lake bubblers, entitled people

[grumpygeezer]

I want to know how how people feel about certain persons operating lake bubblers near lake Simcoe access points. Are they entitled to do so?..does is break any regulations? Are they doing it to harasses people trying to deploy from certain access points? I am aware of one such person at the access to the lake at the bottom of the 9th line. I guess he is special? Entitled? I want to know your thoughts.

[Flukes]

There are lots of people up in Muskoka using bubblers and as I understand it, they are trying to prevent their boathouses, docks, etc. from getting damaged by the ice. If someone is using it on purpose to break up access point ice, well, then that's just nasty. I don't know anyone that does this on purpose though. Not sure of legalities. Everyone that I have seen with a bubbler also usually has an "open water" caution sign on their docks, boathouses, etc.

[dagoat_1]

Have a running bubbler for many many years. This is to protect my dock from ice. Properly signed with appropriate strobe lights for the sledders its perfectly legal and for many nessessary.

[Live_To_Fish]

I'm neither for or against bubblers, but if I had to put in my two cents on the whole conversation, they're a stupid waste of time and money in my opinion. Sure it's preventing any ice build up around your dock, which, in turn, sure saves your dock from ice, but what about the entire lake surface of 744²km's. When all that ice starts to melt, breaks free and starts floating, it doesn't matter how many bubblers you have, that ice is going wherever it wants, and nothing is going to stop it. As for certain owners doing it on purpose to discourage snowmobiling around their area, I'm sure there have to be some regulations against preventing people from accessing public water due to your own arrogance.

[Disco]

Bubblers are just stupid.
They cause unnecessary hazards. It is a natural cycle for our local environment for lakes to freeze and thaw. Being so selfish as to stop this process on a publicly owned body of water is ridiculous. People managed docks for decades long before bubblers were used for keeping ice from forming.

Shifting ice masses are what damage docks as Fish to live said. No amount of bubble can stop a wind blown mass of ice.

[moose1948]

My dock is on wheel pull it out in the fall put it back in the spring problem solve.

[Flukes]

Love those things. But alot of bubblers up here are for those large boathouses (not just docks)...I don't know of any that can be pulled out like that....that would be really, really cool to see (and I am sure cost a ton). I have to agree that most damage (on large lakes) is done by large ice masses being pushed around by wind....those ice shoves are sometimes insane and no bubbler or even stone/concrete walls will stop large ice shoves. It would be like using bug repellent to ward off a cougar. There are smaller lakes and more sheltered areas where bubblers may be helpful but then again, if there isn't much wind and massive ice movements anyways on a small lake or sheltered bay, would there be any damage beyond the normal freeze/thaw?

[Drew]

To be clear, I dislike them myself. But I’m sure it saves docks/boathouses otherwise no one would use them. Not only giant shoves but surely just ice freezing and gripping legs/cribs etc. will move them. Take a pail, fill it and let it freeze solid. There’s a good chance it’ll bust around the seem and leak now once thawed. Ice expands and contracts. They lower lake levels mid-late February around Muskoka to prepare for spring thaw/runoff/meltdown. I’ve seen large chunks and slabs weighing thousands of pounds leaning angled up onto shore/rocks/islands, etc….image if that’s all around your piers when it goes down.

I don’t own waterfront and probably never will, (come’on lotto max) but I get it, at least around Muskoka. On a counter note, anyone making an opening in the ice (sight fishing holes included) is legally responsible for anyone who falls in/gets hurt there. So boathouse bubblers need to be used appropriately and not to excess, making a giant opening dozens of feet around a structure, which I’ve seen a bunch too. Signage, lights, etc.

[Flukes]

True about the freeze/thaw. That will cause damage too and would be useful for a place where ice shoves tend not to happen otherwise, the investment into a bubbler is short-term thinking if/when an ice shove happens. Smaller lakes or protected areas make sense. Large lakes with long fetches and facing northwest...a bubbler seems an added expense for something that has a high chance of getting damaged each spring.
Same here about water-front...unless it's like a Lotto Max prize, I'm okay not having waterfront and all the huge property taxes that some pay for it in Muskoka and there are lots of other issues too (from talking with our water-front owning neighbours).

[Whynot]

Bubblers help with ice, for sure, but they are also greatly reduce weed and algae growth.

Safety? In my opinion, if you're that close to a dock/boathouse you're too close. Good on people for putting up lights and warnings, but in general you'd need to be within a few feet or yards of a bubbler to be in danger of going through a hole, why would you be sledding that close to structures anyway?

[Fishing Rod]

Does this include the guy that had the water fountain on Simcoe?