Don't be like Don

EDITOR'S NOTE: Originally penned by Don Voegel and published in Fish Tales Magazine on December 12, 2012, this is a story about being overconfident when doing something potentially dangerous. Don asked that the PCN run this story this week as it is timely and Don and the PCN want to wish everyone a very safe and successful fishing season.

Wonderful Winter

Winters have been my favorite time of year for as long as I can remember. People say to me, "I hate winter!" My reply is, "I love winter, I ice fish."

I have been thinking a lot about ice fishing in the last month. When I started fishing hard water, there were no augers. My Dad welded a piece of flat iron on a rod. Then he ground an edge on it to make a fine chipper that we used to make holes in the ice. For that matter, our ice poles were broken casting rods that we had customized. The other tackle included bobbers, some #12 flies and hooks, and an assortment of lead-sinkers and split-shot.

The closest we got to an ice shelter was a snow fort that my brother and I built while fishing on Nilan Reservoir near Augusta. Where we were from no one ever dreamed of taking anything that had a motor and wheels on the ice. Despite not having a flasher, a through the ice depth finder, GPS, or an underwater camera, we were always lucky enough to catch our share of fish.

Over the years, my addiction to ice fishing has grown. For the last 20 years, I have been fortunate to spend many, many hours ice fishing on Nelson Reservoir. At first, I would load all my gear into a sled and walk out on the ice to where I planned to fish. It did not take long for me to get accustomed to driving on the ice. This was because the ice was usually 18-to-24 inches thick. The fact that the majority of fishermen drive on the ice also persuaded me. The dangers have always been there, but one gets schooled quickly on what to watch for and what to avoid. But with anything you do, the more you do it the more comfortable you are.

The Winter in Question

The year in question was no different than others. I started out walking on the ice with my portable icehouse. The ice was between four and five inches thick. Because first ice always seems to be the best fishing, the trend is to get on the ice. Fishing was intense. Many Northern Pike and many Walleye were being caught on tip-ups. There were also reports of many fish being seen and speared. The Perch fishing was excellent. I moved to a couple of different places with my portable house. Soon, I found that the ice was now eight-inches thick. I was anxious to get my big house on the lake.

When the ice is good and clear, eight inches will support a pickup. I waited for the weekend, confident that it was making ice.

That Friday, I picked up my big house, an 8x8 insulated and heated spear shack. I have had some good luck fishing near some cabins on the west side of the lake, so that is where I decided to set up. The ice measured 10-inches. I was confident there would be no problems. I fished that first day from early afternoon until dark. A couple of average Northerns came into the decoy. Toward dark, a six-pound Northern hit the decoy hard and I speared it. The next morning, from early light to noon, was almost an exact repeat. I came home with one Northern.

The next day, I did not fish, but I did walk out on the ice to determine if it would be safe to drive across the lake to Outhouse Bay. The reason that I wanted to check the ice out was that my good friend, Gilbert Caballero, was planning to be in Malta that Monday. Gil and a friend wanted to set up in Outhouse Bay. I told them that the ice was good and there should not be any problem with a four-wheeler, but added there was a pressure ridge that they should go around. They showed up Monday and set up in the bay. I was not able to fish that day.

Going to See Gil

Tuesday, December 12, I got set up in my spear shack at first light. I was hoping to see a decent Walleye or two. The plan was to move the house to the other side of the lake if I did not see any fish before 9 a.m. Just before that time, a small Northern came into the Fire Tiger decoy. I teased the fish in and out of the hole several times but chose not to spear it. I decided to go to the other side of the lake to see how my friend, Gilbert, was doing.

Gil had told me that there was water on the pressure ridge but I figured that I would go around it. I started my pickup and began heading across the lake. I was excited to see where my friend was fishing.

The truth was that I was not paying attention. Before I knew it, I was at the pressure ridge. There was water over it just as I had been told. Worse yet, I was going too fast to stop or turn. I thought that maybe there was ice under the water so I punched the accelerator hoping to hit the ridge with enough speed to bounce over it. The pickup jumped part way across and then the front end dropped through the ice. The hood was no longer visible, what I now saw was turbulent water and floating ice chunks.

"I'm going down!" is what I heard myself say.

