Great few weeks of ice fishing say anglers, but OPP warn of safety as temperatures rise

Windsor-Essex was treated to a gorgeous Wednesday to get outside and enjoy a fun activity. But if it has to do with snow and ice, you may not have much time left as the weather starts to get warm.

Michael Turton spent his Wednesday ice fishing and has a hut on the Little River channel. Take a look at the video above to see him in action.

Turton says the ice is still solid where he is.

"You still got a good 12 to 18 inches, I would think, enough to drive a car on right now," he said.

"You know, once you get over eight inches, 10 inches of ice, there's nowhere for it to go — It's locked in here. If you're out with high winds on the lake, the only thing that moves ice is wind, so right now, you might be in a little bit of danger for separation, but in the canal here, I'd be happy to bring my kids out here and my whole family for the day."

The main fish Turton snags is perch.

"The only thing that really distracts you from fishing all the time is the wind. It's been super cold the last two or three weeks," he said, noting that the warm weather made it easier to perform sight fishing.

But the OPP are reminding folks that the warmer weather can come with safety concerns — particularly for people engaging in snowmobiling.

OPP say they've recently received two separate calls relating to a snowmobile or off-road vehicle operator going through the ice.

"Police thank the public for their concern and are reminding everyone that no ice is safe ice," the OPP said in a statement.

"Approximately 40 per cent of OPP-investigated fatal snowmobile incidents in the last 10 years have occurred on lakes and rivers."