(La Porte County, IN) - Ice fishermen have begun emerging on the fresh ice that just developed for the first time on inland lakes this season.

 

Tony Childress, of Chief’s Bait Shop along U.S. 12 in Michigan City, said people just started fishing on the ice that's emerged on bodies of water such as Pine Lake and Stone Lake in La Porte.

 

“They’re coming in and buying bait,” he said.

 

The lakes began freezing over after frigid air moved in late this past weekend following the unseasonably warm start to the season. On Wednesday, there were reports of four inches of clear ice on some of the inland waters.

 

Indiana Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Tyler Brock said at least four inches of good clear ice is what’s recommended to safely be on. However, they noted that people need to exercise caution because the ice on a lake can be thinner in certain spots. People also should drill holes in the ice as they move to different locations on a lake to make sure it’s thick enough along the way.

 

Brock said fishermen should also wear a life jacket to hold in body heat and stay afloat should the ice give way under their feet, and also have an ice pick to pull themselves out of the water.

 

The ice might not be here long because of a return to above-freezing temperatures in the forecast beginning early next week.

 

More heavy snow is also predicted, to which end Brock explained how several inches of white powder can make ice unstable because of the insulating effect snow has from absorbing warmth from the sun.

 

“It can kind of create a slushy environment. Then that slush freezes, and it’s really not as hard of an ice or as solid,” he said.