Best Ice Fishing Safety Picks of 2026

For most people, the Frabill Deluxe Retractable Ice Picks. The points sit behind a retractable guard, so they are safe to wear all day, the cord stretches to 72 inches, and they have 4.7 stars from 2,188 Amazon ratings, far more than any other pair here. If you are tall or want a whistle in the same box, the Huntury or SF picks list a longer cord and include one.

Around your neck and over your outer layer, or with the cord threaded through both sleeves of your jacket so a handle sits at each wrist. Frabill's listing describes the sleeve method: hold one handle in each hand, then put the jacket on. Either way they have to be on you, outside your clothes, before you step onto the ice. Picks in a pocket or a bucket are too slow to reach once you are in the water.

First, get your breathing under control. The gasping from cold water lasts about a minute, so keep your head up and wait it out. Then turn back toward the way you came, since that ice held you. Grab a pick in each hand, reach out and drive them into the ice, and kick your legs behind you to get your body flat. Pull with the picks and kick until you slide out. Then roll away from the hole and do not stand up until you are back on ice you know is solid.

They are no better at gripping ice. They are better at getting worn. The guard keeps the point covered until you press it into ice, so you can hang retractable picks on your chest without poking yourself or your jacket. Open-spike picks work the same way in the water and cost about the same, but a bare point is the main reason picks get left in the bag.

The common guideline, published by state agencies like the Minnesota DNR, is at least 4 inches of clear, solid new ice for walking and fishing on foot. White or cloudy ice is weaker, ice near inlets, current and pressure ridges is unreliable, and thickness changes across one lake. Check it yourself with an auger or spud as you go, and wear picks even when the ice seems good.

If you fish with someone else, one rope between you is cheap insurance. A person who falls in needs help from a distance, and walking up to the broken edge to grab them puts a second person in the water. A throw bag like the Goglobe holds 60 feet of floating rope that you can toss from solid ice and pull back in.