Ice Fishing in North Dakota, gfpeck

DEVILS LAKE, N.D. (AP)

Devils Lake Fire Chief Jim Moe says safe ice shouldn’t be a problem for his department’s annual late-January ice fishing tournament.

Moe says the recent cold weather has helped conditions after the warm early winter. He tells the Devils Lake Journal that there’s more than a foot of ice on the lake’s Six Mile Bay and there’s no reason to cancel.

The department’s 28th annual tournament is Saturday. The event typically draws thousands of anglers from area states and Canada.

Ice Fishing, Wikimedia

DEVILS LAKE, N.D. (AP)

Organizers of an event billed as North Dakota’s largest ice fishing tournament say the unseasonably mild winter will not stop the show.

The 28th annual Devils Lake Volunteer Fire Department tournament is scheduled Jan. 28 in an area known as Six-Mile Bay. The event is expected to draw about 4,000 competitors.

Devils Lake Fire Chief Jim Moe tells the Grand Forks Herald that a recent cool-down has increased the thickness of the ice to 13 inches in most spots.

Moe says the event has never been canceled due to weather, but organizers will “certainly err on the side of safety” if conditions deteriorate.