# Warning: Use Caution On Houghton Lake!!!



## unregistered55 (Mar 12, 2000)

Hello All!

I posted this thread in the Snowmobile Forum as a caution. Figured that you Ice Fisherman who are or plan on Fishing Houghton Lake would appreciate this information as well.

Just received the following message via e-mail this morning from Pete who owns Sled Heads in Frederick:

Thanks,
-Goosewa

***********************************************
HI,
Two brothers drowned in houghton lake last night and there is open water in spots that arent normally there. I also had a message from a person that has a home there with some info. Be Careful out there. 

Everything I have reported is what I watched on the news. 

Here is another HOUGHTON LAKE WARNING from a reader at houghton lake "The sleds that went in from Thursday thru Saturday night were not at the Muskegon river. I am telling you this because the open water now is in a very odd place. Right off of Long point there is a stretch of water 1/2 mile long and about 100 yards wide. What is bad about this is that no one has ever seen open water there. PLEASE correct your site and place a warning on your updates regarding this. We have a cottage on the lake 
and I saw the open water yesterday. Talked to one of the local fire fighters that was called out on the rescue and he said it is bad. My fear is that with Tip up Town the next two weekends the amount of people in danger is very high. 

So please Warn anyone you see about this problem."

***********************************************


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## percheye (Jan 2, 2003)

Thanks for the information. It may cause someone to think before they go out and do some of that crazy stuff on the ice.
thanks


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## Banditto (Jun 9, 2000)

Scary. We are going there this weekend. 

I am gonna call my buddy who lives on the lake and see what he heard. I will report whatever I find.


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## Banditto (Jun 9, 2000)

Ok. Here is the deal. 

I just got off the phone with my buddy who runs a resort next to Lyman's. 

The open water was a small pressure crack that opened up and buckled with the high winds they had last week. It runs pretty much from the tip of Long Point in the shallows all the way across the lake towards the mouth of the river--almost shore to shore! So it is a BIG hole of open water. 

Word was spreading about the open water but apparently even expert lakers didn't get all the info in time. They were two experienced fishermen who knew the lake very well.


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## Houghton laker (Jan 5, 2002)

Last year at the same location the pressure crack was opened up!! about 4 ft. wide last year...saw many snowmobilers flying right across the open water!!.....A little to crazy for me!!


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

There always seems to be a big pressure ridge right through that area, It always deserves extreme caution.


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## Banditto (Jun 9, 2000)

SNOWMOBILING ON THIN
ICE: Accidents kill 8
Michigan men 

5 drown as cold lures them onto
waterways that weren't frozen 

January 14, 2003

BY TAMARA AUDI
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

A Michigan snowmobile season that began as
disappointing turned tragic with the deaths of eight
men from Thursday to Sunday. 

Five of the men drowned when their sleds crashed
through thin ice across the state. Officials said the
lack of snow and recent cold snap may have lured
those anxious for a ride onto frozen lakes and
rivers. 

The unusual number of deadly accidents came days
before the Tip-Up-Town winter festival that draws
thousands of snowmobilers to Houghton Lake,
where two of the weekend deaths occurred. The
timing prompted state officials to warn snowmobile
riders to stay off the ice and stick to trails. 

Three of four deaths in Grand Traverse County
were in two incidents on Long Lake, about five
miles west of Traverse City. 

By Monday, divers had already pulled the bodies of
Mathew Wyn, 36, and Marty Selby, 58, from Long
Lake in Grand Traverse County. Monday night,
they suspended the search for 32-year-old David
Swanson until Wednesday. Police were searching
Houghton Lake for the bodies of two brothers. The
names of the brothers, ages 24 and 27, were not
released. 

The deadly accidents began Thursday night, when
Wyn and Swanson went through thin ice while
snowmobiling across the 2,800-acre Long Lake.
On Saturday, while divers still searched for
Swanson, Selby, who had taken his snowmobile to
ice fish on the other side of the lake, crashed
through the ice. 

Later that night in Gladwin County, Randy Hair, 47,
of Hope was killed when he slammed into a dock
while riding his snowmobile down the frozen
Tittabawassee River in the dark. 

On Sunday, William Minch of Conklin took a ride
on his birthday along a trail in Grand Traverse
County. He was killed when his snowmobile hit a
tree on Lake Road in Union Township. He had
turned 41 that day. 

On the same day in Shelby Township in Oceana
County, 17-year-old Dennis Bantien of Shelby was
killed when his snowmobile hit a telephone pole. 

Police said drugs or alcohol were not factors in the
deaths of Bantien or Minch. Alcohol or drugs have
not been ruled out as a factor in the other deaths. 

Snowmobile fatalities are not unusual in Michigan,
but the number in one weekend is unusual. So far
this season, there have been 11 fatalities, two in the
Upper Peninsula and nine in the Lower Peninsula,
according to state records. 

At the same time last year, there were 10 fatalities. 

The record number of deaths from snowmobile
accidents was 48 during the 1995-96 snow season.

