Recent unseasonably warm weather is bringing Iowa’s ice fishing season to an early end across the state. Since Monday, two vehicles and an ice-fishing shelter have broken through the ice on Okoboji’s lakes, and the ice there tends to remain solid longer than in the rest of Iowa due to its farther northern location. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Law Enforcement Supervisor Greg Harson says, “The quality of ice is deteriorating quickly in a lot of places. For anyone coming up here looking for ice, the conditions are not great. Ice could be good in one place, then poor in another.” Officials warn that while temperatures may return to seasonal norms in the coming days, overnight lows are not expected to rebuild ice to sufficiently safe thicknesses. Anglers are urged to travel on foot, check thickness frequently, and carry safety equipment.
