The Utah Department of Natural Resources recommends Utahns keep their ice fishing gear stored until at least the beginning of the new year.
Strawberry Reservoir in Wasatch County is the only major waterbody in the area with ice. The DNR says there is about three inches of ice in the Mud Creek Bay area.
The recommended thickness for ice fishing, according to the DNR is at least four inches.
The Jordanelle, Echo, and Deer Creek reservoirs are all ice free as of Dec. 27.
DNR spokesperson Faith Jolley says the start of the season is dependent on the weather.
“Usually you need it to be below freezing, for at least a week, for it to get cold enough to be able to freeze up.”
Jolley said not every water body will have warning signs of thin ice and if you want to go out fishing, anglers should make sure the ice is thick enough.
“It's important to check the weather, but also once you get to a water body you want to make sure you're doing those drill holes to see if it is at least four inches thick,” she says. “Check each spot that you're going to across the lake because the ice thickness isn't always consistent across an entire water body.”
She says anglers should take necessary precautions before going ice fishing.
“Make sure you have the right gear, which includes safety picks, throw ropes in case you do fall through the ice,” she said. “But it's better to just prevent that entirely, so making sure you're doing those drill test holes.”
Jolley also reminds everyone to make sure their fishing licenses are up-to-date.
There are 10 ice fishing tournaments scheduled in Utah next year. The Quadfishathon will be held at Rockport State Park on Jan. 20 and Echo State Park on Feb. 10.
The DNR says the tournaments are weather-dependent and if ice does not form in time, some of the early tournaments may be rescheduled.