Scary Ice stories...

[Peron]

I liked the responses to "down the hole" although I must admit I am now hanging on to things with a painful grip when I am near mine... in particular my scoop for some reason. Anyways, in my second full season of Ice fishing (since I was a LOT younger) I must admit, I am never fully comfortable until the holes are drilled and the gear is set... then it is fishing and I settle down. However, I have had weird/scary ice experiences even in my short ice time so I assume there must be a LOT. I am not talking about "thin ice" stories which are truly dangerous and even deadly, but the scary things about sitting out on frozen sheets of Ice. Mine:

A few weeks back I think I experienced a true "Ice Quake" on Shirley's bay. A number of others were there that felt it.... it was either a HUGE ice plate shift or they detonated something pretty serious on the range. We all felt it and it was... scary.

Last year after the shack removal date I went to Constance bay on a weekday in late March. No shacks, no people, just me in my newly acquired bright red flotation suit. Made the long trek onto the ice, started my first hole and put out my back (we all know the ice depths last year). Face down on the ice, trying to stretch out, and when I look at the shoreline three coyotes had decided that there was an interesting red object on the ice... possibly a large steak! The standoff was about 15 minutes of them approaching, me hobbling upright and yelling, them retreating until they decided that the flopping steak was way to annoying. Amusing now but I was not too happy at the time. BTW that was a long painful walk back with a full sled to Greenland road.... remember the late season snow last year?

Others?

Rod

[smitty55]

Not scary for me at all, but there have been plenty of times out fishing on real cold days when you get those real loud snaps or loud cracking noises that happen when good ice making is happening. For folks who don't realize what's happening it can be real scary, but I get a good laugh out of it and then explain to them that it's actually a good sign. Sometimes I'm not so sure that they believe me though lol. It can be quite startling for sure though so I can't really blame them.

Never been really scared that I can recall but there was one time where I will admit to being somewhat apprehensive about the ice we were on. We were fishing the Johnstown derby one year that wasn't the best for ice. Our best fishing out there for pike had always been in current areas so we had to walk out in the bay pretty far. Eventually we found a bit of current but there was barely 3 1/2" of good ice. On top of that there was open water 50 to 60 feet away which didn't help at all. It was a real windy day too with a warm south wind and that open water kept creeping closer and closer to us as the day progressed. Not the best of feelings to be sure. I think it was like 2:00 when we packed up and got out of there. It was a slow fishing day anyway.

Good topic Rod. Cheers

[RyanW]

.....

[Peron]

I should mention that the incident I was referring to was way more than the normal subsonic ice groans, pops and shakes This one sounded (and felt) more like an explosive incident which is why there was some debate about whether it was a detonation on the range. I personally think it was an ice event because I doubt you would feel a land explosion carry through the ice/water but I am definitely not an expert. I could see the ridge that choke mentioned and it looks pretty massive. I assume if something like that "let go" very rapidly it could have created the kind of thing I felt and heard.

[scarkner]

Well, something WEIRD happened last night on Shirleys (Saturday 27th) at about 10:30pm, perhaps others heard and/or saw something.

My son and I were in the hut and we heard something loud that sounded like it was in the air above us, almost like crackling and was accompanied by some deep vibration that you felt in your chest. You might say that it was just ice cracking - but I have a radio in the shack and the radio went nuts at the same time AND the fish finder which I was staring at filled completely with "garbage" on the screen.

This lasted perhaps 2-3 seconds then was gone. Son and I both looked at each other and said "what was THAT!". We went outside but couldn't see anything.

To take a guess? Perhaps a meteor went through close overhead???\\

For a couple hours after I would jump at any noise or headlights!

[Peron]

Very very, very cool and creepy at the same time. For centuries mariners have reported electrostatic phenomenon related to weather and water conditions. We also know that earth friction can create significant electrostatic phenomenon. Even water currents can create frictional electrostatic conditions which may or may not contribute to fishes ability to "navigate"... Not clear but we know that many species of fish rely a lot on electrical fields. I would not find it suprising at all to learn that frictional ice movement could build up large trapped electrostatic charges that could release as a single event. Look up cryoseism (ice quake) which can also trigger significant electrical discharge and even atmospheric "lightning".
Weird weather year so not suprising to get weird uncommon phenomena.

Really cool, wish I had been there but I am sure that it would be pretty creepy!

Rod

[Peron]

I should mention why I find this to be incredibly cool is when I was on a boat in Nova Scotia before a storm, as we were coming in we experienced some St Elmo's fire. That had to be one of the creepiest, coolest events I have ever seen and was also an electrostatic event.

[rodbreaker]

Maybe this is what everyone's hearing?

[smitty55]

I never get tired of this one. Now this is scary

http://vid1306.photobucket.com/albums/s ... gczaij.mp4

[Gord]

...... as we were coming in we experienced some St Elmo's fire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOvMpND2OZY

[Peron]

Ummm... Different St Elmo's fire Gord!

Quite the hair flashback though... Takes me back to when I had some!

[Out4trout]

Well, something WEIRD happened last night on Shirleys (Saturday 27th) at about 10:30pm, perhaps others heard and/or saw something.

My son and I were in the hut and we heard something loud that sounded like it was in the air above us, almost like crackling and was accompanied by some deep vibration that you felt in your chest. You might say that it was just ice cracking - but I have a radio in the shack and the radio went nuts at the same time AND the fish finder which I was staring at filled completely with "garbage" on the screen.

This lasted perhaps 2-3 seconds then was gone. Son and I both looked at each other and said "what was THAT!". We went outside but couldn't see anything.

To take a guess? Perhaps a meteor went through close overhead???\\

For a couple hours after I would jump at any noise or headlights!

That's interesting!! Definitely meteors can cause both RF and audible noise.

[Fishoholic]

Shirley's was once the site of a leading UFO research centre, who knows could be related?! The truth is out there...

[RJ]

Scariest experience I've ever had on the ice was getting fogged in on a lake with no cottages on it. We were fishing 15 feet apart and literally within 3 minutes couldn't see each other.

That was a tricky walk to the truck, took over an hour to do the 10 minute walk as we had to stop and listen for the highway that was our only point of reference for getting back.

Obviously this was before cell phones and Navionics apps.

RJ

[clint]

To take a guess? Perhaps a meteor went through close overhead???\\

I saw an extra bright shooting star type thing Saturday night driving on the queensway on the Kanata side of the big hill. It was closer to 9 though, but maybe of the same variety?

Scariest experience I've ever had on the ice was getting fogged in on a lake with no cottages on it. We were fishing 15 feet apart and literally within 3 minutes couldn't see each other.

similar to this i got turned around on Mississippi Lake one night in a snow storm and power outage. I grew up on this lake and can usually navigate it with my eyes closed, or so i liked to think.