Ice fishing safety

After just a few days of cold weather a nephew, Paul Warta, called and mentioned he was ready to go ice fishing. I told him to check the ice carefully. Talking with Wesley from 3 Rivers Fly & Tackle in Wasilla this week I asked if they had been hearing reports from people who had been out ice fishing in the Mat-Su Valley. He mentioned the shop had received a few reports — but specifically the ice was only about 3 — 4 inches thick. Yes, 3 — 4 inches of ice could hold an ice angler or two, however, even though the ice is 3 — 4 inches thick in one spot, there are likely other spots around the same lake with less ice thickness. Walking too far out on thin ice could be a person’s last attempt to go fishing. With a rise in temperatures and snow forecasted for this week, it will be a while before you will find me out on a Mat-Su lake. For ice that has not developed much thickness, snow cover provides an insulating layer and retards the development of thicker ice.

If someone were to ask when I expect to start ice fishing on lakes in the Palmer—Wasilla core area of the Mat-Su Valley? My standard response is about November 25 ( right around the Thanksgiving holiday). Over many years November 25 is about the average time the ice is thick enough that I have been willing to CAREFULLY start testing — and then fishing. If we get more cold weather and no warming this November I may start testing the ice a bit sooner.

I like to test the ice by stepping out (over a shallow water area) a few feet from shore and drilling a test hole. I want a minimum of 6 inches of ice — although I have fished with less. With 6 inches of ice or less, I suggest staying close to shore and fishing shallow water. If fishing with a group, when the ice is 6 inches or less, I spread the group out and advise them to stay about 10 feet or more away from each other. No matter how cold it gets before the end of November I would not even contemplate taking a car or truck out on the ice until much later in the winter. I only mention this, because multiple years I’ve read or heard news of someone losing a car or truck through the ice on a Mat-Su Valley lake in November.

Flowing Water

Anywhere there is inflowing or outflowing water from a lake the ice is likely to be thinner and not as strong. This would include streams flowing into or out of the lake, but also upwellings or springs within the lake. If you are walking out on the ice and there appears to be a small pocket of open water (six feet or less) it is likely caused by a spring or upwelling — don’t venture over with the thought of fishing the open hole, as the ice is likely thin around the upwelling as well. After a layer of snow has fallen on a lake thin spots often appear as a slight depression in the ice — avoid them.

After ice has formed to a sufficient depth (and even after it is multiple feet thick) rising or falling temperatures cause the ice to contract or expand. When this happens the ice may make loud noises and cracking sounds. On ice clear of snow an observant person can often see lots of cracks running 20 feet or more. When fishing a lake with a couple of feet of ice or more, I am not concerned with the ice making noises —- because I believe even if it cracked right under where I was standing the ice is thick enough that it will stay in place. During November, when ice is thinner, I’ve avoided specific areas or even left a lake entirely when the ice started making too much noise. “Better safe than sorry,” is the adage I always try to live by when ice fishing.

Late in winter/spring when ice has been thawing for several days or even weeks, the ice may still be plenty thick, however meltwater dripping through the ice sheet causing the ice to change into long crystals. With more and more melting the ice may still be 18 inches or more thick, however, it may be unsafe to venture out on. For this reason, and specifically in late March or early April I also drill test holes in shallow water before venturing too far from shore. If my ice auger seems to be cutting more slush than shavings, the auger drills down too quickly, or water starts filling in the ice hole before I have finished cutting through the ice sheet, I know the ice is getting rotten.

Another thing to keep in mind about ice in the spring, ice melts first on the North side of a lake as that shore gets more of the spring sunshine. The same can be said of snow along the shoreline, and when a steep north bank (south facing) is bare of snow it absorbs and retains significantly more heat from the sun, so this is one of the first areas I quit fishing in spring.

Lake Stockings

Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) fisheries biologist Samantha Oslund had told me two weeks ago that the department was planning to stock several lakes just before freeze up specifically for the ice fishing season. With the quick onset of cold weather / ice forming on the lakes I do not know if the department finished stocking all the lakes, however when I did a Mat-Su stocking search on the ADF&G website this week I found four lakes that had been stocked since late September with catchable-sized chinook salmon. Those lakes are Finger Lake, Knik Lake, Matanuska Lake, and Memory Lake in descending order of number of salmon stocked. Finger Lake is a particularly popular Mat-Su ice fishing location and received 3 times as many fish as the other 3 lakes combined. These fish average about 9 inches in length and should provide good catching opportunities for anglers more interested in quick action than catching larger fish. There are larger fish available in each of these lakes as well, but sooner after the ice is thick enough to fish on it may be difficult to catch fish other than the very abundant 9 inch salmon.

Good Luck and Fish On!

Andy Couch is a Mat-Su Valley angler and fishing guide who primarily targets ocean-run salmon during summer months, but also runs some winter ice fishing trips.