When Harlan Plamp of Stickney started ice fishing almost 50 years ago, he and his friends would take a boat through two to three inches of ice, step out and fish.
The sound of cracking ice prompted action.
"As soon as your foot would start to go in, we'd just jump in the boat," he said.
These days, the 69-year-old retired farmer plays it safe. An avid fisherman year-round, Plamp made his first ice fishing trip of the year on Tuesday at Lake Mitchell.
It's too early in the season to say how the fishing has been so far, according to Game, Fish and Parks Conservation Officer Supervisor Dale Gates, based in Pierre. He said the unsteady nature of the sport means early reports wouldn't be an accurate gauge anyway.
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"You don't usually see an ice-fishing season that starts out mediocre and stays mediocre," he said. "It's up and down. It hasn't really started yet, so to give some sort of prediction ... is virtually impossible."
And besides, Gates said reports of successful catches spread fast.
"Ice fishermen are very bite-oriented," he said. "When the bite's on, they're out there and they're out there in full force."
As for Plamp, he heard the bluegill fishing on Lake Mitchell has been good, so he drilled four holes and set up a shack. He had yet to catch anything on Tuesday afternoon and planned to head home before the sunset, unless the fish started biting.
"If they bite, there's no time limit," he said.
Not far from Plamp, Marcus Lynch had his own shack set up. The 25-yearold recently moved to Mitchell from Williston, N.D. He'd heard that the fishing during the day wasn't very good, so he was prepared to stay well into the night Tuesday, armed with a few granola bars and a "flasher," an electronic device that determines water depth and identifies and locates fish.
Lynch said he's been fishing all of his life. He figures the thickness of the ice underneath him Tuesday was about six inches.
The weather was clear and crisp, and he was happy to just have the chance to be on the ice.
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"Growing up in the Midwest, it gives you an opportunity to fish," he said. "If I don't have anything going on, a lot of times I'll stay until 1 or 2 in the morning."
Gates, the GF&P officer, said the unpredictability of the ice means there are no specific guidelines for ice fishermen. He recommends at least one inch of clear ice for foot traffic, four to six inches for an all-terrain vehicle and at least a foot for a car or truck.
Cloudy ice is generally half as strong as clear ice and Gates urges ice fishermen to not assume that one thick section of ice means the entire body of water is safe. Ice can also be weaker near shore and on rivers, where water temperatures shift.
"This isn't an exact science," he said. "My personal recommendation is I'm never the first one on or the last one off. Err on the side of caution."
