First Dumb Icefishing Moment 2012
 

On our way down to Concord yesterday morning (the 2nd), off the side of I393 on the north side of the road just before the Merrimack River bridge, there was a lone individual in the middle of one of those little backwater ponds with all his ice fishing gear, setting his tip-ups. I can not believe the ice can be safe enough for one person, given the extreme ups and downs of temperature over the past week or so.

Comedian Ron White is right: "You can't fix stupid".

WicWas
 

There was someone out in the middle of Wicwas right off of 104 on Saturday. I wanted to pull over and just watch and wait.

Some ice is safe
 

There were some folks camping nearby, over new year's eve. It was in a sheltered inlet of Winnipesaukee, one that freezes early. They built a bonfire on the lake and were having a good'ol time. They claimed the ice was 5" thick. Garland and Berry ponds are fully iced over, but the rest of the local Winni waters is almost completely wide open - more so than I've seen in over 20 years for this time of year. We need some calm winds to go along with the few days of below normal temperatures to catch up a bit.

There has been a bob house on the channel of Highland Lake in Andover for over a week now and the boys in town have been ice fishing since X-mas.

Different ponds and lakes freeze at different rates. Otter Pond in Georges Mills has been iced over for 2 weeks, but Pleasant Lake has just started in the last 3 days. Same size body of water within 5 miles of each other, both with flow channels running through the middle of them. PL is deeper and that seems to be the main factor when it comes to the speed of ice in.

Those backwash marshes off the Merrimack in Concord are less than 10 feet deep.

You still would not catch me being the pathfinder when it comes to ice fishing. I can wait a little while longer.

Maybe not so dumb
 

Hermit Lake in Sanbornton has had ice fisherman on it for a couple weeks now. Locals who know the area and are careful to check the ice are probably fine on many of the smaller, shallower ponds and lakes right now. The problem is when the less familiar see signs of activity on a small pond and think that it signals the bigger lakes are safe for snowmos and ice fishing, when they are not. Definitely not the time to be testing unfamiliar bodies of water....

Lake's down to 37 degrees at Lakeport. This week's colder weather should help a lot and once the big blow of arctic cold moves through I suspect we'll see the lake skim over quickly. Still looks like we're still two weeks behind last year. Not a crisis yet. I've seen plenty of winters when Winni wasn't locked up tight with 7+ inches of black ice much before the end of January. So long as we don't get another balmy period, we should be fine in maybe 3 weeks. 4 weeks at the outside. That's my bet. Just in time for the Derby!

Mia Culpa
 

But I'm not sure that this little pond may have some current from the Merrimack and not really sure how much I could trust the ice, given the dramatic changes in weather over the last two weeks. In retrospect, I guess someone has to be first.:rolleye2:

Ice
 

While not in the lakes region, the registration for the boat is soooo. I put the cover on the boat the day after Christmas. and it rained putting a couple of section down holding a puddle. That puddle froze solid over night must be about 5" thick. I did not think it had been that cold in CT to do that.


Someone said 79 days till spring, well there is no polnt to having ice in then. Put the boats in the water, keep it moving and we will be all set till summer.

Happy New Year yall, :emb:

just off RT 153
 

There was a Bob house on the pond just north of Freedom off Rt 153. It was near the little ski area. Then there were some folks with lots of tip-ups on the next pond.

Some folks have big brass ones.

Berry bay on the ossipee still had open water until Wed. morning.

ToW

Those little ponds along 153 tend to freeze VERY early.
NHTom

Any Ice?
 

I'm looking for help to tell me how the ice is on 19 mile bay -- if it's even there yet. Has anyone been by the bay? Thanks

19 Mile Bay
 

There is ice. No idea on thickness, but there were 3 bob houses not too far off the town beach yesterday.

Alton Bay ice fishing
 

I see what looks like a couple of Bob houses and several people walking on Alton Bay. I just found the live stream. I do enjoy all these webcams. thanks to those who supply them I can be on Winni all year long!

But there was open water!!
 

You're right. However there was open water in spots on the ponds. It may have been safe where they were but with open water it just makes me wonder just how safe the rest of the pond was.

ToW

There have been a ton of guys out on Turkey Pond in Concord doing laps on the ice with their snowmobiles. There much have been about 25 or so sleds out there on New Years day.

I'd be less concerned about that and more so when you see somebody setting up 100 yards from open water!

I checked out Hermit Lake on New Year's Day. There was 4" of ice and about 6 people ice fishing. I saw some open water next to areas with rocky shorelines with southern exposures and where little streams dump into the lake.

Still finding it hard to believe that someone has a bob house out in the middle of Alton Bay. The ice there looks like it is disappearing.

Bob houses
 

Maybe that guy from a few years back could drive out in his Explorer and check how thick the ice is out there. LOL.

Seriously, it's sad to say, but it's been the unusual warm winters when we've seen fatalities on the big lake. Be careful out there folks. The risks are real.

Stupid question...
 

Have we ever had a winter where the entire lake didn't freeze over? It would seem to me that by now, we would be at that point and it looks like we've got quite a way to go...

Year without Ice
 

My family has been in the State since the early 1800's and I have never heard of a mysteriously warm season without ice. Around the Thanksgiving table there were talks of early ice and talks of massive ice but I never remember a single conversation recalling a ridiculously warm year. We were skating by Thanksgiving day a number of times and that has seemed to be a thing of the past i.e, we are in a warming trend perhaps.

Regarding this years ice, remember that the coldest weather of the year is between early January and Mid February. The lake temps are where they need to be finally and you should expect some high quality ice to follow as soon as this mid week warming trend is in our past. Will the broads freeze over 100%? no guarantees on that one.

There are now about 8 bob houses on 19 Mile Bay. Just in the swim area, which is not too deep.

I have to laugh when I see the people out on Alton Bay today, standing right near where there was open water a day ago.

I think it is funny that if I skim 2 feet of water on a snowmobile, I'll get stopped and ticketed, but these guys can go out there all they want and they don't get pinched for "reckless endangerment".

NHTom

I saw them out there around noon today. There are a number of bob houses out there now where the ice doesn't look very safe. Several guys were fishing so they must know how thick the ice is, but I have to say I wouldn't walk out there yet!

Interesting To Know
 

Ice fisher folks seem to have a very close relationship with both God and Mother Nature. I relied on many of them, mostly friends, for their advice before venturing out on This Great Lake on my snowmobile!

Now, about all I can say is, and I am still here to talk about it, :look:.
More wearisome to me, are those Pick Up and suv driver's what drive out onto the ice, to ask for directions! :eek:

Let us all try to make 2012 a better and safer year, Ouch 'cheer! :)

Terry
____________________________________

I was up there over New Years and it's definitely frozen, we saw people out walking around.