Northwest Iowa — No ice on a body of water is 100 percent safe — for any use. That’s the advice from Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Jeff Morrison, from the Spirit Lake area.
He says while many people are venturing out on the ice in northwest Iowa for fishing and recreation, there is always some degree of risk.
Morrison says that people need to check the ice thickness before venturing out, and he tells us how to do that.
He says he doesn’t believe in being the first one on the ice to try something.
Officer Morrison says people need to remember that weather changes ice conditions, and it doesn’t always do what you think. He tells us about the recent warm-up.
Morrision says when you go out on the ice, there are some things you should have with you. He suggests a personal flotation device of some kind, such as a life jacket. He says some insulated ice fishing suits are now being made with flotation devices in them. He says you should also have ice picks or ice awls — basically two handles, each with a spike, usually tied together with a string — for pulling yourself out of the water and back up on the ice.
He says that if you do fall through and into the icy water, remember to turn around and go back the way you came — because you at least know that ice was strong enough to hold you.
For more information, you can call your local DNR office or conservation officer.
