last winter in baudette. on the ice, we woke up to realy loud ice noises, that night they had to build a bridge to get over the pressure cracks. im used to it, but people new to the ice don't know what to think.

I have seen men cry, try to crawl out fishouse windows and even had one ol boy that required a change of clothes after wards. In a single booming night I may get 20 plus phone calls from anglers wanting to leave because the they are going to die. When Red gets going it not only booms to beat heck but will nock you off your feet. We had one that caught me off gaurd that bounced me against the truck door pretty good.

i was in a small protable one night on spirit lake(ia) when i had to stop fishing. the lake was really rockin. killed the perch bite as well. i had my first earthquake this year and it was nothing compared to a night on cracklin' ice.

I have a cousin coming from Phoenix this winter to spend a few days in my fish house on Mille Lacs!! I'm hoping for some of that cracking so he gets the full effect!

How can you tell when it's safe and when it's not? Is it heat/coldsnap that causes it?

I was out last year on pearsons and it was quite loud. Being my car wasn't far from me I packed up and went running with my tail between my legs!

Yea the house can get shakin pretty good on millacs

I remember myself freaking out the first time out ice fishing. That was 5 years ago. I had no idea what the noise was and my friends were sure getting a laugh from that one.

I was told by a climatologist that ice was safest when you hear that cracking because you are hearing expansion and making ice. If you don't hear noise and you are on thin ice you might just be walking on the early honeycomb ice that is sloppy and could drop you through.

To answer the question, I always get a little skittish right away. Then when I'm on that first foot I know there is little to worry about. It's like walking 1/2 mile to your deer stand in the pitch black of night...you know there is nothing to be scared of but your mind still races!

yeah-----I had a crack go right through the house I was fishing in----definitely got your attention!!!!!!!!!

I took a friend ice fishing for his first time one night and he was leary because the ice was only about five inches thick. It was a cold night and the ice cracked right under my portable and it hopped about three inches off of the ice. He jumped up off of his chair and hit his head on the top of the portable and asked what had happened. I just told him to calm down because mother nature was making some ice. When he saw that I wasn't bothered by it he calmed back down.

The worst I ever had was a trip to LOW for a quicky walleye/sauger run between christmas and new years. The Ice was just thick enough that the resorts were running bombers for the first time and pulling fish houses with them. The ice flexing and cracking from the bombers was unreal. We had water comming out of the holes and hitting the ceiling of the portable (6feet up). My buddy decided he had had enough after grabbing the side of the house when he thought we were going in. Packed up and left. he figured it was safer at the cabin

I had one go right through my hole last winter. That one got my attention!

I have heard the same as Da Chise- it is making ice and you are safe.

I don't think thats as bad as the idiots that think doing 50+ MPH on the ice is a great idea and you get water up your holes from the waves under the ice. Those morons oughta have their necks rung.

Red Lake last year. Went on our yearly Mancation and took some newbies with us, she barked pretty loud and in about .0000001 seconds I was the last one in the fish house. We looked around and everyone in the surrounding houses were tripping over each other trying to get out of their houses. The new guys that came with us have yet to RSVP about this years trip.

Ice cracking is like granny singing you to sleep the only time I get true drool sleep is on the lake,the best thing is when you are tired cause the rattles went off every hour all night.ding ding ding can't wait.But for now I guess I'll just troll.Tuesday morn and Tuesday night on green will be hot.But I'll try sunday and monday as well.