GREAT LAKES, IA (RADIO IOWA) – Iowa’s ice anglers have been able to keep pulling in fish by moving north to the Great Lakes region, but the ice there is deteriorating now and the season is coming to a close.

The D-N-R’s Mick Klemesrud says the lack of snow is the main culprit.

Klemesrud says the lack of snow protection lets the other elements weaken the ice.

Klemesrud says the deterioration led to a U-T-V breaking through the ice on East Okoboji Lake, a pickup truck broke and a wheel house-style ice fishing shelter also broke through the ice on West Okoboji Lake.

Klemesrud says the cold weather that’s moving in now won’t provide enough continuously cold overnights to build the ice back up before it warms up again.  He says earlier subzero cold stretches this winter did create ice that was ten inches or more think across the state.

Klemesrud says you are normally required to get ice fishing shacks off the ice by February 27th, but most were pulled off recently as ice conditions deteriorated.