Monroe County Sheriff’s Office warns of ice conditions for anglers

(FOX 2) - With temperatures dropping so low, you’ll see plenty of anglers hitting the ice to do a little fishing.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department is warning that there could still be unstable conditions despite the deep freeze.

Big picture view:

These temperatures are chilly — it’s been one of the coldest days of the year. FOX 2 was on Lake Erie in the Newport area, and the Sheriff’s Department is putting out a warning about ice safety. Just because it’s super cold out does not mean you can’t still have an incident where there’s unstable ice. 

So what do you need to know?

Well, for starters, if the ice is two inches or lower in thickness, that is too dangerous to get out on. Once it’s about four inches or so, that’s when it’s safe enough to ice fish. After that, you’re going to need more thickness if you’re planning to snowmobile or do anything like that. If you are planning to go out there, make sure you have a partner with you to watch your back.

Make sure people know where you’re going to be and have a safety plan ahead of time. 

What they're saying:

FOX 2 caught up with the department to talk about things they say you need to know.

"Every piece of ice is going to be different. If you see cracks on the ice, that’s telling you one thing. If you see bubbles, it’s telling you it’s starting to melt. Again, ice with a bluish tint to it would be the thickest ice," said Monroe County Sheriff’s Lt. Brian Quinn.

One more tip: if you need help figuring out how thick the ice is, you can always ask your local bait shop.

They work with fishermen all the time to figure out the conditions.