Ice fishers are being urged to check thickness when dropping lines on rivers, lakes and ponds, according to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Officials warn that the presence of snowmobile tracks or footprints on the ice should not be taken as evidence of safe ice conditions.

Anyone traversing icy waters is strongly encouraged to check conditions for themselves and avoid situations that appear to present even a remote risk.

Ice thickness varies on every body of water or even within the same body of water, and anglers should be particularly wary of areas of moving water and around boat docks and houses where bubblers may be installed to reduce ice buildup.

Testing the thickness of ice can be done with an auger at various spots and can prevent fatal accidents.

For more information on ice fishing visit the DEC website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7733.html

Anglers looking for a good place to ice fish should check out DEC’s Public Lakes and Ponds map at http://www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/42978.html. This interactive map provides recommendations on waters open to ice fishing provided by DEC staff