Sheriff Talks Ice Fishing Dangers

MUSKINGUM COUNTY, Ohio-The dead of winter can lead many adventurous outdoorsmen to attempt ice fishing on frozen lakes, ponds and rivers. 

Ice fishing has inherent dangers and risks omnipresent during the act. Sheriff Matt Lutz has tips on how to remain safe out on the ice. 

“I can never recommend to anybody taking the chance and going out on a creek or a pond or the river to ice fish… The first thing that comes to mind is you have to make sure that the ice will hold your body weight, depending on how much each individual person weighs. That’s the number one thing, and I’ve always preached on a lot of different things that there’s safety in numbers.”, Lutz said.

Lutz also stressed obtaining permission before ice fishing on private property. He says that his time in law enforcement has not seen many ice fishing incidents. 

“I’ve done this job now for twelve years as sheriff and been in it for a long time as law enforcement, I’m sure we’ve had things happen, I can’t remember or recall a lot of time where we’ve had trespassing complaints of people ice fishing or where they’ve actually fell into the water.”, Lutz continued.

Careful planning is what Lutz says is the best way to remain safe during winter activities.