Experts Urge Caution Before Skating Or Fishing On Frozen Lakes And Ponds
CHICAGO (CBS) -- If the recent frigid weather has you thinking about ice skating in the great outdoors, or even ice fishing, experts urge caution before venturing onto a frozen lake or pond.
The Cook County Forest Preserve District has 22 lakes or ponds designated for ice fishing, and six others set aside for ice skating.
"We encourage people to be outside, but we do want people to be safe," spokeswoman Lambrini Lukidis said.
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Forest Preserve District fisheries biologist Steve Silic said people should make sure a lake or pond is covered in at least 4 inches of ice before going onto the frozen surface, by drilling a hole in the ice.
"We have pretty close to 4 inches of ice, even though we had temperatures in the 40s as early as last week," he said. "What we recommend is that the fishermen go out and check the ice themselves, where 4 inches is kind of your safe minimum."
Silic estimated there are 500 to 1,000 die-hards who love to ice fish on Cook County lakes and ponds.
Cook County Forest Preserve District locations where ice-skating is allowed:
Barrington Road Pond
Buffalo Woods Pond (groves #3 and #4)
Busse Reservoir North Pool
Crawdad Slough
Deer Grove Lake
Hidden Pond
Cook County Forest Preserve District locations where ice fishing is allowed:
Arrowhead Lake
Axehead Lake
E. J. Beck Lake
Belleau Lake
Big Bend Lake
Bode Lake – South
Bullfrog Lake
Busse Lake – Main Pool
Busse Lake – South Pool
Flatfoot Lake
Green Lake
Horsetail Lake
Ida Lake
Maple Lake
Papoose Lake
Powderhorn Lake
Saganashkee Slough
Sag Quarry – East
Sag Quarry – West
Tampier Lake
Turtlehead Lake
Wampum Lake
