It’s that time of year when ice anglers are appearing on Montana’s waters for the ice fishing season. Ice fishing is a great way to enjoy the winter weather and to catch some nice fish. However, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks remind ice anglers that safety should be the number one concern during a day out on the ice.

While there is fishable ice in most areas already, some of the larger water bodies like Fort Peck Reservoir just froze over this past week. While the first ice of the year often offers some of the best fishing, it also can be quite variable from location to location and...