If you don't have a set of ice picks around your neck when walking on the ice, get yourself a set asap. Might want to get an extra set and give them to the young man who went for a swim.
Good call Scott.
Here's his actual account...
Just wanted to let everybody know of some unsafe ice out at branched oak back in area 7 and 8 where the creek channel runs through, myself along with two other buddies went out there earlier this morning to fish that channel and as we were walking out we were on an easy SOLID 10"+, Notice further up ahead some foot tracks and marks where somebody had pulled a sled onto the spot we wanted to fish so I figured great we'll go investigate that. Not thinking anything of it, I was walking towards the spots that had been fished previously and before I knew it the ice below me gave way and I was in frigid water up to my neck, Lucky enough I fell in near a sunken tree and my left foot managed to land on what must have been one of the branched and that single branch held me up from falling in completely above my head. Surprisingly enough even though in shock I was able to keep calm and hold my arms onto the edge of the ice and not freak out and kick my feet everywhere. I tried my best to calm down, sprawled my arms over the edge of the ice and tried lifting myself up and rolling onto the ice to spread out my body weight. First try just made the hole I fell into bigger but the second try I managed to get onto of the ice where I rolled away from the unsafe ice. Literally five feet away from where I fell in had 10" of ice, where I fell in had a mere 1" of ice. I noticed when I had fell in and was holding myself on the edge of the ice that there was a current pushing my legs up against the underside of the ice as well, Had to be why it was so weak and thin there, The creek channel must have had current running through it or something. Either way I thank god I made it out safely and thank god my left foot managed to land on that tree limb so I didn't fall above my head, lord knows how differentely things could have been if I had fell above my head.
Anyways, Just wanted to let everybody know to avoid that area, If I were you I'd avoid that area completely. We got back to the parking lot and there were three guys getting ready to go fish where I just fell through and I even mentioned to them that I just fell through and it didn't seem to faze them, they continued getting their gear ready and coats on to head out there. Ah well, Probably saw we were just a bunch of high school kids and thought it was a bunch of BS. That split second when the ice gave through underneath me I honestly thought I was going to die, It was definitely one of, if not the most scariest thing that has ever happened to me.
all said and done it was however a great learning experience, taught me to never trust the ice even when it's super solid and 10".. which happen to be my mistake, I had no doubt in my mind the ice wasn't safe with it being so solid and thick the entire time we were walking. Never doing that again, I will be wearing a life vest underneath my coat every single time from this day forward no matter if the ice is 4" or 14". Not worth the risk. luckily all I was carrying was my hand auger as well, which I somehow managed to throw ontop of the ice as I was falling in, thank god I wasn't pulling my sled behind me with 10 rod/reel combos and two vexilars and countess other things!
Stay safe out there guys, and even if you think the ice is safe still be on alert and very cautious. I definitely learned my lesson.
