Unbelievable!!!

[cartfan]

I frequently drive across the 61 bridge in Newport and always look north to see if there are any boats sitting on a popular point. Yesterday it was pretty warm, so I made a point to look. And sure enough there was one boat sitting on the point. I could see what looked like large chunks of ice floating down the river. Anybody been out there this early and is it safe?

[Fisher Dave]

I usually start fishing the rivers around the cities over the next few weeks(as long as the ramp is clear enough)... The action is usually a bit slow to say the least.. but it is open water.

*Safety* is a tricky word this early.. you have to stay alert for ice.. including sheets of ice that often *suspend* just below the waters surface when water flows over the top... If your not going 30+ one can usually see these by differences in the turbulance on the surface(often a calm spot drifting downstream)... Just be safe, keep your eyes open, and keep in mind that water is very cold and likely there wont be anyone around to help if there is a problem...

Other than that.. jigs and plastics tipped with a fathead fished real slow...