Ice conditions bad news for ice fishers, Iowa DNR says

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — Recent warm weather has been bad news for ice fishers.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources chief of fisheries told KCAU 9 that lake ice has been melting rather quickly.

“If you have at least 4 to 6 inches of good, clear ice, you’re probably okay, but I wouldn’t recommend anybody going gout ice fishing right now,” Joe Larscheid said. “Generally, we have a month and a half of ice fishing in Iowa. This year it’s definitely a short season.”

Larscheid said that in general, ice that looks dark is usually too thin to support a person’s weight. he also wanted to remind people that the fish will still be there once it’s open-water season.