Beyond Ice Thickness: Do You Know These Crucial Rules Of Driving On A Frozen Lake?

Over the years, ice anglers across Minnesota and Wisconsin have been reminded time and time again about the importance of knowing ice thickness and what the minimum thickness is in order to maximize safety when venturing out on a frozen lake.

Thanks to great marketing campaigns (and a lot of people sharing the thickness charts each winter online), a lot of people have the numbers memorized when it comes to minimum recommended ice amounts for being on foot and driving out using various vehicles.

Going beyond knowing ice thicknesses, there are some lesser-known rules of driving a vehicle out onto the ice that a surprising number of people don't know before heading out onto a frozen lake.

Here's a look at some of the other rules of driving a vehicle onto the ice you need to know.

Is there a speed limit when driving on the ice?

While there is no posted statewide frozen lake speed limit in either Minnesota or Wisconsin, it is still important not to drive too fast.

The Minnesota DNR emphasizes not outdriving your headlights. Driving on ice greatly reduces stopping times, so being able to see and react to a hazard - whether it be an obstacle, hole in the ice, ice heave, or something else - is crucial.

A lot of ice roads maintained by resorts or other entities will post speed limits, often between 10 and 15 mph. Besides being able to navigate more safely with other traffic on an ice road, a lot of ice road experts also say keeping speeds slow reduces the size of the "wave" generated by the weight of your vehicle driving across the ice.

Reducing that "wave" helps to prevent putting extra stress on the ice you're driving on.

Other ice driving basics

The Minnesota DNR also recommends you have a life jacket/buoyant gear and ice picks while driving, although they recommend you don't actually wear the life jacket or buoyant gear in the vehicle, as it will make it more difficult to get out if you break through the ice.

Rolling your windows down and unlocking your doors is also recommended to get out of the vehicle quickly if needed.

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In addition, you should avoid driving near or over pressure ridges, channels, and under bridges.

Know the parking limits

So you've checked the ice, you've driven at an appropriate speed, and it's time to park and get to fishing. The Minnesota DNR has some important recommendations when it comes to that, too.

The first recommendation is to park at least 50 feet away from other vehicles (and ideally even your fish house). The reason behind this is pretty obvious - prevent putting too much weight in any given spot on the ice.

The other key recommendation the Minnesota DNR makes is to move your vehicle every two hours while you're on the lake to prevent ice from sagging or eventually giving way.

Any other rules?

While this one isn't from the DNR or anything, anyone who maintains an ice road will tell you this: Don't drill holes on an ice road. If there's a plowed road on the ice, even if you're sure all of the fish are right on that spot, just don't do it.

Besides the obvious issue of trying to fish where people are going to be driving, you're creating a structural weak spot in a maintained road and you could also cause flooding on the road, which can create additional issues.