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| Ice fishing enthusiasts take their chances on Lake Champlain ice Sunday not far from Swanton, Vermont |
Three people have died in recent days after falling through Lake Champlain ice.
Saturday morning, two died after their UTV plunged through the ice in Keeler Bay. John Fleury, 71, was pulled from the water alive, but later died. Wayne Fleury, 88, was found by divers, as CNN reports.
On Thursday, another ice fishing enthusiast, Wayne Alexander, 62 of Grand Isle, died Thursday when he apparently fell through the ice near Grand Isle State Park.
The deaths obviously alarmed Vermont public safety officials
Vermont Fish and Wildlife posted this message to Twitter on Saturday:
"Lake Champlain ice conditions are not safe for recreation this weekend (Feb. 11-12): do not go on the ice on Lake Champlain. Use caution on inland waters. Leave vehicles on shores."
I would add to that if anything, lake and pond ice in Vermont will become even less safe as this week goes on, given forecasts of daily thaws, and possible record high temperatures on Thursday.
The National Weather Service office in South Burlington is also sounding the alarm over unsafe ice in Vermont.
The 43rd annual Islands Ice Fishing Derby this past weekend was hastily canceled due to the unsafe ice conditions. The three who died were not affiliated with this fishing derby.
"(Gill) Gagner owns Martin's General Store, which rents out ice fishing equipment. But due to unusually high temperatures this winter, Gagner told CNN he's not going back on the ice and is shutting down the rental operation.
'I've never seen anything like this,' Gagner said. 'This is craziness.'"
I took a drive through the Champlain Islands Sunday and found few ice fishing enthusiasts out on the lake. A popular ice fishing spot near Sandbar State Park in Milton was absolutely empty. Which is encouraging, given the unsafe conditions and the pressure cracks I saw on the ice in that area. Video at the bottom of this post shows the relative dearth of people on the ice, which is a good thing.
I suspect the brief Arctic cold spell on February 3 and 4 could have led to a false sense of security. It's true the coverage of ice on Lake Champlain definitely increased during that short subzero shot of air.
But high winds during the cold snap ensured that the ice would be thin. Warmer temperatures and continued gusty winds in the week after that Arctic weather made the icy even more iffy. Also, I'm sure places that are "always" safe for ice fishing on Lake Champlain in February are not so safe this year.
Warm weather will continue more or less for the next couple of weeks. That means even what has been ice on what in the past had been reliably thick ice isn't so reliable anymore. Protected Lake Champlain bays and inlets, and all of the smaller lakes and ponds in and around Vermont are danger zones right now.
I hate to say it, but a death from falling through the ice is not the way to go.
Death can come within minutes if you fall through the ice, especially if your health isn't that great. The cold water shock can cause cardiac arrest. The shock can also make you take gasp and take in water to your lungs.
Hypothermia sets in within a half hour or less. When that happens, you'll no longer be able to tread water.
As much fun as ice fishing is for many people, it might not be worth it this year, given the risks. Oh, I suppose the ice is kind of safe on high altitude, cold bodies of water like Joe's Pond, but I still wouldn't risk it. .
Video:
On a drive around the Champlain Islands yesterday, ice fishing enthusiasts were fortunately few and far between on the thin, unsafe ice. As you can see in the second half of the video, nobody was on the ice near Sandbar State Park in Milton/South Hero. Usually that area is swarmed with people on the ice. Fortunately that was not the case Sunday.
Click on this link to view the video, or if you see the image below, click on that:
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