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DENTRY: Even experts say it's too early to hit the ice

By Ed Dentry, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published December 11, 2007 at 12:45 a.m.

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Having recently performed a reverse gainer with a backside slam and 360-degree skidoo, I can say this about ice cleats:

If you've got 'em, wear 'em.

Nothing in ice fishing - short of falling in or hooking a fish too big to squeeze through the hole - is more exhilarating than playing Zamboni on behalf of ice-fishing safety education.

No harm done. I was demonstrating, of course, that, in addition to the wisdom of wearing traction devices on bare ice, spreading your weight out can prevent falling through.

The crash happened a couple of weeks ago at Dillon Reservoir's Snake River arm. Since then, ice has grown apace on Colorado's mountain reservoirs.

And, in some cases, it has come apart again, with help from wind and sun.

The jury is in. With a few exceptions, it's too early to stride onto the playing field.

"Only the crazy guys are out there right now," Dave Bryant, ice-fishing guide and educator at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, said Monday. "Yeah, I'm one of the crazy guys. But I've got experience being crazy."

Bryant returned Thursday from a foray at Antero Reservoir in South Park. He managed to thread around thin ice, to dodge open water and to find "5 inches of good stuff" and some pretty fair fishing.

But he wouldn't recommend it, even after the wintry storm that invaded the state over the weekend.

"I wouldn't send anybody out there for another week or week-and-a-half," he said.

You want OK ice and good fishing? He recommends Jefferson Lake above South Park, Cowdrey Lake in North Park and the Red Feather Lakes.

But never say the words "safe ice."

"Early-season ice can be very dangerous," Salida area wildlife manager Jim Aragon said in a statement last week.

Aragon specifically cautioned ice anglers about Clear Creek Reservoir, north of Buena Vista. Clear Creek will reopen Saturday after being closed for several months for dam repairs.

The water level is rising, which can lead to thin spots, cracks, ice forming in multiple layers and open water around the shoreline.

Colorado's reservoirs are notorious for fluctuating water levels. A falling water level and slick, ramped shoreline ice were the catalysts that contributed to my little Dillon adventure.

One rule holds that 2 inches of ice will hold an average person. But that might be a better rule for physics teachers than the guinea pig. I'd rather wait for 4 inches - or 10 inches.

Aragon's warning about Clear Creek Reservoir led to the Division of Wildlife issuing its seasonal caution about ice fishing, with safety tips.

It's at Wildlife.State.CO.US.

Some important things to remember:

* Ice thickness is not uniform across a lake. Drill test holes, starting at shallow depths.

* When ice is new, the ice in the middle of the lake will be thinner than ice along shoreline.

* Beware of snow cover. Snow can slow freezing and hide soft spots.

* In general, clear ice is strongest.

Which reminds me, however, that clear ice, either new or windswept, can be incredibly slick.

A person intending to walk on ice should retrieve his ice cleats from the fishing sled and snap them securely to the soles of his pack boots. Watch me and learn.