I went fishing just yesterday the ice was thinner then recommended standards but I did wear a PFD, brought my ice picks, extra change of clothes and thermal blanket in the car ect. Every time I caught a fishing I brought warm water up on the surface which would melt more. I was definitely prepared to fall in though. To be honest i'm surprised how strong 2.5 inches of ice is. When I arrived there was already a couple guys that were walking around fishing on the lake.
https://youtu.be/486pjEN2A2c
Plan was to not run on the ice but the excitement with a fish on just blows that rule out the window