Lakes freezing over, not yet ready for fishing

Clear Lake was officially declared iced in by the Clear Lake Water Department on Monday, two weeks earlier than normal, but the 1-1/4 inches of ice is far from ready to be invaded by hundreds of ice anglers.

     Fisheries biologist Scott Grummer said the extended forecast for north Iowa predicts only a handful of days above freezing during the next two weeks so ice fishing will likely begin early this year.

     “I expect to see anglers start checking some of the smaller lakes but they should be cautious and cut a lot of test holes when going out,” Grummer said.

     The DNR recommends a minimum of four inches of ice for fishing and a minimum of five inches of ice for ATVs or snowmobiles.