Well, this has certainly been a winter more like those years ago when it stayed cold, and we seemed to have plenty of snow.

Except for that brief period of warmer, rainy weather earlier this winter, it has been a lot more like the cold, snowy winters of years past.

The good news is that there is sufficient ice on many lakes, and the ice fishing has been pretty productive over the past month.

I’ve been too busy to get out much over the past couple of weeks, but my ice fishing buddies have been keeping me informed, and the catch reports have been pretty productive with good numbers of crappies, bluegills, and perch. Some of those fish have been of good size as well.

I must say, however, that this recent sizeable amount of snow will certainly create some additional difficulties getting on and off the ice. You may need to add some additional equipment to your already overloaded ice fishing sled.

How about a snow shovel and maybe even a pair of snowshoes? Pulling those sleds on the shiny surface of the ice is fairly easy, but with a foot or so of snow, it becomes a bit more work.

You will also have to clear away the snow to get to the ice surface to start drilling holes.

While most of us ice fishermen don’t have a big problem venturing out on the snow-covered ice, it can create some problems for those who are not familiar with heading out onto frozen lakes.

I’ve often pointed out that lakes don’t necessarily freeze in a uniform manner all over the lake. It’s not unusual for larger lakes to have open water while people are ice fishing on seven or eight inches of ice in protected bays, cuts in inlets.

With this recent cold snap and then a heavy snow, that open water may have finally frozen over an inch or two, but now the snow makes everything look uniform.

I’ve said it before, if you are not familiar with the lake, don’t just assume that all of the ice is safe.

I know a lot of people think we are nuts sitting out there in the cold all day, but trust me, most of us serious ice fishermen are actually quite comfortable being out on the ice all day.

Certainly, you should dress properly for the weather, but a couple of additional items make for a much more pleasant day. If you are going to get serious about ice fishing, you would be wise to invest in one of those portable, pull-behind sleds with the flip-up top that creates an enclosed shelter. The sled carries all the necessary equipment and quickly turns into a shelter and protection from the wind.

Take some metal stakes along to anchor the shelter in case of wind; trust me, I have seen more than one fly across the ice on a windy day.

Another item that can make your trip much more comfortable is a small propane heater. Trust me, those little heaters can really heat up the inside of that ice shanty pretty quick.

Oh yeah, don’t forget the real reason you are out on the lake in the dead of winter is to go fishing, not just to stay warm.

By the way, on more than one occasion, my ice fishing buddies and I have taken cooking equipment along and actually prepared and fried some of those fresh caught fish while we were fishing-they don’t get any fresher than that.