Well folks, I have been hearing from a number of my "hard water" fishing friends that the ice is pretty thick, and the fish are hungry. If you have never tried ice fishing, you are missing out on some fun and excitement. And since deer season has ended, I know several people who can't stand not being outdoors, even if it is freezing cold.

I admit, since having a couple major lower back surgeries, I was advised by my doctors and surgeons not to venture out on the ice. If I slipped, I could do a lot of damage, and the outlook would not be pleasurable.

Back years ago, I was one of those guys many people considered to be crazy because the colder it got, the more I looked forward to digging out my ice fishing gear, heading for a pond or lake somewhere, drilling holes in the ice, and hoping to catch a bunch of fish.

I truly enjoyed doing it. It took me a while to figure out how to locate fish, but I made a lot of friends and learned a lot of valuable information in the process.

My good friend, Joe Newlin, invited me to go ice fishing with him, and he actually furnished most of the fishing tackle. He taught me:

· How to use a spud bar and ice auger for drilling holes,

· How to use a scoop to remove the ice surrounding the hole in the ice,

· How to use a small clip on a weight to determine the depth of the water,

· How important it was to have ice cleats on your boots,

· How to dress warm enough to tolerate the cold weather,

· How to bait the hook,

· What bait to use,

· and many important aspects for successful ice fishing.

Before long, I felt like I was a seasoned ice fishing angler, and he and I made numerous fishing trips to places he knew.

I know I gave Joe many funny situations while I was a beginner. He was sitting on a plastic bucket, and I was just to his left. We had been catching decent-sized bluegill. We were drinking coffee and joking, and suddenly I heard a loud cracking noise.

Right before my eyes, I saw what appeared to be a crack coming across the ice. I took off running as fast as I could because I did not want to be baptized in the pond. Joe laughed and told me there were no worries. The ice was actually freezing more. I sure miss those old times and all the memories we had.

Grandson Conner Zeck with a recent ice-fishing catch.

My grandson has been keeping me updated, and he has been on the ice quite often. Some of his favorite locations have 6”-8” of ice. I hear some pretty good numbers of fish are being caught on Bruce Lake, Nyona Lake, South Mud, Kokomo Reservoir, Manitou, Fletcher Lake, and Maxinkuckee.

I have noticed while traveling around several fishing huts close to the bridge in Greentown and several farm ponds. I haven't actually stopped to ask questions, but since there was a good majority of fishing shelters and anglers sitting on plastic buckets all congregated in groups, I would venture a wager there were fish being caught in huge numbers.

If you do venture out, don’t neglect safety and be prepared for anything that might happen. I always carried an extra change of warm, dry clothing just in case I got wet, and I recommend fishing with a friend or fairly close to other anglers in case you, or they, need assistance.

Dress warmly. Wear warm boots and socks and a good base layer of thermal underwear. Over my street clothes, I wear a thick, hooded sweatshirt and a good pair of heavy duty, insulated Carhartt bibs as well as a heavy, hooded parka with a face mask, a gator around my neck, and I like a good, warm sock cap to keep my head warm. You lose heat faster through your head.

I also suggest hand warmers -- I prefer the rechargeable type -- and a pair of thick snowmobile gloves. I often carry a Thermos of hot coffee and another Thermos of hot soup. It didn't take me long before I purchased an enclosed sled-type fishing hut and faced it away from the wind. I never regretted that purchase.

A final suggestion: I have very rarely encountered a difficult ice fishing angler, but I suggest you respect the other anglers’ space. Don’t crowd them. I had a fellow one time actually follow me as I dug new holes. He was using the ones I just left.

There is no rule, and I did not say anything because I had left those holes. But I didn't think it was very considerate. I have shared coffee and even had company eating lunch, and we discussed what depth we were catching fish and what we were using for bait. I was even invited to eat dinner with a man and his family and fish again after dark, and after I called my wife so she would not worry, we headed back to the farm pond and regained fishing.

Folks, I am 80 years old. The old body can't react like it used to, but some of the best fun, best fishing and best time making memories I have had in my life was while ice fishing. Give it try. It sure beats sitting around and waiting in warm weather to go fishing. Take your wife along and even take a kid fishing!