Is a life lost worth a fish?, No ice is safe ice.

It could end up costing some lives. Some won't think twice but others will try and avoid the rescue at a higher price.

Owner sound mayor referenced a rescue bill to someone who fell off a cliff the bill 15 thousand.
Even 5 k some will choose it's not worth it. . Then again how many are willing to loose it all and not pay for it? Or even afford it they will pick and choose to either pay it or ignore it.

We will never be able to fix stupid even with a price.

all thanks goes out to the first responders in this situation as they are the true heros. that aside i feel this situation could have happened to any one of us, if i remember correctly a similar situation happened on simcoe a few years back where wind broke off a piece of ice leaving fishermen stranded. Thats exactly why i choose my ice fishing spots so carefully maximizing my chances for safety. I like simple spots easy access shying away from larger waterbodies. I think this was a chance happening could it have been avoided possibly should they get a bill? no they shouldnt. im sure the loss of all there gear will be a hard enough pill to swallow.

A smarter middle ground.

The most workable approaches tend to be:

Clear rules ahead of time
(e.g., “after X date or warning, you may be billed”)
Fines for violating explicit closures, not subjective judgment
Insurance based models (used in parts of Europe for mountain rescue)

So if we go with the insurance based model, we tag that onto the license for fishing in Ontario. Wanna Icefish? then you need to pay extra which covers insurance.

I get both sides but there needs to be a middle ground.

Of the 3 instances where ice rescue was warranted for multiple people the basic same 3 factors were evident

there was mild weather before the event

the folks fishing were adjacent to open water on large water bodies


the wrong winds were in play leading to to ice floe breakages.


so everyone makes mistakes and hopefully learns from them


I this situation it was not a good idea to venture out imo


as for the other parts of the discussion re. ice rescue responders etc. I have no comments except great job and thankfully no loss of life

I don’t think so. We face enough government overreach as it is!

Mother Nature gives us signs of danger that should trigger our common sense. These indications help us avoid a dangerous situation. Everyone should know not to go fishing when there is thunder. Where there is thunder there is always, always, always lightning. Even if the thunder sounds far away, a lightning strike may hit near where you are fishing. Weather changes in early or late winter change ice conditions quickly. Rain, air temperature, wind etc. Short ice on shore, open cracks off shore, changes in ice colour, ice movement with waves or current. More signs of danger we all know, or should know before we head out onto the ice. There is also the current and future hourly forecasts, that are easily accessible to everyone. Conditions before leaving and when arriving at the destination may change. Conditions can change from one hour to the next. There were signs of bad ice that day and wind in the forecast, as well as warnings from the OPP up to a week previous to this event. That is another great benefit of this Fishing Forum... People helping people. Of course no ice is safe ice...But it's nice to get some quality information from one member to another when planning a fishing trip. Conditions can change, the actions and responsibility remain totally on the angler to assess the ice on arrival and have all the gear necessary to stay alive. Gratefull that so many people read this post and many commenting as well. If we assist one person with good advice, it makes the post relevant. If we actually learn from our mistakes, it makes us better people. As for lightning, it's hard to learn from a mistake if you get hit by a bolt of lightning. Stay safe.

IMO, they should be rescued/helped but they should have to pay a price big enough that they would not act stupid again. I guess that's pretty fair.

I hope someone seconds the idea of ending this post because in my opinion there's way too much finger pointing and ridicule. I know that people have been thankful that no one lost their lives and grateful to the First Responders but it doesn't seem like that is the primary idea.. how about nobody has to pay anything Financial for being rescued in our great country.. I would think the scare of a lifetime is a big enough price to pay and probably enough of a lesson learned. Calling people stupid when they're down especially people in your own community doesn't leave a good taste in my mouth. We all take risks. Some people think the things I do are super unsafe and there's things other people do that I think are super unsafe. We all have our own guideline of what's safe and what isn't safe. I don't think because anyone on this board thinks something is so unsafe that they draw the line of where the standard is. I'm sure we all get in cars every day which is a super high risk and I know that's comparing apples to oranges but I am trying to just put things in perspective on the copious amounts of ridicule. Until next I season hopefully there's no fatalities as well as no more finger pointing. Let's just be grateful and move on guys

You chose the perfect word, when you said perspective. My original post as well as my follow ups were written for just that exact reason. The perspective of the First Responders and the families of the 32 anglers rescued that day. Also for anyone reading this posted topic. Perspective in understanding the importance of the post. Everyone is going to form their own opinion from their perspective of this topic. Many of us have decades of experience with soft water and hard water fishing. So our perspective in general is that fishing can/may be dangerous in certain situations. Everyone has an opinion of this ice rescue and should be allowed to share it. If just one comment assists someone else in a life changing decision, it was worth it to share. These 32 anglers that put themselves in danger, should be tough enough to take a few harsh words. I know the First Responders had plenty of harsh words for them after the 32 anglers were rescued. Hopefully they understood the harsh words and won't be irresponsible again with their lives.... Or the lives of the First Responders.

I second the idea.

This post should be closed. No one is going to agree completely one way or the other. Post like this can get out of hand. We have an amazing group here and I hope we all work together to forward our sport and work to keep accesses open. Half of us will say this all was an error and half will say it’s stupidity. The truth lies somewhere in between usually.

I put all the blame on the fish tempting us all Yes, it's probably a good time to end the post and have a good thought and then think again when we are in situations when we are tempted to head out after some fish when the risks are higher. Remember you will catch more fish if you can fish in the future.

Sure the Moderator can close it if he likes. With over 3000 views, I would say it was read enough to shed some light on not what to do on questionable ice and warm, windy, weather conditions. Thanks for all the comments. Good luck everybody on a safe soft water season.