Ice fishermen are beginning to invade the various lakes around the Hills, looking for fish and a safe place to catch them.

Although the season opened a bit later this year than last, there are plenty of fishing areas available.

Sheridan Lake Marina had to open later because of warmer temperatures. But owner Beth Goodwin says a steady stream of fisherman began showing up a couple weeks ago.

"We've seen a lot more traffic," she said. "Right away in the morning, the fishing's been great."

Fishermen have been catching perch and occasionally a nice northern pike on Sheridan, she said.

She doesn't recommend driving four-wheelers out onto the ice yet, but she said Sheridan Lake ice should prove plenty thick for fishermen willing to walk to their fishing destinations, since it is at least 4 to 6 inches thick.

The shop opened the weekend of Dec. 15, a week later than the past two years, when it opened the first weekend of December, Goodwin said.

She expects to get busier as the winter goes on. Sheridan Lake will have an ice-fishing tournament later in January.

Sheridan isn't the only Hills lake that has sufficient ice. GF&P fisheries biologist Gene Galinat said that as of last weekend, the majority of the lakes in the Hills had sufficient ice cover of at least 6 inches.

Galinat and other GF&P crew members traveled to various Hills lakes to check ice thickness late last week.

Pactola Reservoir and Canyon Lake have not frozen, but most of the other Hills lakes should be safe, he said.

"I'm thinking pretty much everything has 6 inches of ice," he said.

Galinat said he inspected Major, Stockade, Deerfield, and Center lakes.

He said he has not yet checked prairie lakes, such as Angostura or Orman Dam, so people need to study the conditions on those lakes before trying the fishing.

They should also proceed with caution on Hills lakes.

"The key thing is to check the thickness as they go out," he said.

Galinat said anglers should ice fish only on ice at least 4 inches thick. Fishermen should also watch daily temperatures and make sure to look for spots near inlets that could be soft.

He said the cracking of ice is normal. However, if anglers feel it start to move, they should quickly relocate.

About 6 inches of ice is needed to safely drive snowmobiles or 4-wheelers, although Galinat doesn't recommend driving on it because of the Black Hills' relatively mild winters.

He said ice a minimum of 8 inches thick is needed to bear the weight of a vehicle, although people should probably wait until it is at least a foot thick.

As far as fishing, Galinat said, Stockade and Bismarck lakes have been good for small perch, while fishermen at Deerfield Lake have been having good luck with rainbow trout and splake, along with a few brook trout.

However, Deerfield probably won't be as good as last year, when three very large brook trout were caught - including the state record.

"It was a unique year, when we had three big brook trout come out of there," he said. "That was certainly not normal, but I know there are more in there."

Galinat said trout fishing tends to be fairly strong overall in Hills lakes in the winter.

"They should have pretty good success though the wintertime with the way we stock our reservoirs," he said.

Galinat said anglers should note that permanent shacks must be off the ice by Feb. 25 at all lakes except for Deerfield, where they can remain until March 5.

Contact Ryan Woodard at 394-8412 or ryan.woodard@rapidcityjournal.com