Last year, there were 33. The state has discouraged
drinking and snowmobiling, which has been a big
problem in the past. 

The start of this season had produced three deaths
before Thursday, according to the Department of
Natural Resources. Law enforcement officials and
those within the snowmobile community were
shocked at the weekend deaths. 

They said a deadly combination of weather
elements: a dry winter in the central and northern
part of the state which kept half the trails in the state
closed, and a cold snap late last week, may have
bolstered the confidence of snowmobilers itching to
ride and believing the lakes were frozen solid. 

"I guess there wasn't enough snow to ride anywhere
else and everyone's anxious to ride," said Tim Laird,
 a DNR conservation officer who tracks snowmobile
accidents. "They're out on the ice and obviously the
ice is not safe yet." 

Lakes like Houghton Lake and Long Lake, which
have attracted snowmobilers for years, both had
unexpected patches of thin ice and open, moving
water that startled even experienced riders familiar
with the areas. 

"There's always dangerous spots on the ice and this
year there just happens to be larger areas of open
water," said Mike Rankin, executive director of the
Houghton Lake Chamber of Commerce. "There's a
large area of ice missing from West Shore to Long
Point, landmarks that people readily identify with.
We don't know why. But the ice is open." 

Rankin, who is readying Houghton Lake for
Tip-Up-Town, said he expects about 50,000
people for the massive winter festival starting this
weekend. Right now, there's not much snow on the
surrounding 200 miles of trails, Rankin said, and
that has community leaders and police worried that
riders will take to the lake. 

"No doubt if the trails do not get good snow the
snowmobilers that go up there will be riding on the
open lake because they'll just want to get some
riding in," said Bill Manson, executive director of the
Michigan Snowmobile Association. "It concerns us.
There will be a lot of people up there. It's going to
be jam-packed." 

With 250,290 registered snowmobiles in the state,
Michigan leads the country in snowmobiling,
according to the National Snowmobile Association.
The state's 6,500 miles of groomed trails also
attract thousands of riders from Ohio, Indiana,
Wisconsin and Minnesota. 

"There are ways to minimize personal risk on the
ice," said Brad Wurfel, state DNR spokesman. He
recommended checking thickness with local
authorities, keeping in mind that ice does not freeze
uniformly over a lake, and wearing a life jacket
while riding. "The bottom line is that ice is never
safe."

Contact TAMARA AUDI at 313-222-6582 or
[email protected]. Thomas BeVier, a
freelance writer based in Traverse City,
contributed to this report.


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## smallies and bucks (Sep 17, 2002)

Banditto, Did you noyice that on the front cover of thr Detroit Free Press that it showed a snowmobile driving on the ice near Fairhaven and in the back groundon the ice it looks like a truck sitting there . I can't believe the ice is already thick enough to support a truck.


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## Chuck1 (Dec 16, 2002)

I was up to houghton last Friday, off the dnr launch on the south shore. Over to the north ,and east there was a spot of open water, maybe only 50x50, but it was snowing, I didn't see it til we were right on top of it lucky I was going slow. Maybe I'm off base but you would think the tip up town people would get out there with some caution tape. It's a cheap ,and easy way to possibly save some lives.


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## Magnet (Mar 2, 2001)

Caution tape doesn't work when you're going faster than your headlight. Maybe they could put some Christmas lights around them? I looked a the arial photos yesterday. Unbelievable!


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## Houghton laker (Jan 5, 2002)

thats were christmas trees come in!! take old trees and drop off along the border!! anchor them down and when the ice thaws you have some more fish shelters!


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## beer and nuts (Jan 2, 2001)

Ready for this one. I just heard today from a guy that the open area is getting bigger and they took the temp of the water and it was 56 degrees, now I don't know the guy..but....sounds like one hell of a rumor to me!!?!?!?


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

Magnet,
Is the aerial photo on the web somewhere? Not the terraserver site is it, because as far as I know those are not current photos. I'd like to look at it. Little help?


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## unregistered55 (Mar 12, 2000)

Ducky,

Here are the aerial photos.

http://www.houghtonlakechamber.org/tip.html

-Don


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

goosewa,
Thanks for the link for the photos. HOLY COW BATMAN! That hole off of Long Point is huge! Now I see what everyone is worried about. Several thousand drunk yahoos running around are bound to find that hole. I'll be prayin' for 'em.


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## bigberniegb (Dec 2, 2001)

With all the technology that we have today can't the Michigan Sherriff Dept. form a serach party . Now a days most fishermen has Aqua-View cameras ,Vexilar -8 or 18 , two way radios and GPS units. With all this at our fingertips couldn't a massive search party be formed to locate the two snowmobilers that went through the ice at Houghton Lake . Tip-up town starts this weekend people are going to enjoy there selves while knowing or not knowing that there are two missing bodies that need to be found so that the family can get some closure.


