Ice Fishing Derby Almost Here
 

It will be year 29 for the Meredith Rotary Club's Ice Fishing Derby scheduled for Februrary 9-10. There will be a free Ice Fishing Panel Discussion held at the Meredith Community Center from 6pm to 9pm on Friday, February 8, with AJ (of AJ's Bait and Tackle), a license fishing guide, and a member of NH Fish & Game to answer questions and provide information. This was a big hit last year. Also this year, a free ice fishing clinic geared toward children 12 and under (but open to everyone) based on NH Fish & Game's "Let's Go Fishing" program. This was also a big hit last year and will take place once again on the ice near the Derby Headquarters trailer at Hesky Park. Looks like it will be a great year for the Derby, we have lots of cold weather and lots of ice. See y'all there !!

Looking forward to it! I'll be at the lake sometime on the 2nd and won't be leaving until like the 13th. I need a vacation!

Check out todays edition of the Laconia citizen www.citizen.com.
The ice may be safe to walk on but don't check the thickness by driving your SUV onto the ice. It's kind of like checking for a gas leak with a match.
Be safe.

??????
 

I hate to be mean here but....... That guy was just plain dumb....:confused:

http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll...gory=CITNEWS08

I am sorry
 

But this guy, because he is ok,
gets the meatbag of the month award, I was driving onto the ice to make sure it was safe to fish on, let's see the bobhouse, you and fishing gear weigh this much, the SUV weighs that much more, what is the matter with you

Lol
 

Hey Hazelnut I needed a good laugh this morning!!:laugh::laugh:

Just curious, how thick does the ice have to be to support an SUV. Not that I would ever drive onto the lake. Every time I see a truck parked out on the ice I just wonder, what they are thinking? I understand that the ice can support a lot of weight, but there are thin spots and sometimes where you get on or off the lake can be dangerous. One time I was walking on the ice (about 3 ft thick) near the derby head quarters and saw a beautiful full size pickup parked on the ice. A young couple was fishing next to the truck, so I asked them the usual questions about how's the fishing etc...I also asked the driver "Aren't you a little concerned about parking this beautiful truck out here on the ice." He replied "Not at all. It's her father's truck."

Alternative vocation
 

I hear he was mine sweeper in Iraq -- take three steps jump, take three steps jump, take three steps -- BOOOM!! -- found one!

How thick should the ice be?
 

You can check the NH DES or Fish & Game sites and they will have info about how thick the ice should be. I belive ,but could be wrong, that you need12 inches of ice to drive onto....

There's a lesson to be learned here. If you have a newish Eddie Bauer, you should also have an older 4X4 as well. You check the ice with the older car, then when it falls through you aren't out as much.
Seriously ... this guy was very lucky to get out.

Thanks webmaster,just wanted to know, but I don't think I'd drive my truck out on the lake until hell freezes over.

Me neither. I was looking at some property years ago on Long Island and the realtor said we'd take a shortcut over the ice. Even though the ice was very thick that year I said "let me out here!".

Updated Ice Conditions
 

I took my first hike out to Mink Island on Saturday morning bright and early. I cut holes every couple hundred yards until I was well over towards Mark Island and then tested again about half way between Mark and Mink Islands (when I encountered some slush and wanted to be sure what was under me) Very consistent ice thickness of 8-9" including 2-3 inches of weaker "snow ice" between Cattle Landing and through and around the channel between Mark and Bear Islands and then across to Mink. Overnight, an additional 1-2" formed in front of my place, so conditions are improving quickly. Saw several groups of sleds on Saturday including at least one coming through from the Broads side of Jolly Island from the north -- a bit aggressive given that general area only locked in during the past week. Saw almost zero sled activity today. With the couple of inches of fluff that fell this morning and the additional ice thickness, lake conditions are now quite good in the area I travelled.

Highlight of the morning was a coyote that came bounding over from Bear Island and passed about 50 yards away from me at a full run heading south. Saw him later way off by Mark Island.

On my hike out, I encountered a much expanded ice rift running a bit East of Dolly Island across to the mainland. Pretty consistent 12-18 inch ridge running the whole way across today. Much more pronounced than the day before. Easy enough to cross, but I wouldn't want to hit it at night going fast on a sled....

Permanant Derby date change?
 

Hi Donna, and everyone else connected to Rotary. I'm wondering if it's time to push The Derby back a couple weeks? I remember years ago, there was always plenty of ice to drive out on to the lake. I know the last 2 years, we couldn't drive on at Meredith. This is usally the best place to fish, if you like the whole concept of a small city on the ice. The year of Desert Storm was probably the best I can remember. USA flags everywhere!

I think that Al Gore and his global warming might just have something. I mean, he did invent the internet, didn't he :) :)

Hey, just something to think about, because if this weather pattern continues, people are going to stop coming up from other states, and then everyone looses! Just a thought......

Well, I did it. I sent an e-mail to the Meredith Rotary, explaining the problems that I personally saw last Saturday. I know there were more, but I just kept it to my experiences. The two main issues that I wanted them to be aware of, were the dangerous conditions at the traditional drive-ons and parking.

The drive-on's at Alton and Wolfeboro were absolutley terrible with ruts, slush and deep pools of water. They could be ruined for the rest of the winter, I hope not. Parking was non-existant, and I got there before sunrise. The derby brochure advises fishermen not to drive on to the ice. Well, for once, a bunch of them didn't, and there was just no place to park. Everyone knows that there are very few public access points on Winni. With over 5,000 fishermen, just where does Rotary expect the fishermen to park???? How can they put on an event of this magnatude, and provide very minimal parking!!!! I have no idea if the local PD gave the illegal parkers a break, or decided to make some money with fines??

I did think about writing a "letter to the editor" of a couple local papers, but Rotary does so much good work, I didn't want them portraid in a negative manner by the public. I just hope they take my e-mail seriously, and think about moving the Derby date next year.

Gone fishin'