Insane Video of Ice Fishermen on Upper Red Lake Appearing to Be Driving on Water
Seasoned ice fishermen are used to seeing standing water on area lakes as snow melts with warmer temperatures. This scene, captured by some ice fishermen on Upper Red Lake in Northwestern Minnesota takes that phenomenon to a whole new level.
Posted to Facebook on Wednesday evening, this 38-second clip shows an SUV driving through several inches of water on top of the ice during a fishing trip on the lake on Monday. The amount of water makes it look like the vehicle is driving on open water.
Janet Gohman, who was with the group traveling on the ice, told WCCO TV that there was at least 30 inches of ice on the lake at the time, but hard rain and melted snow made for several inches of water on top of the ice.
Regardless of how much ice is on the lake, officials around the state are warning anglers to check ice thickness and avoid driving on lakes with large vehicles as warm temperatures and rain have deteriorated ice quality and thickness. While ice thickness is important, quality of ice is also vital for ice safety. Clear ice like you see early winter is the most ideal, while "honeycombed" ice, or ice that becomes porous/cracked from warmer weather is significantly weaker.