Ice fishermen need to take precautions at reservoir

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN JERRY ENGLER
Ice fishermen at Marion Reservoir, cutting holes through the ice to lower their lines, should reduce their risks before they go out there, according to reservoir officials.


Regulations do not prohibit or curtail their activities, said Terry Holt, lake manager for the Corps of Engineers.


“But it’s always good for them to talk to people like me so they can enjoy their sport safely,” he said.


Holt is a certified cold water and ice rescue instructor who took training in 1992 from Dive Rescue International, a non-profit organization known world wide for its training in water rescue, rescue diving, under-water salvage and underwater crime scene investigation.


Holt helps instruct conservation officers for the Tulsa District of the Corps.


One problem ice fishermen or other visitors at the reservoir may have is a deceptive impression that the uniform appearing ice really is uniform.


That isn’t so, said Holt.


“It’s never, ever completely safe to go out there,” he said. “At most places there is about seven inches of ice now.


A variety of factors can determine the strength and thickness of the ice, he said. In some places, springs bring warmer water to the surface making thinner ice in places where it looks uniform.


The shallow water is the first to freeze so the ice tends to be thicker in shallow areas, and thinner in deeper areas, Holt added.


“An ice fisherman should always be prepared for the moment he might fall in,” he said. “He should wear a life jacket. He should have large nails, 10 penny or so, attached to each other with a four-foot length of rope or strong cord. They’re to help him claw his way out. It’s very difficult if you fall in to get back out. He can have thinner ice breaking under him until he claws his way to stronger ice.”


One fallacy is that clothes will fill with water, and drag a person to the bottom, Holt said.


“You shouldn’t try to disrobe because the clothes may help rescue you,” he said. “Most fishermen are wearing several layers of clothing. The clothes have tiny air bubbles trapped in the fabric, and help protect against hypothermia.


Once out of the water, the person should get to a vehicle for protection as fast as possible, and change into dry clothes, according to Holt.


“Chances of surviving are increased by having a companion,” he added. “You should always have at least two of you. It is amazing how fast body temperature drops to 94 or 95, and you are shivering so violently it is very difficult to get keys out to unlock or start a vehicle.”


The fine motor skills that operate the fingers are gone. he said.


“Have you ever been in the shower when the water suddenly turned cold, and you immediately inhaled? That’s the torso reflex, the spasmodic reflex. You can’t resist it. And if you’ve fallen in the water, and your head goes below the surface, that’s cold water you’re inhaling.


“When I teach, I tell them if they feel the ice cracking, and they think they might fall in, grab the mouth and nose, and squeeze them tight to avoid inhaling water. If they inhale cold water, and panic, that’s the start of drowning. That’s when it’s important to have the life jacket on.”


Holt said off-road traffic for vehicles is prohibited at the reservoir, and park personnel would certainly prohibit anyone from driving on the ice.


Holt said driving a vehicle on the ice “would be completely foolish.”


“People have to remember that the type of ice here is different than ice at colder northern latitudes,” he said. “We don’t stay cold long enough to be able to do some of the things they can do.”

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