Nebraskaland

58 Nebraskaland • January-February 2021 MIXED BAG Kevin Green shouldn't have been smiling like he was in this image. You can clearly see why if you've ever been on the ice and the conditions look like they do in the background of the picture. We were treading on thin ice. It was late February, and we had one more day to get out, so we took a bucket of minnows to one of our favorite farm ponds in eastern Nebraska. The action was fi erce. The higher the sun became, and the warmer the air got, the hotter the largemouth bass action became. It was not a good combination. By mid-afternoon, the fi shing got even hotter. Two- pounders, like this one in the image, were being replaced by fours, and the hard edges of our ice holes were being replaced by soft, smooth underwater versions because we were fi shing in a layer of ice beneath a growing layer of water. Finally, we had to leave. We couldn't take any more chances even though we had never caught fi sh so big, and so often, so quickly. I was the fi rst to walk out and broke through for the fi rst time ever. I went up to my knees less than 2 feet from the bank. When I turned around to look at Kevin, who is about 6 inches taller than me and outweighs me by 40 pounds, his eyes said it all: Which way do I go? "This way," I told him. "It held me this far and it's shallower here than over there." As he made his way toward me, remnants of good ice tried their best to hold his weight. Then the entire pond started to move under his feet. He continued to shuffl e his feet in my direction. Then he broke through. He fell to the waist and the breath was taken from him immediately. Sucking in air, he tried to balance all of the equipment from his sled before it also went through that hole. But he was lucky. The water was at a depth where he could stand. Soaking wet, he lumbered out. Obviously, this situation could have gone much worse. Kevin is one of the most physically fi t people I know, but if our location was in the middle of the lake instead of the edge, I can only imagine how much worse this day would have gone. You can always tell yourself you'll leave when the ice starts to seem unsafe, but will you when the fi sh won't stop biting? We did, but almost too late. Daryl Bauer, fi sheries outreach program manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, has the following tips for late-season ice-fi shing: Ice thins and worsens near shore fi rst, especially near areas exposed to the afternoon sun. Be especially careful when you start seeing weak ice in those areas. Four-inch-thick ice may be fi ne for early in the season, but it may not be enough late in the season. Use a spud bar to check ice thickness and hardness. Be careful around objects, such as logs, standing trees or rocks. Anything that might absorb more warmth from the sun can result in weaker ice adjacent to it. Check ice conditions throughout the day with a spud bar. On a warm day on late ice, conditions can change by the hour, and that is especially true if the wind is blowing. Be careful about getting on the ice early in the day, then fi shing all day.After a warm day, you might fi nd it hard to get off the ice where it was no problem in the morning. Other than a spud bar, have other safety gear, such as ice picks, close at hand. Fishing late ice with a partner is recommended. "There will come a day, maybe even a time during a day, when you just have to walk away from the ice, so be safe," Bauer said. THE FISH THAT NEARLY KILLED ME By Jeff Kurrus PHOTO BY JEFF KURRUS

• Cover