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## Bucktail Butch (Jan 5, 2003)

bigberniebg,
The thought is good but when you start bringing in untrained people, you just compound the problem and there will be more harm than good, as a result. As far as the search party is concerned, the authorities wouldn't think of suggesting that the volunteers venture out on the thin ice around the edges of the open water and there is no way to safely launch boats. The retrieval (unfortunately,it's past search and rescue) effort is best left to the experts, with as little further risk to the health and safety of all concerned. The best we can do at this point in time is pray for the victims and their families and hope that no more tragedies occur during this busy time.
Butch


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## bigberniegb (Dec 2, 2001)

Mr. Butch T. your right, two wrongs don't make a right . Maybe all people that venture on to a lake or river should be made to wear a PFD at all times. There might be less drownings. I've got to practice what I preach before something happens to me. I had a near accident just this past late fall. I ventured out on to the Black River in Port Huron, I was ok in the creek but I wanted to fish in the main part of the river for any Legal game fish . So what I did wrong I went alone, I did'nt know the river. I slipped on a mossy flat rock. Down and under I go. I'm panicking but the good Lord gives me a flash back and like a time before at Foot Dam I remembered to put my back to the current and it forced me to stand up. The sudden shock of the cold water in my canvas wadders also made me think of hypothermia. I had a mile walk back to my van and I feared for my life. I guess God saved me again. I've got some pay backs to do. Maybe by sportsmen reading this they can learn from my experience and go about in their sports safely. I know this is'nt a religous sight but I'm glad that God saved me and I'm alive. Butch do you know where I can buy a PFD that inflates when it is imersed in water?I heard that these PFD's are light weight and work well.


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## Jigster (Dec 4, 2002)

Seeing the photographs from the air of the giant hole in the ice on Houghton Lake has me wondering. I have spent the last 35 yrs fishing the Lake both summer and winter. I don't remember 
an open section of water to that degree ever. Of course there may have been some around the Cut, Denton Crk, and the mouth of the Muskegon. My take on this (Crazy) as it may seem is that 
when you kill off tons of weeds like happend this spring. And the lake has a current that traveles from E (cut) to W (Muskegon) with a petruding penensula (Long Point) between this just may be tons of weeds on the bottom decomposing like a compost pile.
I'm not sure if this happens under water the same way as in the back yard but this is what hit me late last night while tossing and turning! Just My 2cents


Jigster


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## Gillslayer (Jan 16, 2003)

I fished Houghton the weekend the two snowmobilers went in.
From what I heard, this is how the open water occurred:
There was a large pressure crack in that area. That compounded with fierce winds was the cause. The two sides of the crack collided and the ice broke up.
It was scary, I got 30 yards from in in broad daylight before I noticed.
We were telling locals about it in hopes they would somehow mark it.
I know that is easier said than done, but I thought they could have put out some
reflectors or something. Just my 2 cents.
Gillslayer


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## Banditto (Jun 9, 2000)

Jigster may have something there. Funny how it happened after the association and city defoliated the lake last summer.


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## Houghton laker (Jan 5, 2002)

Now you can't find a weed in the lake!..Like Magnet said " now the lake Association is in need of money to plant weeds!!" LOL


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## patcheroo (Jan 3, 2003)

I agree with you Jigster. Those gasses have to go somewhere...Patch


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## Guest (Jan 25, 2003)

A GUUY I WORK WITH HAS A CABIN ON HOUGHTON,HE JUST GOT BACK TODAY AND SAID THE OPEN WATER IS 2MILES LONG,NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE.THEY ARE THINKING IT IS THE MILAFOIL THEY KILLED OFF,LIKE YOU SAID JUST LIKE A PILE OF COMPOST.THE HEAT FROM ALL THE WEEDS HAS TO SOMEWHERE,ALSO HE SAID THE WATER IN THAT SPOT WAS 36 DEGREES.TRUE OR NOT IT'S WHAT I HEARD.THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE WITH ALL YOU.


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## Banditto (Jun 9, 2000)

So far they have had 5 people go through and die this year. This is a bad year for HL ice. I feel bad for them. 

Maybe they should spray bright red biodegradable die on the ice to give some indication people are near open water. I can't believe with all the news coverage people keep going through...


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## Jigster (Dec 4, 2002)

I just got back last night (Monday 27th). I had to have a look at this thing myself. As I stated in my last post I have LOTS of experience on Houghton both winter and summer. With the 
the serious low temps these past weeks there is no reason for a "pressure crack" to stay open that long! I'm sticking with my first reaction and say it's the rotting millfoil that drifted to that area. One would think that the biologists that oversaw the weedkill would have had some knowledge about what "could"
happen and maybe pre-warned the DNR and Lake association
on the "possability" of large open water this winter. Seeing that Houghton Lake does play host to one of the largest winter events (TUT) in North America. I know that snowmobiling on ice or anywhere for that matter is at your own risk. But as we all know sometimes common sense is Not the guiding light. I am really considering getting out the drift tube and neoprene waders and going in for some tests of my own! Of course I would have folks ready to pull me back in if trouble arose. This would at least provide some comic relief in an otherwise dismal situation.

Jigster


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