The advice for most people in this brutally cold weather is to stay indoors. But some ventured out for fun.

For fans of ice fishing, the season’s short enough and many didn’t want to give up a day even if it was extremely cold.

Tom Hayward was out fishing on the ice at the Prairie Park Fishery in Cedar Rapids on New Year’s Day . He says those who fish on ice typically come prepared—wearing layers of clothing to protect from wind and cold and also carrying the right kind of equipment to stay safe on the ice.

“We’ll I prefer to have a partner with me and we keep a rope in the sled in case somebody would happen to go through the ice you can throw a rope to them,” Hayward said.

Hayward says if the wind isn’t too strong, he prefers to fish outside without using a tent. But that’s another way ice fishermen cope with the cold—portable huts and propane heaters.

The biggest safety consideration, though, isn’t the cold but the ice itself.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says you needed a minimum of three or four inches or ice for the safety of a single person and five is preferable for two people fishing together. It takes at least eight inches to safely support a vehicle on the ice like an ATV.

Hayward’s fishing partner, Matt Pratt, says the conditions weren’t so bad with the right preparations.

“If we do fish into the evening, we’ll break out the tent and get warm. If not, we’re not too far from vehicles if I need to walk up there. It saves me from setting up everything too,” he said.

The Iowa DNR cancelled the annual First Day hikes in state parks on Monday due to the subzero cold.

That probably left ice fishermen as the largest group enjoying the outdoors on this holiday.