As the lakes freeze, local fishermen are preparing their tackle boxes for ice fishing.
"There's no guarantee that the water will be safe right away," Department of Natural Resources Lt. James Gorno said.
The DNR is cautioning people heading out to local lakes. Make sure you know the ice is thick enough before you start fishing. Lt. Gorno says for humans the ice needs to be 3 inches thick to be safe, and for snow mobiles and four wheelers it needs to be 4 inches.
He also says that there are other factors that can cause the ice to be unsafe.
"There can always be underwater currents that can shape the formation of the ice that you can't see," Lt. Gorno said. "Sun and vegetation can also effect the ice."
He advises that if you plan on going out ice fishing early this year, that you take necessary precautions to make sure you are as safe as possible.
7&4's Nathan Edwards is visiting a few lakes today to see how conditions are and will have the full story tonight.
