Your 'idea' of solid ice and mine are very different Chris. Same with EVERYONE reading online.
I got a damp sock and shoe on Sunday right at shore on a lake that was "reported" to have 4" of ice. I hadn't even put my gear on yet to go fishing as I wanted to check the area 1st (no point in me over heating and my spot to test was safe). So right at shore I put a foot on the ice and I broke through. Due to the 1/2" or less of snow on it I couldn't tell from the dock I was on how thick it was. So I put a foot on it while holding on to things around me to not fall in. Yup, weak ice where someone posted the lake was safe. I knew in my mind the ice was thin as I could see warning signs telling me so but I still tested that one spot. This was an area posted as 'OK ice' online. I went another 15 min away on the same lake to find 6" to 4" from shore to 50' away from shore. Spud bar, floater suit and boots on then.
Never take what is posted online as "word". If you really want to go ice fishing then you need to gear up and do the drive and testing all on your own. Unless (and this is rare) a knowledgeable friend lives close to your intended fishing location and has tested it in the last 12/24 hours and tells you 1st hand what they found. Me, I like being told what they may have found but I still want to know 1st hand because it's me in danger out there 100% of the time.