I fish up here in the Belfast area. I've been out Saturdays and Sundays for the past 3 or 4 weekends. There isn't a ton of ice, but it's definitely safe on the small ponds.

My suggestion would be go to IFW's website and look up the stocking reports for your county (if you're looking for trout). You'll notice the bodies that get fewer numbers of stocked fish are often tiny ponds that provide lots of opportunity to catch some fish and lock up far before the big lakes that are often more popular.