Ice fishing ends abruptly with recent warm temps

Late ice fishing is about over! Who would have thought we would have this kind of weather just a few weeks ago. It was cold then, and we had the most snow on the ground we had all year. Now it's gone, and ice conditions on area lakes have really taken a beating.

The 70-plus degree temperatures and rain really put the kibosh on lake ice. The shores have opened up, and the main lake ice has become very soft. I talked with an ice angler who fished in the area Saturday. He and his party were getting out on planks, and he said the ice was very soft. And that was before the recent rains and 70-degree days! He added that no one could get out in the area after Sunday.

Now this seems kind of early, but it will be April 1 later this week.

Normally ice goes out in our area around April 9 or 10, so we are actually on schedule. I also talked to friends up north who said ice conditions were better there. They fished on good ice Saturday and actually had a truck drive out on the lake. However, the weather there was also warm, with conditions changing fast. This makes sense since we usually put the docks in around the end of April. I guess it won't be long before we are bullhead fishing. The night crawlers have been out for some time now.

Turkey hunters are also getting excited, with the season opening April 18. I'm sure they have been out scouting possible hunting areas. The birds are quickly spreading out into their summer areas, and Toms are setting up their territories. I drew a permit this year and will hunt later in May.

So I won't scout until later. I planned it this way, so I could get all the spring jobs out of the way first. Then I'll scout and see how and where the birds have relocated from the pressure of the early hunt.