Although it may be hard to believe, ice fishermen do enjoy a cold drink or two while they're sitting outside in the winter. The DipStick was designed for such anglers, as it keeps those beverages chilled – but not frozen – in the lake water under the ice.
Basically just a big telescoping plastic tube with a disc on top, the device was invented by Canadian ice fisherman Adam Butler. His friend Jerred Williams helped in its development.
Users start by drilling a hole in the ice with their auger, just like they usually would. The DipStick is then extended out to its full length and stuck down into the lake water, through that hole – the disc keeps the top of the tube flush with the surface of the ice.
Up to 12 canned drinks are then placed in the DipStick, all of them forming a floating column within it. When users pull the top can out, the one beneath it just pops up in its place. And because the liquid water beneath the ice is slightly above 0 ºC (32 ºF), it keeps the drinks cold without freezing them.
A second hole does subsequently have to be drilled, of course, in order to do the actual ice fishing.
The DipStick has been available in several Western Canadian stores for the past few years, and has recently been picked up by some US retailers. It can be ordered via the first link below, and is priced at CAD$49.95 (about US$38). It should be noted that Butler and company are currently out of stock, but expect to begin filling back-orders at the end of January.
You can see the device in use, in the following video.
Source: The DipStick via CBC
