TOWN OF GARDNER, WI (WTAQ) – Northeast Wisconsin has seen a variety of wind, snow, and rain so far this winter, but one component noticeably missing is the ice on bodies of water that typically form this time of year.
Throughout the waters of Green Bay and on popular fishing spots, such as Little Sturgeon Bay, plenty of open water can be seen.
“A lot of those inner harbors up in Door County have a good skim of ice on them,” says JJ Malvitz of JJ’s Guide Service. “Anywhere from four to eight inches of ice.”
While in other spots, not so much.
“But the big bay of Green Bay, which is that large expansive moving body of water, there’s still a lot of open water out there,” explains Malvitz.
A major reason why a lot of water has yet to freeze is simply due to the mild temperatures experienced throughout most parts of this winter.
“It takes a lot of cold Arctic air,” he explains. “Those teens, they help grow the ice thickness-wise, but that doesn’t really expand the ice pack across Green Bay.”
What’s needed first is a good, deep-freeze.
“You need those single digits, and below zero temperatures to really set it,” he says.
With a warm front on the horizon this isn’t exactly the news that ice fishermen, already experiencing a frustrating winter, want to hear.
But when temperatures do drop and the ice looks more stable, officials want to continue to warn fishermen about potential dangers, specifically on the bay of Green Bay.
That’s because the waters of Green Bay tend to freeze unevenly in chunks.
“What happens is where these large sheets of ice become dislodged from shore — if you’re on them, unfortunately, you kind of become marooned out on the water,” says Malvitz.
While at Riley’s Point, conditions have been unpredictable — at best.
Ron Hedsand says earlier this week there was no ice in front of the Sunset Grill.
“Two weeks ago, I got here on Friday to work, and they were actually fishing out here,” Hedsand explains.
Examples such as this back up warnings from authorities that no piece of ice is ever one-hundred percent safe.
It’s a good idea for any fisherman to do their homework and talk with a local fishing club before venturing on to any ice.
