DE PERE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — High winds and high waters made conditions dangerous Tuesday near the Fox River in the Green Bay area, and closer to the De Pere Dam, there’s more open water.
Ducks were bobbing in the rolling waves at Voyageur Park in De Pere, A weekend warm up is having an impact on the Fox River’s ice in the area.
“Sunday was 45 degrees, and so you could start seeing black ice there,” said Jeff Tilkens, Smokey’s on the Bay.
At Smokey’s on the Bay, Tilkens gives advice about fishing and ice conditions. He says it starts with the De Pere Dam.
“Our river flows north, and so you got all that water melting from the Winnebago system, all the way up here. And so that current really deteriorates the ice underneath. So, you got to really watch what you’re doing,” said Tilkens.
About a mile downstream at The Fox Point Boat Launch in De Pere, ice covered the landing area, but there were spots with open water. At Kayak Point in Allouez, the ice under the 172 bridge was empty. And about five miles more to the mouth of the Fox River, only a Bald Eagle was spotted on the frozen surface. Out in the waters of Green Bay, experts says ice conditions are slightly better closer to shore.
“But you got to watch out for, especially today, we have that northeast wind, and it’s really blowing. So, if you cross a crack, you might not make it back,” said Tilkens.
Tilkens says anglers should call the bait shop for conditions before heading out. Back at Voyageur Park, Phil Rastall says, on Tuesday, the mix of waves and wind was enough to keep him out of the elements.
“Stay inside. It’s too windy. That’s basically it. I was going to take a walk over lunch, that wind hit me, I decided to just come down here and eat my lunch, and listen to the radio,” said Phil Rastall, Green Bay.
