For Indiana ice fishermen and fishable ice, December and early January can be described as “ecstasy” and “agony” or here today and gone tomorrow.  Safe, fishable ice has been like a yo-yo with the great fluctuations in temperatures.  First with the Arctic blast in December, there was good fishable ice across almost all of the Hoosier State. Then, record warmth rolled in to completely melt any and all ice.  Diehard fishermen determined to wet a line resorted to bank or boat fishing.  And, the temperature ups and downs continue.

Indiana Conservation Officers want to remind Hoosiers to be careful as they begin to participate in activities such as ice fishing, ice skating, or snowmobiling. 

Here are a few tips to remember when considering standing on or walking on a frozen body of water:

 Assume no ice is safe ice.

 Test the thickness of the ice with an ice auger. At least 4 inches is recommended for ice fishing; 5 inches is recommended for snowmobiling.

If you don’t know the thickness of the ice, don’t go out on it.

Wear a life jacket or flotation coat.

 Carry ice picks and rope gear.

Before going on the ice, leave a note of your whereabouts with a friend or family member.

Don’t test the thickness of the ice while alone.

Wearing a life jacket is especially important when on ice. If you fall through, a life jacket will keep your head above the water until help arrives.

Remember a new coating of snow, while perhaps beautiful, can make for treacherous ice conditions. Snow can serve as insulation, causing water to freeze at a slower rate. When snow and rain freeze into ice, it is not as strong as solid, clear ice.

Another potentially dangerous situation is when you see a pet or other animal in distress on the ice. If this happens, do not go after the animal. Instead, contact local emergency response personnel, who are equipped to make a rescue.

A few more tips:

Some bodies of water may appear to be frozen solid but still have thin ice in several unexpected areas.

Avoid flowing water, such as rivers and streams, when covered by a layer of ice.

 Similarly, water surrounded by sand may freeze with inconsistencies in the thickness of the ice.

Underground springs, wind, waterfowl, and other animals can also keep areas of ice thin. 

Enjoy the winter weather but make safety a priority.

Wintertime Smallmouth Bass Fishing

Don’t let colder days fool you into hanging up your fishing rods. The winter months still offer great opportunities to catch smallmouth bass.

When the water temperatures drop, the metabolism of smallmouth slows down, and the fish head for deeper water with slow current to spend the winter. To target them, get out on your favorite river and search for slow, deep water (somewhere in the 15-foot range). Dark colored jigs or Texas-style worm soft baits can be used to target them. Smallmouth bass usually winter in schools, so if you find one, there’s a good chance more are close by.

To find a good river for targeting smallmouth bass, check out the fisheries department online Where to Fish map.

It’s Always A good Time To Donate

Whether it’s Giving Tuesday, a regular Tuesday, or any other day, Indiana’s rare and endangered species benefit from donations.

The past year, generous donors to the Indiana Nongame Wildlife Fund provided critical funding for projects protecting some of our state’s rarest species. Projects included rearing and releasing more than 900 state-endangered crawfish frogs, partnering with the National Parks Service to improve freshwater mussel populations, researching recently released Franklin’s ground squirrels, and surveying rare bird and bat populations. The projects are a small sample of what a gift to the Nongame Wildlife Fund supports.

For every $50 donated, Indiana receives $143 for conservation thanks to federal grants. Generous donors like you make our efforts to protect Indiana’s biodiversity possible. Contribute today by donating to the Indiana Nongame Wildlife Fund.

‘till next time,  

Jack

Readers can contact the author by writing to this publication or e-mail Jack at jackspaulding1971@outlook.com 

Spaulding’s books, “The Best Of Spaulding Outdoors” and “The Coon Hunter And The Kid” are available from Amazon.com as a paperback or Kindle download.