Ready and anxious to head to the lake for a day of ice fishing but wondering if the ice is safe?
You might want to log on to www.Wildohio.gov and view the Ice Fishing Safety Chart which tells it all on an easy to understand bar chart.
The various chart bars indicate probable safe passage for a single 200-pound angler to a large group.
However there are no guarantees because ice comes in many forms with only clear ice as the best, and slush and snow covered ice as the most questionable.
Add to that the potential of thin areas of ice over areas with water current and the fact that heavy snow cover actually prevents ice from increasing in thickness as quickly as exposed lake ice.
Keep in mind too, that some uncaring or unknowing individual may have chopped a large hole to fish in.
A hole that can gobble up a careless person. Be alert, be doubly aware, and be safe.
Regardless of ice thickness, smart anglers can create a simple self-rescue device on the cheap by grinding short, sharp points on two scrap screwdrivers and linking them together with a strong cord such as parachute cord.
Simply drill a hole in the handle of both screwdrivers and the cord through the hole. Make the cord about three feet in length and keep it drooped over the shoulders just like mom used to do with your mittens, one for each hand.
Don’t bury the newly made ice grabbers in your pockets — keep them exposed and handy. The will help grab the ice if needed.
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Imagine this, camo-clad anglers hiding from fish. It’s real.
Not camouflage like you and I think, but a colorful mix of colors and shapes, all of which come together to blend into the background and look good.
Recently improved and newly designed camouflage patterns have been grabbing attention at the annual SHOT Show, the yearly must-see trade.
The SHOT Show is all about the latest and the best and it never stops all the way to our checkbooks.
Camo for fishermen and women seem to be making a big splash lately with Mossy Oak’s Element Aqua line of outer clothing, a leading brand.
Recognizing that fish can see and that they see anglers standing in a boat above them and silhouetted against a bright sky, easily seen by fish as a threat, was apparently enough to bring about this move into the world of angler camo.
Indeed, some of us need every advantage to fool a fish and welcome the concept and the new apparel.
Anglers who watch TV or attend event weigh-ins will see more and more of the new patterns and colors because B.A.S.S., Major League Fishing, and the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series have adopted the Mossy Oak Element Aqua styles as their official clothing patterns.
Land-based camo is also being featured at the show led by a pattern called Shadow Grass Blades, a special waterfowl look which has become the official camo design for the conservation-minded organization Ducks Unlimited.
Camouflage first came to the attention of hunters following its use during ground-based military action in the mid-1900s.
Prior to that, archers like Fred Bear hunted in green blade jackets and fedora head gear.
New designs continue to evolve and surface with seasonal use and expected surroundings determining the patterns.
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Looking for springtime bird watching to tweet about? Coming up on Feb. 16-19 is the annual Great Backyard Bird Count, sponsored by the National Audubon Society and others.
It is an opportunity to count the birds they see and funnel the results to www.Birdsource.org/gbbc.
Participants can count sightings anywhere and anytime during the survey dates. Go the website for more information.
