Will Mille Lacs hold an F-150

[Lundy]

I am planning on going to Mille Lacs this weekend but am a little concerved about driving my truck on the ice. Is the whole lake drivable? Are there any pressure ridges yet? Will there be alot of cracks with the weather change?
Any help would be appreciated.

[mwk]

I can speak for the east side. The ice is plenty thick and has been since christmas. You could drive right out to the mud if ya wanted. The pressure ridges are little and you can drive about anywhere. The ice depth varys but a solid black 15 inches is almost certain. Go man GO!

[stevefellegy]

Yes, as has been said, the ice at Mille Lacs is pretty good for driving pick-ups/suv's etc. The range of thickness is about 12" to 16" and growing fast. With zero snow on the ice, the 7 day forcast will put on 4 or more inches on top of what's there now. However, the "main" expansion/contraction crack is VERY active. With the coldsnap, it will be constantly shrinking (contracting) the big ice sheet and therefore will be at least two or more feet wide for several days...around the WHOLE lake, until we get a major temp change the other direction. So....pay to cross a resort bridge and you should be okay to go anywhere.(never a 100 percent SURE thing lol) Drive SLOWLY on the glare ice or you will go into a spin and then roll easily...been there done that! Good luck!

And if staying overnight on the ice...start your truck and COMPLETELY warm it up in these below zero temps at least every three hours or so. It ain't pretty when it doesn't start on the lake.

[BlackSilver]

We're seeing fish houses sink through the ice here in Minneapolis the past couple of days.

Walk softly and carry a big fish.

Hans/MN
--
"Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is
not fish they are after." - H.D. Thoreau

[stevefellegy]

Those high visibilty media shots are VERY uncommon and totally non-existent at Mille Lacs or anywhere in the northern half of the state. If you watched and listened to Minnesota media of all kinds, you'd NEVER go on the ice. Amazingly, reports on Twin City television and radio as late as New Years day were that there is "some ice on the bays of Mille lacs". My god in heaven....we've been fishing on the main lake, everywhere, with ATV's since December 6th and using trucks on Mille lacs since before Christmas.
No doubt...take pre-cautions ALL the time with ice anywhere, but DON'T take what you hear on the news as remotely accurate in regard to ice conditions.

[Lundy]

Steve F. thanks for the come backs. I have friends that have been driving on the lake the past couple weeks but my F-150 is 13 days old today and I just had to hear it was safe from a few more fisherman.

[wellsaidsteve]

excellent post steve! the twin cities media is out of control. if they had there way we would not fish, hunt, camp or even leave the house. leaving the house is too dangerous... good judgement is used by a vast majority of the public. the knuckleheads should be "left to their own devices." my dad always says, "don't change your plans because of the weather or the media". go see for yourself what is going on and make good decisions.
have fun and be safe.

[stevefellegy]

No problem Lundy! But being very superstitious, I surely wouldn't drive it out on any ice on it's 13th day or year birthday. lol
Good luck! Stay safe....

[Andrew Teconchuk]

Steve,
What is a resort bridge? Here in PA I'm going out on 4" of ice tomorrow. Boy, I would love to come out there and do some icin'.

[stevefellegy]

Obviously, ALL ice expands or contracts due to temperature change. If you multiply the effects of a few degree change of a bottle of water or pop that is frozen by 25 miles of ice, you have what Mille Lacs does on a daily basis. So.....inorder to access the fishing grounds, which is usually anywhere from 400 yards to 8 miles from shore, you will have to cross this "expansion/contraction crack. From the beginning, when the lake first freezes across, it happens. And continues to happen at the same point on the ice daily, since that is the weakest spot to pull apart from or move together. So....(being long winded as usual), each resort has to "bridge " the crack. You can't drive over it as it will break off from the weight of ANY car or truck. Even when the ice is 2 ft. thick or more! ATV's will also drop wheels into the crack. These bridges are from 20-70 feet long and about 10 feet wide. They are made in various ways with various materials, from wood to steel. My old bridge was two car transport trailors cut in two and put together to form one arched bridge. The higher and longer the bridge the better, since the constant ice moving has less effect on the bridge with this design. Some bridges have to be moved or worked on several times a day in fast changing temps. Usually a warming trend will create the ice crack to heave up at least 6' to 10' high. So....there you have it! Stay in PA. lol

[JPO1]

Question:

What is the deal with insurance on the ice? I thought once you were on the ice you might as well leave the insurance card at home?

Don't whant to roll the new truck or drop through the ice on my whole dollar.

thanks

[BlackSilver]

Who said anything about the media, Steve?

I can look out across the street and see 3 fish houses which were on top of the ice last Sunday, but are now tilted and partially submerged. Ain't uncommon at all from my vantage point.

Sunuvagun!

Your mileage may vary, but I ain't taking MY truck on that ice.

Walk softly and carry a big fish.

Hans/MN
--
"Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is
not fish they are after." - H.D. Thoreau

[stevefellegy]

It just NEVER fails! A mini van just plunged into Mille Lacs, a couple hundred yards from my place. The ice is averaging 16" or more ....VERY safe to drive on........yet.....when you DON'T listen...it's amazing! This one tried to cross the pressure crack, which is now over 4 ft. wide because of plumeting temps the past 36 hours. The Mille Lacs ice and all of the northern Minnesota ice is safe, unless you do something STUPID! Pay the resort or the recovery company. Do the math!

DRIVE ACROSS THE RESORT BRIDGES!!!!!!!!!!

[Thumper]

I witnessed a truck go through here in NW Ontario last week on Lac des Mille Lacs. Even though the trails are marked, the ice is 24in in most areas..... there have always been unsafe areas..... people still insist on being people by going off road and "exploring". If you are not familiar with the lake STAY ON THE TRAIL!! You put good folks at risk not just yourself when they have to go and rescue you.

[fishhunter]

The media must have made the ice unsafe in more than minnesota because there were houses in ND falling through the ice this last week too. ICE IS NEVER SAFE

[stevefellegy]

No one, at least here, has ever said ice is 100 percent safe at anytime. But the media has to get real! Fishhouses falling through the ice in North Dakota doesn't mean the ice in North Dakota is totally UNSAFE. There will always be places, no matter what the weather is, that are unsafe, but at the same time, on the same body of water, you could stack trucks on top of each other and drive safely in most directions. The media needs to report ice mishaps as they do any other news. If someone drives off the road and into a tree, they don't report that roads, in general, in that area are UNSAFE and people should avoid them. Do they warn people, generally, to avoid downtown Fargo, when someone get's shot, while dealing drugs? No! So why do it when it involves ice conditions.
Ice is NEVER 100 PERCENT SAFE and as in anything and everything, just pay attention to PRESENT, LOCAL conditions.

[Pitts]

Steve
Every time I see someone fell through the ice on TV on a lake I know I have been on and the ice is very good for what they were doing I know they did something stupid.
I think it is Gods way of getting rid of the stupid people.
And I mean no disrespect to anyone who has lost a love one to an ice accident. Anyone can make a mistake it's just Mother Nature is not very forgiving.


Pitts

[fishguy]

my thoery is that only non-ice fishing people or people that have never been on the ice listen to the media ice reports and they will always tell you that the ice is never safe no matter what and get all bent out of shape about it. the fact is that ice conditions change from day to day on lake to lake and it's up to the experience and knowledge of the fisherman to act accordingly. ...and the unwise will pay the price.