Lake ice melting as Quincy Tip Up set for Saturday

Don Reid, Coldwater Daily Reporter
·2 min read
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BRANCH COUNTY — Friday afternoon emergency services prepared to rush to the north end of Coldwater Lake after a resident on shore reported what appeared to be a snowmobile ice fisherman going into the water.

Craig Scheidler spent a day off Friday ice fishing on the north end of Coldwater where ice was clear and five inches thick.
Craig Scheidler spent a day off Friday ice fishing on the north end of Coldwater where ice was clear and five inches thick.

Branch County Sheriff deputy Kevin Butters found Craig Scheidler along the shore preparing to return to out on the lake to continue his day of fishing for perch and pike.

“I was about 200 yards out and there are five inches of ice out there. It's nice clear ice so it's hard ice. You can see down in it,” He said not concerned about going in.

This is only the second week this winter that ice fishermen trekked out on the dozens of lakes in any numbers. Many were out during the Christmas blizzard when temperatures dipped low enough, long enough to make the ice safe.

A lone fisherman sat out on Cary Lake Saturday fishing.
A lone fisherman sat out on Cary Lake Saturday fishing.

“I tend to try to play it safe which everybody should these days. I might not be out here after this weekend," Scheidler said. “That's pretty much gonna be it. I'm gonna enjoy every second of it.”

There were reports of snowmobiles and sleds on Gilead Lake Sunday along with ice fishermen with more than five inches of ice.

A lone ice fisherman was on Cary Lake Saturday. By Sunday cracks and holes existed across the spring-fed water.

Less than 24 hours after an ice fisherman sat out on Cary Lake there was open water and cracks in the thin ice.
Less than 24 hours after an ice fisherman sat out on Cary Lake there was open water and cracks in the thin ice.

Temperatures in the 40s with rain expected Tuesday and Thursday will make the ice too thin and slushy for the 60th Quincy Chain of Lakes Tip-Up Festival on Tip-Up Island.

The event will go on with a full day and evening of activities after COVID-19 then the summer storm damage forced cancellations for the last two years.

Swimmers will still go into the water from shore for the very popular Polar Bear Splash at noon, not from a hole in the ice.

The 2017 Polar Bear Splash did not have enough ice so swimmers jumped from a pier into Marle Lake's frigid waters.
The 2017 Polar Bear Splash did not have enough ice so swimmers jumped from a pier into Marle Lake's frigid waters.

New will be a wood cutter's contest. The family single-day event includes a craft show, fishing contests, kids’ games, and a jeep jamboree.

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Saturday night is the Fisherman’s Ball at 8 p.m. in the clubhouse.

— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DReidTDR.

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Lake ice melting as Quincy Tip Up set for Saturday