Immediately I pushed the down button on the driver's side electric window because I knew I would have to swim out when the pickup went down. As the window opened, I think that I must have been climbing up on the seat, though I don't remember. The window was open and the pickup was still hanging precariously on the ice.

"Lord, please keep it here!" I prayed.

With that, I was out the window and into the pickup box. I raced to the tailgate and stepped onto the bumper. With a short jump, I was on solid ice. Looking at my pickup, I pleaded, "Please stay on the ice!"

An instant later the cab dropped out of sight and pulled the rest of the pickup into the deep.

There I stood looking at the hole in the ice. Up popped the spare tire for the icehouse and the auger gas can in the hole where my pickup had been. I removed the gas can but left the tire there as a marker and a warning to others. I then reached for my new cell phone, but it was not in my pocket. I had set it on the seat of the pickup and it was now under 15 to 20 feet of water.

Welp, Now What?

For a few moments, I thought about what I just did. Not only did I lose my pickup, but also I was going to have to pay to have it removed from the water. The task of telling my wife what I had done was heavy on my mind.

Quickly I realized what I had far outweighed what I had lost. I thanked God for the day and walked across the lake to where Gilbert was fishing.

At home, telling my wife and daughter what I had done humbled me. In day-to-day life, it's very easy to take relationships for granted and forget what we really mean to one another.

The rest of the day I spent talking on the phone. The County Sheriff must be notified. The FWP must be notified. The Bureau of Reclamation needs to be notified. The Malta Irrigation District needs to be notified. Because of living in a small community, and my participation in the Malta Chapter of Walleyes Unlimited, everyone that I notified had previously talked to me. They were sorry about my pickup but had very little information as to what I needed to do next. I spent a great deal of time on the phone but accomplished little. The one thing that all the agencies agreed on was that the pickup needed to be removed from the reservoir as quickly as possible.

The other contact I made that day was my insurance company. I did not expect any help from the insurance because liability coverage was all that I carried on the pickup. However, I did have emergency towing. I was told that I was covered because of the emergency tow. It cost me five days and a great deal of frustration before the insurance company denied the coverage. Our company said that full coverage would have paid to have the pickup removed from the reservoir. If you drive on the ice as much as I have, I would recommend two things. The first is to reaffirm that driving a vehicle on ice over deep water is dangerous. Never take it for granted. It can happen to you. The second is to ask your agent specifically whether going through the ice is covered.

Fair Share of Ribbing

People were encouraging. Most can't resist a little jab here and there. "Hey Don, can I borrow your pickup? I want to go ice fishing."

"Be my guest, the keys are in it!"

"I hear you're washing your pickup."

"I am, from the inside out!"

"If you would have gone down with your pickup, you could tell me what depth I should be fishing."

"I can probably tell you that anyway."

"Hey Don, I heard you tried to turn your pickup into a fish finder."

"It didn't work very well. I like my electronics much better."

Probably the best I heard was when my daughter showed someone a picture of the pickup being hoisted out of the water:

"That is the biggest bottom bouncer I have ever seen!," she said.

"Me too," I replied. "I wish I had never seen it!"

To Fine, or the Not To Fine

There was another comment that I heard several times. It came from the public, not from anyone at the agencies that were notified.

"You better get that pickup out. It's $1500.00 a day for every day that it remains in the water!"

The dollar value sometimes varied but several people told me that a pickup or four-wheeler was subject to a fine. That was not as encouraging as the other comments so I was determined to find out the correct information. I was able to get in contact with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in Helena. I talked to two different individuals. Both people told me that a motor vehicle going into a body of water is a violation of the Water Quality Act. They told me that the procedure is that the Sheriff is supposed to notify the Disaster and Emergency Services (DES). The DES then notifies the DEQ. The DEQ would then issue a letter stating there is a violation of the Water Quality Act. The DEQ does have the ability to levy a fine. It is $200 per day. However, unless it is a deliberate act or the party involved refuses to remove the vehicle, they would not issue a fine. I will be checking to see if it is possible to post "What to do if your vehicle goes through the ice" on the Walleyes Unlimited web site.

What I experienced that day in December was terrifying. I hope that by sharing this story, it will encourage others to reconsider their actions on the ice.