http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090209/NEWS16/902090339
“Fishermen who had gained access to the area earlier in the day by using a wooden plank to cross a crack in the ice were stranded when the crack widened.”
I would think the Crack would have been a red flag for them.
Eric
Maybe they had planned to use the wooden plank as a big paddle, but an 8-square mile chunk of ice was just too much to move?
Maybe they were trying to start “The Little Island Nation”?
Man do I miss the Great Lakes! For those who have never seen them the words “inland freshwater seas” would be more fitting of them. This happens all the time during the ice fishing season on the lakes. Not to excuse negligence on the part of these folks but it is not unusual for fishermen and fisherladies to be trapped on ice that has suddenly set adrift. Did you happen to note the size of that chunk of ice? 8 square miles! Some flows show no signs of breakup. They just do it without warning. In this case they made the unwise decision to ignore the warning signs.
A prayer will be said in thanks for the safe return of most and for the family of the gent who passed away.
You haven’t fished until you have caught walleye and perch through the ice of one of our Great Lakes.