T-R PHOTO BY SHANNON RABOTSKI
Though holes can be seen throughout Sand Lake, residents are urged to stay off of the ice and hold off on ice fishing until the temperatures fall and remain below freezing.

In the wake of the Cedar Rapids drowning death of Talon Edward Williams, 21, after ice broke on Sunday, Marshall County Conservation Board Director Mike Stegmann advises residents to hold off on ice fishing until temperatures drop and remain below freezing for a few days.

Though some Marshalltown residents can still be seen out on the water, Stegmann recommends only ice fishing when the ice is at least four inches thick.

Even when the ice on the edge of the water is thick, it is important to take an ice pick and drill holes to check the thickness of ice.

Adam Sodders, an avid Marshalltown ice fisherman, opted out of ice fishing in Marshalltown’s Sand Lake on Saturday and Sunday. He headed instead to Clear Lake in the northern part of the state where temperatures were colder and ice is thicker.

“I’m still being cautious about it,” Sodders said. “I always get a little wishy-washy when we’re having this weather.”

With the steadily warm temperatures during the weekend and continuing throughout the week, the ice was given plenty of opportunity to melt and soften, increasing the danger to those who venture out onto it.

“Until we get good hard freezing temperatures again, [ice fishing] is not something I’d recommend,” Stegmann said.

Though ice fishing deaths are rare, taking proper precautions when planning a day on the lake can protect fishers from any form of injury or cold-related illness.

“Somebody that falls into the water has got a health emergency whether they realize that or not,” said Garry Brandenburg, former director of the Marshall County Conservation Board.

The county will not close parks to prevent residents from venturing onto the ice, but people are urged to use common sense when approaching the lake. If people are not sure about the safety of the ice, it is better to stay away.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reminds ice fishermen on their website that “no ice is 100 percent safe.”

Even when ice appears to be thick and sturdy, warm temperatures during the day can lead to thin spots throughout the lake.

“[This weather] is not conducive to growing ice, it’s more conducive to rotting and melting ice,” Brandenburg said.

When ice fishing in any case, even with thick ice, it is important to take proper safety precautions, Stegmann said. Ice fishers should always bring ice picks, rope and personal floatation devices, on top of letting someone know the fishing location and an estimated time of return.

“Don’t take chances,” Steggman said.