Many anglers have already tried their luck with ice fishing, but as the weather warms up it’s important to know when it’s safe.
Lyman’s Sports Shop in Houghton Lake says it’s important to observe the ice carefully as snow drifts can hide cracks on the ice. They recommend using a spud tool to measure the thickness of the ice beneath them.
They advise striking the ice three or four times and if it doesn’t go through, there is a good chance there will be three or four inches of ice.
In an event of an emergency, they say that it’s important to carry an ice pick to help pull yourself up out of the water.
“If you do fall through and go all the way under and you can’t catch yourself. Just look up and find the light coming through the ice. That’s your that’s your best bet of getting out after that,” Alex Tooker, an angler, said. “I fell through last year, but I was only in waist deep water. So it wasn’t it wasn’t anything bad. It was shocked when I was trying to get out.
I’d go to put my weight on the next chunk ice, and it just kept breaking until I got to shore.”
They also advise all anglers to use an auger to drill through the ice creating a safe fishing spot.
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