By CHRIS LINDAHL
@cmlindahl
Daily Hampshire Gazette
NORTHAMPTON — The day before Punxsutawney Phil was set to give his forecast, all signs pointed to spring in the Pioneer Valley as the temperature hit the mid-50s. Despite Monday’s unseasonable temperatures, ice fishermen at the Oxbow were still enjoying their popular wintertime sport.
“It’s still frozen,” Mitchell Thomas said assuredly as he walked onto the solid Oxbow. “What you want to avoid is clear ice.”
More than a dozen people were spread across the white Oxbow surface Monday patiently waiting for a bite, some sitting on overturned buckets jigging their lines. All of them chose to brave the mild elements, trading thick outerwear and fishing huts for light jackets and fresh air.
Thomas, who was using a stationary fishing rig to catch pike, went on to explain that he knows it’s safe to proceed by checking whether there’s a crest of ice against the shoreline. Despite warmer temperatures on Monday, that crest was still solid, though the layer of ice that reached across the entirety of the Oxbow was covered with a generous layer of water.
Thomas, 50, of Russell, said he knows the lay of the land, or in this case, the water, because he’s been enjoying the sport since childhood.
“There’s a lot of guys out here with a lot of experience,” he said.
Public safety officials have one answer to whether ice is safe to walk, fish or skate on, regardless of one’s level of experience.
“We tell people to stay off the ice,” Northampton Assistant Fire Chief Jon Davine said. “We joke around that the only safe ice is on an ice rink.”
Davine said the department warns people to use common sense if they choose to go out on a body of water. There are often unseen hazards that compromise the integrity of a seemingly frozen solid surface — rocks or fallen tree limbs — and in the case of the Oxbow, a current that on Monday was flowing under some 6 inches of ice.
With the recent thaw, an eyeball measurement of ice thickness cannot be trusted, said Jennifer Mieth, a spokeswoman for the state fire marshal’s office.
“Anything that was frozen cannot be considered safe at all today,” Mieth said Monday. “You just can’t always guarantee that the ice will be of an even thickness.”
Patience
At the heart of any productive ice fishing enthusiast is a whole lot of patience. Around 11 a.m., Thomas said he had been manning his lines for about three hours with no luck.
Asked if he’s ever fallen in himself, Thomas laughed. He did say that he’s seen several people fall through cracked ice.
“It scared the living bejesus out of me,” he said.
It’s a risk that ice fishermen are willing to take, provided they take precautions.
Thomas said making himself visible is a key protection. On Monday he was wearing a neon yellow jacket and he noted that his bait cooler had a bright orange hue.
“It’ll float,” he said.
In fact, when Thomas’ brother once fell into the water he was able to grab hold of a bucket to aid in his escape.
Other fishermen, including John Dudek, use a chisel known as a spud bar.
Dudek takes a patient approach to checking the safety of ice. He’ll prod the shoreline crest and slowly make his way to where he wants to set up. Then, he’ll check that area very carefully with the pick, he said.
“You get to know your chisel after a while,” the Greenfield resident said.
The warmer temperatures may threaten the Easthampton Rod & Gun Club’s annual ice fishing derby, scheduled for Feb. 13 and 14.
That date’s weather “doesn’t look very good,” President John P. Grygorcewicz told the Licensing Board Monday night. The club was granted the permit for the event, though Grygorcewicz said it may need to be postponed for more cooperative weather.
Rescue caution
Davine said he cannot remember if his department performed a water rescue this winter but the Northampton squad is always prepared.
At the beginning of each season, firefighters suit up and head to the Oxbow to practice rescuing each other from the frigid waters using plenty of rope.
“It’s cold,” Davine said. “The firefighters enjoy that training.”
The Amherst Fire Department responded to Puffer’s Pond last month after a hockey player fell through the ice. He was able to lift himself out before crews arrived, though he was taken to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton.
Amherst Fire Chief Walter “Tim” Nelson cautioned people to stay off the ice following the incident.
“We don’t live in Minnesota, so we don’t have weeks of below-freezing temperatures,” he said at the time.
Mieth said across the state, emergency crews frequently respond to animal rescues.
“The problem with dogs is they can’t read,” she said. “They can’t read those ‘Warning, thin ice’ signs.”
Sometimes pet owners become victims themselves when they try to rescue their animals.
“If someone does fall through the ice, the important thing is to call immediately for help or send somebody for help,” Mieth said.
If someone does fall through ice, the fire marshal’s office recommends a “reach-throw-row” approach. That is, to extend or throw a rope, jumper cable, tree branch, life preserver or other item to the victim, or if possible, push a boat up to them.
The office urges victims to remain calm, turn toward the direction they fell in, place their arms on the unbroken surface and kick their feet. Once on the ice, they should remain lying on the surface and roll away from the hole, in the direction they originally came from, ensuring that their weight is evenly distributed across the fragile surface.
Chris Lindahl can be reached at [email protected].
