Thanksgiving Day this year was a great time to once again take advantage of some excellent weather and enjoy being outdoors.

I mentioned the thin ice in last week’s column and it has also been mentioned in the daily paper. I guess it cannot be stressed enough to follow a few simple rules of thumb.

The Minnesota DNR has a few guidelines that they recommend:

– 4″ of new clear ice is the minimum thickness for travel on foot;

– 5″ is minimum for snowmobiles and ATVs;

– 8″- 12″ for cars or small trucks.

– Remember that these thicknesses are merely guidelines for new, clear, solid ice. Many factors other than thickness can cause ice to be unsafe.

– Test the thickness yourself using an ice chisel, ice auger or even a cordless 1/4-inch drill with a long bit.

– If you must drive a vehicle, be prepared to leave it in a hurry. Keep windows down, unbuckle your seat belt and have a simple emergency plan of action you have discussed with your passengers.

– Don’t “overdrive” your snowmobile’s headlight. At even 30 mph, it can take a much longer distance to stop on ice than your headlight shines. Many fatal snowmobile through-the-ice accidents occur because the machine was traveling too fast for the operator to stop when the headlamp illuminated the hole in the ice.

– Wear a life vest under your winter gear. Or wear one of the new flotation snowmobile suits.

And it’s a good idea to carry a pair of ice picks that may be home made or purchased from most well stocked sporting goods stores that cater to winter anglers. It’s amazing how difficult it can be to pull yourself back onto the surface of unbroken but wet and slippery ice while wearing a snowmobile suit weighted down with 60 lbs of water. The ice picks really help pulling yourself back onto solid ice.

I can remember as a kid my mom and dad would take me to some of the annual fishing contests held on area lakes. Beaver Lake and St. Olaf Lake were two of the lakes that we went to most often. I usually never caught much more than a cold or, if I was really lucky, a small perch.

I guess it didn’t really matter because there wasn’t really much action on anyone else’s line either. I can remember one year someone winning it on a northern smaller than I would have kept (even as a kid). I think I was still a little jealous of even a fish that small.

This winter, in just a short time, there will be an actual little village coming to life in the channel by the Channel View tennis courts.

Every year there seem to be more and more houses. Last year wasn’t the best because of the erratic winter weather we had, but there were still plenty of fishermen willing to give it a try, even if it was for a shorter period of time.

I have heard of some very large crappie and some dandy walleye that have been caught in that channel over the past year.

I don’t think the fish spend all their time in that channel, especially with all the fishing pressure it gets, so they must be using that big lake they have access to.

I guess I have always had this thing about the sound of ice crackling under my feet. I don’t think I am over cautious but I am much happier when I avoid some things that make me feel uneasy. Watching some guy sitting on a bucket on the edge of a slab of ice fishing in open water makes me nervous even though the guy isn’t me.

With the portable fish houses and cold weather gear we have today I may just give ice fishing another try. I could really see going out and augering a hole on one of the many secluded fishing lakes we have in our state. A portable house and portable heater would be just right for a day of fishing.

There are a few die-hard ducks and geese still hanging around that little area of open water by Katherine Island. You’d think they would give it up pretty soon and head for warmer weather like their &uot;normal&uot; cousins.