Huts break through thin ice <6 photos>

Ice hut operators on Cooks Bay in Gilford and Lefroy are warning anglers to stay off the lake, after some huts have fallen through thin ice.

Peter Sikora posts condition reports each day at  cooksbayfishingboard.com and he says the ice near Lefroy and Gilford is poor.

"Foot traffic on the bay today will be ok, but the slick ice the shore line and the potential of stepping in an old hole is a possibility, we don’t want that for you so why not hold off another 24 hours until things get better," he posted today.

His website included reports from fishers witnessing four huts floating in water near Keswick and another near Snake Island in Cook's Bay on Thursday.

"Temperatures have been hovering above zero, deteriorating the ice," he explained.

Warnings are everywhere, including the Lake Simcoe Message Board which advises anglers of "dangerous pressure cracks" forming on Lake Simcoe.

Despite the warnings, some anglers were on the ice Friday afternoon.

"I think its OK, as long as I don't drive out there," said Dave Switzer, as he prepared to head back out to an ice hut near Lefroy on Friday afternoon.

"The shore line is in bad shape, so you gotta be careful, watch where you're at . . . but today I'm taking the chance."Sikora checks with ice fish hut operators in Gilford and Lefroy every day to create his daily ice report for the area.

Terry Goy is one of the operators.

"Stay off the ice," he says. "I will let everyone know when my huts are going out."

Owners of Bear Point Fish Hut Rentals on Kempenfelt Bay have also issued warnings on their Facebook page this week.

"Anyone venturing out onto Kempenfelt bay lake Simcoe ... Ice is very very sketchy,"

York Regional Police surveyed the lake from the helicopter, reporting large areas of open water and again warning people not to venture out due to fluctuating temperatures and unsafe ice conditions.