Scott Bashaw, of Springfield, Vt., baits one of his tip ups while ice fishing at White’s Cove near the confluence of the Black and Connecticut rivers in Springfield on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. The warm sun and 45 degree weather left a layer of slush on some parts of the ice, but it was still about six inches thick. Bashaw, who says he has been fishing at the cove “since I was born,” claims there was a time in the 1970s when the ice was so thick he had to weld an extension onto his auger to drill through it. (Valley News / Report For America - Alex Driehaus) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Valley News / Report For America — Alex Driehaus