Keith Lusher 12.17.25
Chilly December temperatures have jump-started the ice fishing season throughout components of northeast Wisconsin, drawing anglers onto bays and smaller lakes sooner than traditional whereas security specialists urge warning.
With temperatures working 10 to fifteen levels under regular within the Fox Valley, ice has begun forming on sheltered waters akin to Little Lake Butte des Morts and bays round Lake Winnebago. Bigger our bodies of water, together with a lot of the Fox River and Lake Winnebago, stay largely open.
A number of anglers mentioned the early chilly snap pushed them onto the ice weeks forward of a typical season, which normally runs from late December by March, relying on situations. Many relied on bait retailers, native reviews, and the presence of different anglers to evaluate whether or not ice was secure sufficient to fish.
Ice fishing exercise has picked up in locations like Asylum Bay close to Oshkosh, the place anglers have begun organising early-season shanties. The stretch of frigid climate has additionally coincided with the return of the Wisconsin Ice Fishing Expo, which runs Dec. 12 by Dec. 14 on the EAA Grounds in Oshkosh.
In accordance with reporting from WFRV Native 5, Oshkosh-area ice professional Don Herman mentioned many of the ice presently forming throughout Lake Winnebago bays measures solely 2 to three inches thick.
Herman, who has spent many years plowing lakes and retrieving autos and ice shanties that fall by the ice, recommends at the very least 4 inches of ice for strolling, 6 to 10 inches for ATVs, and 12 to fifteen inches for bigger autos. He mentioned ice situations can change quickly as cracks type and temperatures fluctuate, making early-season ice particularly unpredictable.
Regardless of the dangers, native bait retailers report elevated enterprise as anglers make the most of early ice, when bigger fish typically transfer into deeper water. Store house owners and specialists alike stress that no catch is value risking a fall by skinny ice.
The Wisconsin Division of Pure Assets continues to remind anglers that no ice is ever fully secure and urges folks to verify native reviews, fish with companions, and carry security tools, akin to ice picks and flotation units, when venturing onto the ice.
