Scattered snow flurries and snow showers possible this evening. Becoming mostly clear later. Low 17F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 30%..

Scattered snow flurries and snow showers possible this evening. Becoming mostly clear later. Low 17F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 30%.

Fana Cyr and his son, Shane Cyr, check one of the holes while ice fishing on the Retreat Meadows in Brattleboro in this file photo.

Ice fishing season has arrived in Vermont.

To celebrate Free Ice Fishing Day, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department will hold an Ice Fishing Festival for kids and others new to ice fishing at Lake Elmore State Park on Jan. 30

Fana Cyr and his son, Shane Cyr, check one of the holes while ice fishing on the Retreat Meadows in Brattleboro in this file photo.

Ice fishing season has arrived in Vermont.

To celebrate Free Ice Fishing Day, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department will hold an Ice Fishing Festival for kids and others new to ice fishing at Lake Elmore State Park on Jan. 30

With the new year, anglers will need to buy a new license and learn a few new angling rules before hitting the ice.

As the calendar turns over, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s regulations are updated, and the new license year begins on Jan. 1.

Licenses can be purchased at any licensed dealer or online. A gift certificate for a new license will make a great stocking stuffer for any angler, Fish and Wildlife said in a statement.

Don’t forget to update the license in your wallet if you have a permanent, lifetime or five-year license, so your current license will be up to date if you get checked by a Vermont game warden.

Licenses can be purchased online at vtfishandwildlife.com.

“Our licenses for the New Year will be popular based on the increased interest we are seeing from people who want to enjoy more outside activities like hunting and fishing,” said Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Christopher Herrick. “Ice fishing is a lot of fun, and it will soon be possible with colder weather.”

Gift certificate links are available on the Fish and Wildlife website. A person who receives a gift certificate must then go online to convert the gift certificate into an actual license.

The new year is also bringing some regulations that Fish and Wildlife personnel believe will make keeping up with the rules easier. Beginning Jan. 1, the new rule book — which is available now — takes effect. A digital version is available online, with paper copies available where licenses are sold.

“We’ve worked with our biologists, warden service staff, Fish and Wildlife Board, and the public to develop regulations that are easier to understand while still providing protection for fish populations across Vermont,” said Eric Palmer, director of the Fish Division with Fish and Wildlife. “These new changes allow anyone to fish nearly all waterbodies in the state year-round, as long as they practice catch and release.”

That’s a big change, in particular for trout fishing, which formerly was closed from Nov. 1 through the winter, with the exception of some rivers and ice fishing locations. Now, in certain lakes and ponds, the winter season for trout will start Jan. 1.

The bag limits, or the number of fish you can keep, for trout has changed. Previously, different subspecies of trout had different limits. Now, an angler can keep eight trout from streams and rivers. That means an angler can have eight brook, rainbow or brown trout, or in combination.

In addition, waters that were formerly closed during the winter, are now managed under the general regulations. The simplification of rules means the tables of lakes and rivers in the fishing guide has been reduced from 10 to 3.

The fishing regulations are found in the 2022 Fishing Guide & Regulations, available online or at license dealers.

January also gets people thinking about ice fishing, but Jan. 1 usually does not present safe ice most years. The Department of Fish and Wildlife says “walking on frozen water” is inherently risky. But those risks can be minimized by following some safety tips.

As a general guide, ice must be about 4 inches thick to be safe to walk on, and at least 8 inches thick for an ATV or snowmobile.

Ice also should be clear, not white or opaque. If it’s not clear, then the ice should be double those thicknesses, according to Fish and Wildlife.

Also, remember that ice doesn’t freeze uniformly. Ice might be a foot thick in one spot and only inches thick just a dozen feet away. Water flows, underwater springs, pressure cracks and other factors can affect the ice thickness.

Fish and Wildlife advises people to test the ice with a spud bar (heavy pry bar) to check thickness, occasionally slamming the bar into the ice to ensure it’s not too thin. The mouths of rivers are notorious for thinner ice and should be avoided.

Anyone going out on the ice, including skaters, hikers and others, should carry a set of ice picks, which are hand-held wooden or plastic handles with sharp picks sticking out of one end. If a person falls through, the ice picks can be jammed into the ice and used to pull oneself out of the water.

Always let someone know where you’re going and will be home in case you don’t return, Fish and Wildlife advises. And it’s always safer to go with a fishing partner or a group in case anything goes wrong.

Cellphones should be kept warm to protect the battery and in a dry bag.

Winter fishing provides plenty of opportunity for fun and the chance to fish some areas that can only be reached by boat during the summer.

And license proceeds benefit not only game species, but nongame species like falcons, eagles, loons and osprey, along with habitat for all wildlife in wildlife management areas.

Contact Darren Marcy at dmarcy@manchesterjournal.com or by cell at 802-681-6534.

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