Stick to lakes and ponds for ice activities, official warns

While daytime temperatures have largely been above freezing this week, the ice on area lakes and ponds should still be safe for activities such as ice fishing and skating.

Brad Freidhof, Johnson County's conservation program manager, said that while air temperatures have fluctuated a bit this week, water and ice temperatures tend to be more consistent.

'We need a much longer extended period of time” to melt the ice, Freidhof said. 'At night, we're dropping down below freezing. Any melting that would occur during the day would freeze back up overnight.”

So, while temperatures were close to 40 degrees in the area on Friday, Freidhof said that wouldn't do much to the ice.

That said, anyone looking to get out on the ice this weekend should probably stick to bodies of water like lakes and ponds rather than rivers and streams, Freidhof said.

Chuck Ungs, a naturalist for Linn County Conservation, said he's expecting relatively good ice conditions on Saturday at Pinicon Ridge Park, where a Kids Ice Fishing Clinic takes place from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The park is located at 4729 Horseshoe Falls Road in Central City.

'The ice itself is pretty good,” Ungs said Friday. 'The edges are a little sketchy, but with a little looking around, you can find a good way out there to the sheet.”

Ungs said the ice is about 6 inches thick.

'Of course, they always say there is no such thing as safe ice, so you always have to take precautions,” he said. 'We'll be out there and if conditions are what we expect them to be, we'll have some fish to catch.”

Saturday's forecast calls for decreasing clouds with a high of 32 degrees and a low of 18 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Freidhof said ice on moving bodies of water is inconsistent in terms of thickness. For instance, the edge of a body of water like the Coralville Lake - an artificial lake created by a dam on the Iowa River - could have eight inches of water on the edge, but only three inches of water in the center.

'Moving water can erode the bottom of that ice,” Freidhof said.

This fall's flooding has also exacerbated that issue, Freidhof said. Water levels are still dropping in some areas, which can create dangerous conditions.

'When you get that natural drop, if you have ice on top, you end up with this layer of ice and an air pocket and then maybe more ice,” he said. 'That's where it gets a little spooky. Most often, there's no ice underneath there.”

Freidhof said he discourages people - especially those going out on ice for the first time - from going out on rivers and streams.

'We tell people, if they want to go out ice fishing right now, stick with bodies that have a very consistent water table,” he said.

Freidhof said places like F.W. Kent Park and Lake Macbride have 5 to 6 inches of ice right now, above the 4 inches of ice recommended for activities such as ice fishing and skating.

'There are a lot of opportunities for people to get out there,” Freidhof said. 'Just make sure it's done safely.”

l Comments: (319) 398-8238; lee.hermiston@thegazette.com

Upcoming ice fishing events

Here are some upcoming ice fishing opportunities in Linn and Johnson counties:

l Saturday - Kids Ice Fishing Clinic, 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Pinicon Ridge Park, 4729 Horseshoe Falls Road, Central City. Cost is $2.50 per adult, $1 per child age 16 and younger, or $5 per family.

l Jan. 8 - Free Winter Ice Fishing Event, 3 to 5 p.m. at F.W. Kent Park, 2048 Highway 6 NW, Oxford. To register, contact Kristen Morrow by calling the Conservation Education Center at (319) 645-1011 or emailing kmorrow@co.johnson.ia.us.

l Jan. 14 - Third annual Fishing Academy, 9 a.m. to noon at Wickiup Hill Learning Center, 10260 Morris Hills Road, Toddville. Cost is $20.

l Jan. 14 - 'Take a Kid Outdoors” Free Ice Fishing Event, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at North Ridge Park Pond, 2250 Holiday Road, Coralville.