South Pond, Brookfield DANGER !!!
Just got home and got my wet clothes off. Fell through the ice today about 200 feet from shore and in about 15 feet of water. If I didn't have two friends with me I probably wouldn't be around to write this.
For those of you familiar with South Pond, we were fishing on the left side of the pond. If you were to stand on the boat ramp and look out onto the pond we were probably about halfway to the point on the left. At about noon my friend was walking back from checking a flag when his entire left leg went in up to the hip. We didn't think too much of it at the time thinking it was probably an old hole that had not frozen back over. There was a lot of sloppy slush on the surface but there seemed to be about 6 inches of good ice under the slush. At approximately 2:30 my other friend had a flag and we both started to walk towards it. About 10 feet from it I suddenly went in. It happened so fast I couldn't believe it. I was in up to my armpits and was trying to hold onto the edge. Stupidly, I don't have a pair safety picks so I was trying to hold myself up by grasping the edge. Well, those of you that ice fish know how much clothing you wear to stay warm. I had long underwear, under some coveralls and very heavy boots. Everything was immediately soaked and became very heavy and I was having difficulty holding on to the edge because it was so slippery. One of my friends laid down and spread out reaching towards me while my other friend held his ankles. They were able to pull me out.
I have been ice fishing for over fifty years and this is a first for me. I have always been careful and waited until I saw others on the ice before I would venture out. There were a number of others out there today and I thought it was safe, even if it was a little messy on the surface.
So, if you are an ice fisherman, please be careful. you never know what the ice conditions are. Just because one area is safe doesn't mean the whole pond is. I have come to find out that there are springs along the side we were fishing today and that is probably what made the difference. Please make sure you fish with a partner and definitely carry some safety ice picks with you a all times. I will from now on!
That's so scary. That happened to me when I was a kid. Someone was smart enough to lay a shovel down and help me out.
South Pond is notorious for having springs and very unsafe ice!
I'm glad your ok and around to talk about it!
S.Pond is a dangerous body of water from the history I've heard.
Be safe my friends
glad your ok!!!!
Also one thing you can invest in is a dry suit. Kokatat makes a nice one. I almost always were one when i go fishing or duck hunting in the winter. I got my used of ebay.
Wow! That is scary, good thing your buddy was there.