Ice on Ramps?

[mhall]

Michael I'd say the Pumpkin creek ramp as you are going to would be fine. Wouldn't hurt to carry a bag of Calcium Chloride with you though. It will melt at very low temps. I'm guessing you won't have alot of competion this weekend though, wooooweeee it's gonna be cold.

[know1]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I have a Jeep, so I can put it in 4WD. My brother's boat isn't much of a load.

We're just going to fish until we've had enough of the cold.

[Cobra190]

Keep min mind that backing down the ramp and stopping can be main trouble. Anything you take to put on the ramp apply it before you back down. 4-wheel drive or not, doesn,t matter if you can't stop and go sliding into the lake. Good Luck and be Careful.

[know1]

Keep min mind that backing down the ramp and stopping can be main trouble. Anything you take to put on the ramp apply it before you back down. 4-wheel drive or not, doesn,t matter if you can't stop and go sliding into the lake. Good Luck and be Careful.

Good suggestion.

[keepersize]

When you are trying to stop on any slick surface even when not towing ALWAYS put your vehicle in neutral. It works.

[FlyLie]

We're just going to fish until we've had enough of the cold.

Good Luck and Good Fishing. Look forward to reading your report.

Be Safe,

Gary

[Moose1am]

Calcium Chloride has a lower freezing point than Sodium Chloride (table salt) That will help thaw out most ice.

In the summer I have trouble with the algae making the ramp so slick that my back tires can't grab the concrete.

So I like to throw some Copper Sulfate Crystals around the launch ramp's concrete to kill the algae. I only have to use a cup full to do the job. And it helps to get the CuSO4 on the algae early in the year before it gets a good foothold. I will also take a stiff brush to sweep clean the concrete.

I just purchased a tow webbing last year and this past week I picked up a 2 ton hand wench. We call them Come-A_Longs here.

A little extra weight in the truck bed over the back tires also helps. I can get out easier when the boat is on the trailer as it adds weight to the back tires. But after I launch the boat and it's off the trailer is when I have the most problems in the summer time.

Stay say and don't fall out of the boat into that icy water. See my other post on cold water safety.

Michael I'd say the Pumpkin creek ramp as you are going to would be fine. Wouldn't hurt to carry a bag of Calcium Chloride with you though. It will melt at very low temps. I'm guessing you won't have alot of competition this weekend though, wooooweeee it's gonna be cold.

[Chubminnow]

I am looking forward to reading your icey report...What did you see? Did you do any good? How'd 25 degree's on the lake feel to ya? And were there any other hardy souls out there with you all?

[thebassman30]

So what size auger did you use to make the hole? lol....you are sick man! What an animal.

[know1]

OK. Here's the report:

It was COLD! We were on the water at a little after 8 EST. NWS said the temp was 10° at that time. Fished the shadiest bank about mid-creek. Wind was pretty calm, but gusts of it did come up at times. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. Only 1 other trailer in the parking lot and it was still there when we left. No ice on the ramp, but there was some that we caused when we pulled out at about 12:45.

We stayed pretty warm except for our hands. I had every sweatshirt and jacket that I own on. Guides on the rod would freeze up in about a minute or two.

Fishing was slow on the FnF. We only had 3-4 bites/pulldowns. Fortunately, I hooked up on one of them and landed a VERY fat 19.5" SM. This was my second biggest smallmouth ever in terms of length. The 22" was longer, but I'd bet this one might have been almost a pound heavier. My brother said it was the heaviest SM he'd ever lifted.

That being said, we did take a picture. Now I know that most fishing pictures turn out to be a bit disappointing, but this one really does not do the fish justice. I guess it was because he was standing up and taking the picture from above. If you zoom in and look at the size of its mouth compared to my hand, you'll see how big it was. Also, the fish was out of the water only 2 mins at most and you'll notice that the water was already freezing on its fins. You can also see the steam rising off the water.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mdv1234/...64818148234434


Michael

[MsgMills]

Nice fish, but I'm still staying indoors where it's warm.....

[DJD]

Nice Smallmouth! What was the water temp?