(Lewis) The cold weather may feel miserable to many, but for others—especially ice fishermen—it’s a welcome change. John Lorenzen, Fisheries Biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says the recent cold has thickened the ice on many of the area’s lakes and ponds to 4-5 inches. Lorenzen warns that not all ice is even.
Lorenzen says, for example, Lake Anita has a solid five inches of ice, except for an open spot by the beech kept open by the waterfowl on the lake. Lorenzen says stay safe and check the ice as you go. The DNR recommends a minimum of 4″ for ice fishing, 5″ for snowmobiles or atvs, 8″ to 12″ for cars or small pickups, and 12″ to 15″ for medium trucks.
As far as reports, Lorenzen says not many people have made it out to the lakes just yet, but he did get a report from Prairie Ros,e where people caught a fair number of Bluegill. He says the closer they fished to the brush piles, the more bass and smaller fish they caught.
Lorenzen says if you get out ice fishing, feel free to call the Cold Springs Park Office to provide a report or fill out an online report on the Iowa DNR website.
