MONTPELIER — January is the start of ice fishing season in Vermont, and a forecast of cold weather over the coming week should offer increasing opportunities to safely enjoy this fun and accessible winter activity.

Heading into the weekend ice conditions are variable across Vermont due to recent warm weather. Anglers should use good judgement, know how to read the ice and test it often, and check with a local outdoor store or other anglers about area conditions when deciding where to fish. Anglers should always bring a spud bar to test the ice and a set of wearable ice picks for self-rescue, and let someone know where they are going and when they plan to be back.

Three to four inches of clear black ice is the minimum for safe ice fishing. For the kind of cloudy gray ice that develops after cycles of freezing, thawing, and re-freezing like we’ve had so far this winter, Vermont Fish & Wildlife recommends anglers look for at least six inches of ice where they plan to fish.

Some waters at higher elevations and in northern parts of Vermont already have fishable ice. Many waters in the Champlain Valley and southern Vermont do not yet. Additionally, some waters that had fishable ice earlier this winter will need several consecutive cold days and nights to re-freeze after this past week’s warm temperatures.

Perhaps most important for both safety and fun, always going ice fishing with a buddy, or a whole group of friends.

“For many people, ice fishing is as much about being together with friends and relatives as it is about the fish,” says Shawn Good, a Fish Biologist with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. “I’ve seen families out on the ice with grills, food and hot drinks having a great time. They set their tip-ups, build snowmen and even skate and play pond hockey between bouts of fishing.”

To learn more about ice fishing techniques, safety and places to fish visit the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s “Ice Fishing Basics” and “Ice Fishing Opportunities” webpages. For those new to the sport, the department’s “Let’s Go Fishing Workshops” offer opportunities to enjoy ice fishing with an experienced teacher and other new anglers all winter long.