I Doubt Any of Us Asked for It, But...

Conditions like what you see in this photo (courtesy of Charlie Bruggemann) seemingly are becoming the norm around here this winter. And if the weather forecast I saw a bit earlier proves to be true, I think that a lot of you eventually will agree with me--if you don't already.

In case I haven't made it abundantly clear at some point in the past, let me assure you that I hate this kind of weather with a passion. As if it wasn't bad enough growing up with doses of this miserable stuff in those Kansas winters, the Navy saw fit to station me in Adak, Alaska, for about a year and a half. Anytime I hear someone talking about how nice snow is, I have to bite my tongue and/or just walk away.

That being said, I thought perhaps an article about icy boat ramps might be in order, because there's always someone intent on fishing or hunting, regardless of what the weather conditions are like. One case I read about involved a couple of guys who got a late start one winter morning, and by the time they arrived at the ramp, it was covered by a coating of ice from the other boats that had launched ahead of them. Before the guy behind the wheel of the tow vehicle even could get lined up right, its tires lost traction on the slick ramp. All he could do was watch helplessly as the vehicle began a slow-motion, out-of-control slide, which ended with the vehicle hitting the dock, then jackknifing. Fortunately, the vehicle had 4-wheel drive, and the fella was able to pull the rig out of this predicament but not without damage to the boat, trailer and tow vehicle.

So how do you combat conditions like this? According to some veterans of notoriously harsh climates, they carry a bag of salt around with them to launch sites during the winter. They first walk down the ramp to see if it's slick, and if it is, they throw down some of the salt before launching. Others routinely carry a little sand or tire chains with them in winter, and still others don't leave home without a shovel, pry bar, and maybe even a sledgehammer in their vehicle. One other solution that often comes in handy is a tow strap or long rope, so that, if necessary, someone else can hook up and pull you off a slick ramp.

The considerate thing for everyone to do this time of year is to pull off the ramp very slowly after launching, so that water from your trailer doesn't drip all over the ramp and create hazardous conditions in the first place. As anyone who spends much time around launch ramps knows, though, there are a number of people who seemingly don't care how much they inconvenience others. Their only concern is themselves.