[going hot]

In the Summer, one makes sure the fat person is further out in the surf, to slow down the shark.

Seems in the Winter the same strategy can be used to test the ice.

[marktwain]

I always used a stout pole, about 1.5 inches thick and 5-6 feet long, blunt ended.

Jab the pole at the ice, straight down, with serious force. You are trying to pock it through the ice. If it does not go through, or crack the ice, the ice is good to walk on. Continue with the jabbing as you work your way across the ice. Ice almost always thins toward where it gets dangerous, so you should have warning.