The first tip-off to me was that there's no cars or trailers or people or anything happening at the Cattle Landing town dock and parking lot. It was totally empty.
What was there was a nicely designed sign from the Ice Fishing Derby that warned people to be carefull about setting out on the ice, and gave a list of ten helpfull ice safety practices. So's apparently, what with the open water along the shoreline, thin ice, nearby water circulators, warm sun, and left-over shattered ice from possibly an air boat, nobody seems to be trusting the ice in the area of the Cattle Landing dock.
Just for my own curiosity, I set my 200-lb weight on the ice while bracing my hands down on the edge of the new concrete and lumber dock and jumping up and down to test the ice, and it started to crack up and looked to be maybe 1/2" thick immediately next to the dock. Determining the thickness and safety of the ice can be very challenging even when you are looking at it closely......probably just drilling a test hole is about the only way to inspect it.....and as already mentioned the parking lot and dock were both totally empty of any vehicles or people.....so's no one wanted to trust the unknown safety of the ice in that area. Most years they do, but not this year so far?
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... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake!
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