February fishing freezes scouts
A mild snowstorm didn’t keep scouts from Boy Scouts of America Troop 1 from enjoying a day of ice fishing at Hyrum Dam, despite not catching any fish.
Scouts from the troop met at Hyrum Dam to be greeted by Lee Gyllenskog who is a ranger at the dam. Gyllenskog and Ranger Floyd Powell briefed scouts on ice safety. The lesson on safety was to help the scouts understand that while ice fishing is safe, there are still risks involved.
Scouts in attendance were shown different items that are used to keep them safe on the ice. There are ice-measuring tools, bear claws, crampons and other items to help. The biggest thing that was stressed to the scouts was using the buddy system. The scouts were told they have the buddy to make sure they are safe and have someone there to help rescue them if needed.
The ice at Hyrum Dam is anywhere from 8 to 13 inches thick in places. This allows people to stay safe on the ice. The minimum thickness of ice that is allowed for people to travel on is four inches. The ice is thick enough at the dam for those going on the ice to use ATVs and snowmobiles on the ice.
When the scouts took to the ice, Troop 1 scoutmaster John Matson showed them how to drill into the ice with an auger. The auger is used to make a hole in the ice that is 8 inches in diameter. Each scout drilled their own hole with the auger to try their luck at catching a fish.
Hyrum dam has four species of fish – yellow perch, rainbow trout, bluegill and largemouth bass. Although there are four kinds of fish to catch, nobody from Troop 1 caught a fish. Even though the scouts weren’t successful in catching any fish, Gyllenskog treated them all to fried fish nuggets for lunch.
-jzsiray@cc.usu.edu
Eagle Scout Ryan Parkinson demonstrates how to use an ice auger to Dan Hogan and Brian Abbott. Ice augers are used to drill holes into the ice with a sharp blade. The holes are 8 inches in diameter. (Photo by John Zsiray)
Ranger Lee Gyllenskog demonstrates how to use “bear claws” to the Troop 1 scouts from Logan at Hyrum Dam. Bear claws are worn around the neck in case the ice fisher falls through the ice. (Photo by John Zsiray)
Ranger Floyd Powel teaches the scouts about ice safety, explaining what the different signs placed on the boat ramp mean. He also instructed the scouts about the buddy system – always staying with at least one other person. (Photo by John Zsiray)