Students have fun on the ice

WASILLA — Each winter, Mat-Su Borough School District elementary students trek out on the ice with Alaska Department Fish and Game employees.

Billed as “A Cure for the Cold,” ADF&G describes the program as being “for the knowledgeable, hardy soul (that) can be a great way to combat those winter blues.”

Providing added safety, Alaska State Troopers are on site at Finger Lake as children cautiously walk out onto the fishing platform — the ice. Not only must it be thick enough to support the weight of a person, but the thickness must have a uniform quality.

“It is not uncommon for ice to vary in thickness,” reports the ADF&G guide.

Insulating children from the cold, layered clothing and warm, waterproof boots help ice fishers stay warm and dry. Tools for fishing include an ax, some line, a hook and some kind of bait. Then they’re ready to catch fish. Some of the fish caught during an outing before the holiday break by Mat-Su students were rainbow trout, salmon and arctic char.

The MSBSD expressed appreciation for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game for getting students out on the ice, observing and interacting with the habitat at Finger Lake.