What has been happening on lakes throughout the state this winter is certainly different from anything encountered in recent memory. The fact is, we could very well see one of the earliest ice break-ups, if not the earliest, in modern history. By modern history, I mean what most people can remember or have been told by their eldest family members.

We have had numerous daytime temperature highs well above our long-term average and very few sub-zero nights that are particularly critical to making a solid ice pack on state lakes. The result has been an ice cover on most lakes that is substantially less than what can normally be expected to occur.

The “rules” of ice safety say that four inches of “good” ice will support an individual. I’ve always thought that odd because people come in all ages and sizes. There is a difference between a 275-pound man and a 75 pound child, so there’s a lot of leeway here in deciding when ice is safe to walk on.

Those same rules say 6 inches of good ice will support a snowmobile or ATV, 8-12 inches a small pickup and 12-15 inches of good ice a medium pickup. Many people like to double those figures. While the determination of good ice must be left up to the individual, driving on the ice is another matter entirely. That is particularly true in this day and age of large pickups and the ever increasing popularity of comfortable, some would even say plush, ice houses.

I don’t think there’s very many ice fishermen who would trust their safety to 12 inches of ice while using a heavy tow vehicle to pull an expensive ice house onto a lake. I know that it is done at times, but it always amazes me. I’ve seen many instances of vehicles, or vehicles pulling ice houses, plunge through weak patches of ice.

Fishermen who frequent certain lakes come to know the usual danger areas and avoid them. They also have learned the best avenues of travel on favorite lakes, always aware that ice conditions can change at any time. It is often ice fishermen new to an area that run into trouble. This year, though, the ice troubles may be just beginning.

Lake Darling has a substantial amount of open water, crazy stuff for February, but this is a very unusual winter. Almost all permanent-style ice houses have been removed from Lake Darling and many other lakes. That means even avid ice fishermen know when not to push their luck.

What ice anglers are facing this year is that there is an increasing possibility that this winter’s hard water season will become one of the shortest they’ve ever experienced. Even if a cold snap in the days ahead should occur, one that might cause open water to freeze and some ice packs to expand, it won’t necessarily mean that ice will become safer. The opposite could be true.

Expansion and contraction of ice due to warm and cold temperature fluctuations will create numerous weak spots in areas where ice was considered safe earlier this winter. None of this will stop ice fishermen from trying their luck, but they will do so with an abundance of caution. That’s a good thing. It’s much better to be safe than looking up at a hole in the ice, a very chilling alternative.