Every winter fisherman has heard stories. Some have had the misfortune of experiencing that horrifying slip and icy splash themselves.
Longtime fishing buddies Jim Kliethermes and Bill Wilson can easily recall a scare a few years ago. While angling in some chilly weather, another partner slipped from a standing position on the edge of their boat. In seconds, he was in the freezing water.
"It was quick," Kliethermes said.
The pair struggled for several minutes to retrieve their friend, desperate and thrashing. Eventually, they managed to pull him by the legs, then the rest of his torso. His terrified mental state - while understandable - didn't help. Neither did his heavy gear.
"It's hard getting someone out when they're wet and wearing boots," Wilson said.
The duo recalled the incident while preparing for an early-morning crappie fishing excursion at Lake of the Ozarks.
They take safety precautions to avoid further scares in the water.
"We have life jackets, and we just be as careful as we can, because it's no fun going in," Kliethermes said.
First responders recommend life jackets year-round to prevent drowning. In the wintertime, falling into the water can bring another danger - hypothermia.
While the lake certainly receives fewer visitors in the winter than summer, it's rarely empty.
At nearby Sunrise Beach, Fire Chief Dennis Reilly sees fishermen every day in colder months. He advises them to use caution.
"If you're gonna go out in the boat in cold weather, wear a life jacket," he said. "If you don't have a personal flotation device on, you're gonna be in trouble pretty quick."
Anglers without a boat - or anyone else visiting a lake or river - might notice when the surface has frozen. When is it safe to walk across?
Not often.
"There's a saying in the rescue business that no ice is safe ice," Reilly said.
That means just because the body of water is frozen at the moment, it won't necessarily stay that way. For example, if the temperature only recently dipped below 32 degrees or the sun is beating down strongly, the ice might not be as solid as it appears.
"You certainly need to follow the weather forecast," Reilly said. "I would not get out on ice if there have been any temperature fluctuations in the last few days. If the temperatures have been freezing for several days, there's more of a chance that it's solid."
The Missouri Department of Conservation recommends people avoid walking on any ice less than 4 inches thick. That's difficult to measure when you're above it, though.
"Keep in mind recent weather and how that impacts ice thickness," department spokesman Robert Hemmelgarn said.
First responders also advise advance planning as many details of an outdoor winter excursion as possible, then leaving that itinerary with a friend or family member.
"We advise people to make a detailed plan and give it to a third party who is not coming so if you don't come back they know where and when to look for you," Hemmelgarn said.
Don't think, "Why bother? I have my phone for emergencies." Service can be shaky in some isolated outdoor areas, and a cellphone in your pocket won't be of much use if it falls with you into icy water.
"The Department of Conservation wants people to get out and enjoy nature all year long," Hemmelgarn said. "There are great opportunities to enjoy nature in the winter, but we want to make sure people are safe and take appropriate precautions."
After all, plenty of fish are still biting.
Glen Young, another Lake of the Ozarks angler, remembers when his brother slipped on some ice and fell out of their boat about 10 years ago. Thankfully, he survived.
"We just pulled him right back into the boat and he was fine," Young said.
Undeterred from that scare, the 54-year-old Rolla man was hoping to catch some crappie when the News Tribune caught up with him.
"There's good fishing in the winter," he said.