Muskegon Lake Ice Warning-Tug Barge Arrival

Ice fisherman have a few more days to move their shanties before a barge and tug cut through Muskegon Lake.




The barge's arrival was scheduled for Friday night, but has been pushed back to Wednesday. The time of its arrival is not yet available.



Muskegon Lake will be unsafe for ice fishing for at least a week after the barge breaks the ice, said Nathan Jandt, an employee at North Muskegon bait shop Adam's Angler Archer.



Ice fishing conditions already are marginal because an early January thaw melted the ice, and subsequent snows insulated the lake surface, making it slushy, Jandt said. He estimated that most parts of Muskegon Lake have 4 or 5 inches of ice, with some snow and slush on top.



Safety guidelines dictate ice fishermen should wait for about 8 inches of ice when it forms under snowy conditions, Jandt said, though 4 inches of ice is safe if it forms during drier weather.