Mass Wildlife expects this weekend to be a big one for people looking to ice fish. 

Temperatures have finally stayed cold enough to freeze some ponds and lakes, but Central District supervisor Todd Olanyk says each body of water is different.

Olanyk said no public or private entity in the state is responsible for checking the safety of the ice. 

So, before anyone ventures out on the ice and starts drilling a hole, Olanyk has some advice on how to make sure the surface is safe. 

“It’s always up to the individual to check the safety of any given water body for ice thickness,” Olanyk said. “You could use a cordless drill, with a long drill bit. You could use an ice auger. You could use an ice chisel, something like that.”

“Where you can cut into the ice and determine the thickness of the ice before walking out on it,” Olanyk added. “When you start getting ice that is made up of frozen snow, has a lot of air included, that's much weaker ice, so you have to be cautious about that.”

Olanyk said the strongest ice is the kind you can see right through and the minimal thickness for general activity is about four inches.