I'll go out on 3 inches of good solid black ice, but have been fishing for years and know what to look for in ice. If your a newbie to the sport, I'd say no less than 4 inches of good solid ice, and not without another person with you. I wear a life vest during first ice, and carry a good length of rope (50 ft) with me. Have a set of the ice picks also.
This ice thickness is for traveling out on foot with a small jet sled or something similar, no quads or snowmobiles until there's at least 6 inches, and then be darned careful....walk out first and drill some test holes to ensure uniform ice thickness....and that means more than 0-50 feet offshore....Esox
