DELAVAN, Wis. — As temperatures continue to stay below freezing across Wisconsin, it increases the durability of ice on lakes and waterways.
However, several agencies are encouraging people exercise caution around the ice.
Doug Ide owns Guide Ide Inland Fishing Service, where he and his brother guide people on fishing trips.
Before taking people out to ice fish on Delavan Lake, Ide uses an ice bar to check the thickness of the ice.
“A good rule of thumb: When you’re walking, if you can take the ice bar and in two chips get through the ice, turn around,” Ide said.
Ide estimated the ice was six to eight inches thick on Friday.
To keep people safe, he uses the I.C.E acronym.
"I" is for information and telling people where you’re going. "C" stands for wearing appropriate clothing."E" is for equipment.
"We just try to take our time, make sure everybody is happy and make it a great day," Ide said. "I’m 50-years-old and I’ve never fallen in, so the biggest thing is just to exercise caution.”
Since temperatures have consistently been below freezing since the calendar turned to 2025, that has helped ice thicken across the state.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said the most important thing to do is to check the current conditions of the specific lake that you want to go to.
“We never want to tell somebody that ice is 100% safe, simply because even though we are getting some of those colder days, colder nights, and ice might potentially be increasing in thickness, there’s still areas on lakes and especially rivers, where you’re going to have thin spots,” said Lt. Jake Holsclaw, a Wisconsin DNR off-highway vehicle administrator.
The Lake Country Fire and Rescue said it is ready to help anyone who find themselves in trouble.
“As a department, we train to be ready for what we are most likely to be called to protect our communities with, and so when it gets cold, we know we’re going to have issues on the ice," said Assistant Chief Matthew Haerter. "We typically have problems with people who are ice fishing, skating.”
When everything is safe, Ide said this is the opportunity to do what he loves.
“The best part whether it’s the boat or if it’s the ice is getting people to do things that they didn’t think possible and watching that smile come across their face," Ide said.
Ide believes as long as you exercise caution on the ice, you can make memories that last a lifetime.
For more on ice safety tips, click here.