“It sure is,” Canfield said. “It’s beautiful out.”
Canfield left his Blaine home for some ice-fishing and tranquility on a 40 plus degree day at Peltier Lake in Centerville.
“I just love being out,” Canfield said. “I love fishing. There’s nothing better than this. It’s different. A lot of people don’t get to do this or don’t want to.”
Michael Lerchen of the Minnesota DNR spent part of his day checking ice thickness on the lake.
“Generally speaking the lakes that I’m looking at have anywhere between five to eight inches,” Lerchen said. “There’s definitely fishable ice on these metro lakes.”
A frigid cold snap earlier this month followed by mild temps, produced some weather whiplash in the North Metro. The ice at Peltier was thick enough to walk on but Lerchen wants everyone to know that ice is never 100 percent safe.
“I was checking a lake last week and happened to fall in somebody’s spud hole,” Lerchen said. “It was covered up with snow and the wind was blowing. I couldn’t tell it was there but I happened to step in. Got wet all the way up to my head. It’s never completely safe. You never know when there’s underwater springs on some of these lakes. That creates soft spots. Then with the snow it creates an illusion of safety. It looks like the whole lake froze over but in one spot it could be eight and in another spot it could be two inches.
Ice thickness recomendations
The DNR recommends 5-7 inches of ice for a snowmobile, 7 to 8 for ATV’s, 9-12 for cars, 13-17 for trucks and 20 inches or more for a truck pulling an ice house. Lerchen says this is not the time to be driving any kind of vehicle onto a frozen lake.
“I would not,” Lerchen said. “We’re not anywhere close to that point. The DNR puts out ice suggestions and what kind of vehicles should go out with certain amounts of ice – with six, seven, eight inches we’re not anywhere near close to having a car out there…If you’re in doubt it’s not worth some panfish or losing your vehicle.”
Canfield also uses caution when venturing onto the ice – even on foot.
“When I first come out for the season I walk where other people have walked,” Canfield said. “Stay in that area and watch the ice, the snow. If it’s wet I kind of stay away from it.”
The DNR also suggests that people going on a frozen lake bring ice picks and life jackets just in case they fall through.
