Wyoming
Wyoming Fisherman Camped On Ice Wakes Up To Find He Drifted Away After Ice Broke
A man camped on the ice on Ocean Lake in Fremont County woke up stranded hundreds of yards from shore early Saturday after the ice broke up overnight.
“The funny thing is, I got there in the morning, and he didn’t even know he’d floated away. I called him and I was like, ‘Dude, you floated away,’” Jake David of Riverton told Cowboy State Daily.
Something Felt Wrong
David and the other man were camped out in their ice fishing tents. But David said he left the night before because “it felt weird out there.”
He’s glad he did.
“What happened was, the ice cracked overnight” and his friend ended up with about 300 yards of open water between the camp and shore, David said.
“And the funny thing was, the ice was really thick. It seemed OK,” David said.
He identified his friend as “Zack.”
Riverton Search and Rescue brought the man back to shore. His name wasn’t released, and he couldn’t be reached for comment.
Decided It Was Time To Leave
David and his friend are experienced at ice fishing. One of their favorite spots is Ocean Lake, west of Riverton. They sometimes stay overnight on the ice, maximizing their chances at snagging lunkers.
But late Friday, David said he got a foreboding feeling and opted out of pulling an all-nighter.
He said Zack “was still hauling in the fish” when he left to hike back across the ice to his pickup.
When he arrived at shore, he noticed he was quite a way from his pickup, even though it should have been a straight walk back from the ice camp.
“I didn’t think too much of it. I thought well, maybe I’d gotten off track because it was dark,” David said.
Looking back, he wonders if it wasn’t because the ice had already shifted.
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An ice fisherman camping on Ocean Lake in Fremont County was stranded after a section of ice broke off, leaving him hundreds of yards from shore. He was rescued early Saturday. (Courtesy Jake David)
‘How Are We Going To Get Out There?
David and his son returned the next morning and were shocked by what they saw.
“My son looked out at the tent, out across all that open water and said, ‘Ummm, how are we supposed to get out there?’” he said.
Fortunately, Ocean Lake is also popular for waterfowl hunting, and some duck hunters happened to be there, with a boat.
The duck hunters helped haul fishing poles and other gear back to shore. And then Riverton Search and Rescue showed up with more watercraft.
They retrieved Zack and the rest of the fishing gear, and David said he’s “thankful that all my gear didn’t end up at the bottom of the lake.”
But he’s far more thankful that Zack didn’t come to any harm, despite having a weird, harsh awakening that morning.
David said things could have ended far worse than they did – had the ice broken up enough to plunge Zack’s tent into the water.
“I hope this serves as a reminder for everybody to be safe out there,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
The 2026 postseason has arrived for Wyoming High School boys’ basketball teams in Class 3A and 4A. They participate in regional tournaments from Thursday through Saturday. The regionals will be in Buffalo, Evanston, Gillette, and Lovell. Three sites will use the format: two wins qualify a team for the state tournament next week in Casper, or two losses eliminate a team. The 4A East Region has three loser-out first-round games on Thursday, followed by two days of games for seeding. The 4A East Regular Season champ draws a first-round bye and has qualified for the state tournament.
WYOPREPS 3A-4A BOYS BASKETBALL REGIONAL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULES
Except in the 4A East Regional, Friday starts with elimination games. The regional semifinals are on Friday night. The final seeds for next week’s state tournament will be determined on Saturday. The schedules below for this weekend are based on the brackets sent to WyoPreps. It is subject to change.
THURSDAY, MARCH 5:
Final Score: (3) Pinedale 58 (6) Mountain View 40
Final Score: (2) Cody 58 (7) Powell 46
Final Score: (1) Lovell 75 (8) Lyman 43
Final Score: (4) Lander 65 (5) Worland 40
FRIDAY, MARCH 6:
Game 5: Mountain View vs. Powell, noon – loser out
Game 6: Lyman vs. Worland, 1:30 p.m. – loser out
Game 7: Pinedale vs. Cody, 6 p.m. – semifinal
Game 8: Lovell vs. Lander, 7:30 p.m. – semifinal
SATURDAY, MARCH 7:
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8, 11 a.m. – loser out
Game 10: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7, 11 a.m. – loser out (at LMS)
Game 11: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, 5 p.m. – 3rd Place Game
Game 12: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 2 p.m. – Championship Game
THURSDAY, MARCH 5:
Final Score: (3) Douglas 85 (6) Rawlins 50
Final Score: (2) Wheatland 57 (7) Burns 40
Final Score: (5) Torrington 35 (4) Newcastle 28
Final Score: (1) Buffalo 69 (8) Glenrock 44
FRIDAY, MARCH 6:
Game 5: Rawlins vs. Burns, noon – loser out
Game 6: Newcastle vs. Glenrock, 1:30 p.m. – loser out
Game 7: Douglas vs. Wheatland, 6 p.m. – semifinal
Game 8: Torrington vs. Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. – semifinal
SATURDAY, MARCH 7:
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8, noon – loser out
Game 10: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7, 1:30 p.m. – loser out
Game 11: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, 7:30 p.m. – 3rd Place Game (if necessary)
Game 12: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 4:30 p.m. – Championship Game
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THURSDAY, MARCH 5:
Final Score: (NW-3) Kelly Walsh 64 (SW-2) Riverton 49
Final Score: (NW-1) Natrona County 77 (SW-4) Jackson 23
Final Score: (NW-2) Green River 50 (SW-3) Evanston 40
Final Score: (SW-1) Star Valley 62 (NW-4) Rock Springs 60 – Erickson makes a turnaround jumper at the buzzer off an offensive rebound for the Braves.
FRIDAY, MARCH 6:
Game 5: Riverton vs. Jackson, noon – loser out
Game 6: Evanston vs. Rock Springs, 1:30 p.m. – loser out
Game 7: Kelly Walsh vs. Natrona County, 6:30 p.m. – semifinal
Game 8: Green River vs. Star Valley, 8 p.m. – semifinal
SATURDAY, MARCH 7:
Game 10: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7, 11:30 a.m. – loser out
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8, 1 p.m. – loser out
Game 11: Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 11, 4:30 p.m. – 3rd Place Game (at EMS)
Game 12: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 4:30 p.m. – Championship Game
THURSDAY, MARCH 5:
Game 1: (1) Sheridan = Bye
Final Score: (2) Cheyenne Central 75 (7) Cheyenne South 35 – Bison are eliminated
Final Score: (3) Thunder Basin 75 (6) Laramie 59 – Plainsmen are eliminated; Bolts qualify for state
Final Score: (4) Campbell County 59 (5) Cheyenne East 39 – loser out; Thunderbirds are eliminated; Camels qualify for state.
FRIDAY, MARCH 6:
Game 6: Cheyenne Central vs. Thunder Basin, 4:30 p.m. – semifinal
Game 5: Sheridan vs. Campbell County, 7:30 p.m. – semifinal
SATURDAY, MARCH 7:
Game 7: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 11:30 a.m. – 3rd Place Game
Game 8: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 2:30 p.m. – Championship Game
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Photos from game action at the James Johnson Winter Showcase tournament in Cheyenne.
Gallery Credit: Courtesy: Shannon Dutcher
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