Ice Fishing Vehicle Immersions and Netizens

Where there is ice, there will always be anglers who want to drive on with their vehicles. It’s nice to not have to haul your gear long distance on foot. Where there are lots of ice anglers, there will be vehicle immersions or accidents at some point. With the advent of social media, it’s pretty common for someone’s misfortune to be broadcasted to the public. Unfortunately with how easy it is to express opinions, you will get some sort of mocking or unsympathetic comments.

While I know most people who ice fish regularly know the reality, it still seems like there is a vocal minority who relishes in other people’s misfortune or act extremely judgmental. This post is directed to those people. I know the likelihood that I can change a person’s mind is low but it affects even just one person, I’ll consider my efforts to be not in vain. Even I was guilty of some of it in the past but I started to see things differently over time.

Why Vehicles Go Through the Ice

Most of the non-fishers or the ignorant crowd will say that the driver was an idiot. I will agree people should do their due diligence first but the reality is not so simple.

Ice is not always uniform throughout a body of water. Rivers have current which causes the ice to have different thickness. Sometimes there are underwater springs which are only known by local knowledge. The lake I have a cabin at has some narrow sections between islands that freeze very late and can never support a vehicle. Most people who fish there have no clue about it. Of course you could be careful and inspect wherever you go but even the most careful will never actually go through the effort of measuring constantly.

What people also tend to not understand well is pressure ridges. Large lakes will have multiple ridges where they can compress or expand as the temperature changes. They can shift multiple times in a day and potentially freeze over slightly. Blowing snow and the bright sun can make it difficult to see these ridges. Sometimes it can driven over many times and eventually some unlucky person will fall victim at some point. I myself put a tire through a ridge once after crossing the exact waypointed ridge crossing earlier in the day. Even in the dead of winter, people will still put their tires through.

Of course there are people who have really bad judgement and that happens from time to time.

Is it Safe to Drive On?

Many people, particularly non-anglers, believe that vehicles going through the ice means it’s automatically unsafe. Some people criticize with knee jerk reactions that it’s too dangerous to drive on, even if it’s in the dead of winter.

I do not really have the statistics to back this up but I am on social media a lot where any vehicle immersion is immediately posted. With dozens of anglers in the most popular areas, it’s hard to escape notice. Within the most popular local areas we maybe have single digit numbers of vehicle immersions, maybe a few more incidents where people just get stuck in ridges who get pulled out shortly. Given that hundreds of vehicles can be out on a given weekend day, the accident rate has to be pretty low.

Nobody is Perfect

Let’s be honest, we’ve all made mistakes at some point. I have made many expensive ones myself and will probably continue to do so. Even seasoned veterans get into trouble from time to time. Nobody can have perfect judgement. Some people are legitimately ignorant as nobody can be an expert in every field. Yet internet netizens will claim superiority in situations like these. Even when they don’t have all the facts or the context. It truly feels that the internet has made us feel like smarter people than we actually are.

Now this does not mean you can’t criticize people. Constructive criticism should be encouraged as some people could use the education. Not everyone understands ice safety fully.

It’s a Serious Matter

Some thing I hope netizens would at least try to understand that people who go through the ice are potentially in danger. Already there has been one fatality this year in Manitoba. Even if the victims survive, they are likely in immediate need of help as they are without a mode of transport and potentially may be exposed to the elements. Even when they are safe, it’s likely they incur some difficulties with the loss of their equipment and vehicle. Though vehicle loss is typically covered through insurance.

We should all ask ourselves, how do we want to be treated in that situation when our vehicle is stuck or submerged? Certainly the last thing we want is to be humiliated on social media, especially while under a lot of stress. Such victim shaming comments and reactions are unhelpful at best. At the very least people should be asking if the victim is safe or needs assistance.

Last Words

I know that this is the internet where people are protected from the consequences of their words. It’s likely I may not convince many people in the fishing community to be a bit more sympathetic. There’s people who will never learn and continue to relish in the misfortune of others. In other words, there will always be assholes. It would be great if people just thought a little bit before posting.

Though it’s not all doom and gloom. There are good Samaritans out there who do help people those in need. I’ve seen people immediately leave their homes to get out on the lake to offer assistance. There are those who leave encouraging words on social media. We should all make an effort to be like these people. The reality is tomorrow it could be our turn to be in need of assistance.

Stay safe and enjoy the rest of the season. It was nice to finally get this topic off my chest.