Reminder: North Dakota Loves To Ice Fish But It’s Too Early

I don't even know what to say about this one.  You may remember late last week we had some nights drop below freezing here in North Dakota, Minnesota, and even Wisconsin.  That may have put a little ice on a pond or two but everybody understands it's way too early to go ice fishing right?

Nope, that wasn't the case for one drunken Sconnie.  A man in Wisconsin decided to not only try ice fishing after a cold night on an area lake but thought it would be okay to drive a truck and fish house onto the lake as well.  Are you kidding me?

The Barron County Sheriff Department in Wisconsin issued a statement on their Facebook page and said alcohol was involved.  Thankfully, the fisherman is alive to tell about it and he was not hurt.  I'm guessing his ego is.  Here's the photo again and their Facebook post.  YIKES.

Every year in North Dakota we have a rash of people going through the ice early in the season.  Most of the time you find that in mid-November when area lakes begin to freeze.  Some years are worse than others depending on how much snow we receive.

In general, the North Dakota Game & Fish offers these tips for when ice is safe in the state, and keep in mind, no ice is ever completely safe.  If the ice is 2 inches or less, stay off.  Something that our friend in Wisconsin should've known.  4 inches of ice you can fish by walking out to your spot, but caution is advised.  6 inches of ice you can use a snowmobile to get around.  You will need a foot or more of ice to drive a pick-up truck onto a lake.

My suggestion, curb your enthusiasm for ice fishing for a bit and enjoy the fall.  The lakes will freeze soon enough.  Better yet, use your boat.  There's still time.