Ice Anglers Take Care

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Ice fishing turns angling into a year-round sport. But ice fishing as winter turns to spring is not always safe.

In changing conditions, the safest ice anglers are those who are particular about their ice and who like to fish on familiar waters. Dressing properly for the weather, in flexible layers, is important as is a basic knowledge of ice safety and ice rescue.

Here is a safety checklist for ice anglers:

* Check out ice conditions before you go. Ask other anglers or local sources and take into account changes in the weather during the past 24 hours.

* Before you head from home, tell someone where you plan to fish and when you plan to return.

* Carry a pair of long spikes on a heavy string around your neck. That way, if you break through the ice, you can use the spikes to grip the ice and pull yourself out of the water.

* Blue ice is usually hard. Watch out for opaque, gray, dark or porous spots in the ice that could be weak, soft areas. Ice also tends to thin more quickly at the shorelines.

* Watch for pressure ridges. These are areas of open water or thin ice where the ice has cracked and heaved due to expansion from freezing.

* Test the ice ahead of you with an ice spud bar or an auger.

* Take basic ice safety and rescue training and know the basics about hypothermia before venturing out on ice, especially if you plan to fish with youngsters.

* Don’t leave children unsupervised on the ice.

* Don’t forget that lakes and ponds do not freeze at the same thickness all over.

* Don’t forget that moving water--rivers, streams and springs—weaken ice by wearing it away from underneath. Avoid ice on rivers and streams, or where a river or stream enters a lake, pond or reservoir.

* Don’t forget that unsafe ice usually occurs early and late in the season, when the weather is warmer.