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Home > Learn to Fish & Boat > Ice Fishing > Ice Fishing Basics > Ice Fishing Thickness Guidelines
When ice fishing, ice thickness is an important part of having a safe fishing experience. Use these ice fishing thickness tips and guidelines to remember when you go ice fishing with family or friends.
If you want to go ice fishing, ice thickness is something you always have to consider ahead of time. Snow cover, temperature changes, underwater springs, and water current can affect safe ice fishing thickness for ice fishing. This means that ice thickness often varies from one spot to the next on a lake.
One of the most important ice fishing tips to remember is to find a trusted local resource that is well-informed about the current ice conditions on the lake where you plan to fish. This local resource could be a tackle shop, ice fishing lodge, ice fishing safety guide, or state agency.
After you get a reliable update on ice conditions, make sure you have some basic tools and safety gear assembled so that you can confirm safe ice thickness when you get to the lake.
You should also be wearing the proper ice fishing clothing for a winter fishing trip in cold weather conditions.
Once you have the proper tools and safety gear for fishing on the ice, consider these general safe ice fishing, or safe ice thickness guidelines.
In addition to safety tools and gear, you can also learn about different types of ice fishing electronics that can be helpful for finding fish through the ice.
The largemouth bass is the most popular freshwater game fish in the U.S. Learn more about how you can identify a largemouth bass, where to catch it and what bait and lures to use.
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