 The Red Lake Police Department is asking the public to stay off the ice after two fishermen had to be rescued on Upper Red Lake over the weekend. Officers received the call Saturday afternoon about reports of two fishermen failing to return home after a fishing trip on Upper Red. A search and rescue team was sent to find the fishermen. The team discovered they were stranded on the ice that had separated from the shoreline. The fishermen were rescued on Sunday morning just after midnight and were treated for hypothermia. Due to unsafe ice conditions, fishing on both Lower Red Lake and Upper Red Lake is prohibited until the lakes are deemed safe by the Red Lake Conservation Enforcement Department. While many area lakes are experiencing similar situations with anxious anglers ready to fish, and while some smaller lakes are completely froze over, others are not creating a dangerous situation. From the recent events in Red Lake where the ice separated and drifted away, authorities say those anglers are lucky to be alive. Ice sheet can float out very far depending on which way the wind is blowing, and they can be in pretty tough circumstances in a hurry in a situation like that. If you do venture out onto the ice, it's highly recommended to use extreme caution and you know the lake that you're on. Local law enforcement also says to be prepared to save yourself in case you fall through the ice. This time of year, we recommend that if people are venturing out onto ice, they have ice picks handy and they're ready to save themselves because a rescue crew may not be nearby to save them. To find out the latest ice conditions, Sheriff Hodepp says to call your local bait shops to get the latest ice depth information. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.