Slush ice is only about
half a strong as clear lake ice, so anglers should double the minimum
thickness figures when encountering such conditions. They should also
bear in mind that ice weakens with age, and late in the season, when it
turns dark and gets "honeycombed" it's time to quit for the
season. A cold snap sometimes halts the deterioration, but honeycombed
ice will never refreeze to its original strength. Any lake with moving
water in it, whether from an inlet canal, springs, groundwater seepages
or an outlet, should be regarded with skepticism. Water movement, no
matter how slight, retards freezing, often leaving hard-to-detect thin
spots.
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