hitting the lakes via the streams.. and the likely cause of the disappearing shacks. Corky is lucky as he was on the wheeler when it went down and was lucky that he was only about a 100 yards from the shore, didn't go under the ice and was able to keep his presence to run like hell to get off the ice as it continued to crack.

The good news.. it is getting colder so hopefully the rest of the shacks will stay up and all others will get off the ice. Couple that with a fairly shallow lake for the most part.. and no one got hurt.

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I am glad no one was injured. Everything else can be replaced.

But your story is exactly why I have no interest whatsoever of ice fishing. 90% of the time there is nothing to worry about. It gets cold, the water freezes and you put the huts out. The weather warms and you take them in. I don't want to be on the water during the fluky 10% so I avoided it all the rest of the time as well.

Good luck and happy hunting.

I take that back. I would go ice fishing if i could drag a boat out and sit in it. 😉

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Damn is this in Rib Lake packz? They are still driving trucks all over the lakes in Phillips and there are shacks real close to the river inlets. Hope the ice hasn't met the same fate here. Good luck with getting the shack and quad out of the lake...

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On Rib Lake, Yes.. and I think the issue has revealed itself.

The Fish and Game puts in aerator beds down, it appears one of those lines has shifted and sent the air and current under the ice and slowly has eaten at the ice via that water flow. About another 50 to 100 feet of ice has disappeared. Per the fish and game.. this is not the case.. regardless, something it very different this year.

Tried to grab pictures this morning.. batteries dead in camera.. I will take a couple snap shots tonight or in the AM. I guess someone posted it on facebook, but I haven't found that yet.

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so do you frequent the ice conditions message board?

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?board=20.0 

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No, usually if it is a question, you walk out an punch a couple holes in the ice to check. They went down last night apparently, and the aerator was the issue as it possibly "walked out" and apparently is the reason for the rapidly eroding ice. It is pretty apparent this morning as almost all the shoreline has opened up. Again, the fish and game doesn't think this is the issue.

Bad luck in where we chose to setup more than anything.. as in many cases of outdoor issues.. it is a man made issue.

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I have a tough time motivating myself to garden when we have so many farmer's markets with the Amish giving away high-qualty produce at fractions of the prices charged in grocery stores.

How many fish did you catch?

Maybe global warming is on Rib Lake. Dakota says give you a couple milliom to catch some perch.

93, what would a lake lot and year round home cost on one of the lakes up where you live. Minnesota is craziness, and North Dakota doesn't have lakes, just reservoirs on rivers and creeks.

Sorry about the ice house, now you should get one of those portables that double as a camper.

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The lake has produced several nice walleyes this year.. but overall slow.

We moved the removal up to Friday for our shack and Saturday for the big on with the wheeler attached from what I here.. still not sure how they are going to get the wheeler unhooked. Hopefully the wheeler will run again or not.. pull it all apart, drain all the fluids.. dry it and see if she will fire again. I hope it will.. I have drowned a 2002 Polaris under the water.. albeit it wasn't under for a week. We shall see.

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If you get something underwater that you are thinking is hosed, let's talk first. I have experience in that arena. Just please don't try and start the bitch first.