Weather forecast / more ice fishiing?

I know what the answer is probably going to be, but I'll ask anyway. I'm sure many others on this forum would also like to know.

All you members with a lot of experience ice fishing Lake Erie and who know the ice well. The Lake weather forecast for Saturday night March 21 through Tuesday March 24 is for well below normal temperatures and calm NW / N winds (as of Saturday morning March 21). Daytime highs in the low to mid 30s and night lows down around 26 / 24. Maybe the surface 4-6 inches or so firms up enough to make some ice more stable, enough to walk out a ways and ice fish? This assuming the ice stays together today (Saturday) after today's higher SW winds. Has there ever been a year when at the end of the ice fishing season after the ice began to melt and the fishing stopped, cold weather returned for a few days and hardened the ice enough to allow for a few more days of at least semi-safe ice fishing?

I realize the ice melts from both above and below. I don't know if 8-10 hours (overnight) of 26 degree surface temps for a few days is enough to chill the entire ice column down to the water below. The below melting probably won't stop. Maybe slow down? Will three nights of 27-24 degree surface temps and daytime temps in the low 30s (with some sunshine) be enough to make the ice significantly solider (is that a word?)?

West

I am not an ice man and I want that known upfront.

On 13 ABC Toledo this morning they are reporting the Coast Guard is warning all to stay off the ice. So be aware of that warning and use it accordingly.

Stay off the ice. I watched the airboat go out and he was going through a lot.

Lol...that's why I don't ice fish....there's no such thing as semi- safe ice. I know my name is eyes crazy but I'm not that crazy!

One things for sure, if anyone does try to go out we will probly all get to see it on the evening news. Time to get out the long poles. We will be out there in no time.

Funny, I decided to leave the "semi-safe ice" line in there just to see if anyone would comment on it. Didn't take long... :-)

I meant to say the ice may be good in one location and not so good a few miles away. The location you go out determines the ice stability.

Temperature forecast has been lowered down to near 20 at night. Still waiting for an experienced ice person to comment, give some insight.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by West Basin

Funny, I decided to leave the "semi-safe ice" line in there just to see if anyone would comment on it. Didn't take long... :-)

I meant to say the ice may be good in one location and not so good a few miles away. The location you go out determines the ice stability.

Temperature forecast has been lowered down to near 20 at night. Still waiting for an experienced ice person to comment, give some insight.

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I've ice fished a long time and can say this. I've fished on 1-1/2" of ice when it's clear fresh ice, and I've seen people get a wet arse by going through 10" of late season ice after the higher spring sun has rotted it. Use good judgement and be careful anytime on the ice. That water's cold under there.

I can guarantee you that the water is very cold. I went for a dip three years ago but didn't stay there very long. I always wondered if I could get out on my own and my fishing buddy said I looked like a penguin shooting out of the water back onto the ice. It's not fun!

http://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/mod...e.143.250m.jpg

Don't even think about it. No fish is worth your life.

I have ice fished 30+ years on erie. No Way.... Stay off. It is not even close to safe anywhere. We will be jigging in 2 weeks. Open your freezer if ya want fish for dinner.

Good Luck & Good Fishing

Thanks for the replies. Exactly what I expected, but again I had to ask.

I too have taken a plunge into cold water, not 33 degrees cold but around 45 degrees, but I wasn't dressed for cold at the time. It is exactly what people say - it takes your breath away and the immediate shock is almost overwhelming. I would not chance it, which is why I asked.