SHAWANO LAKE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — As we mark the third week of March, the ice fishing campaign is certainly winding down. That includes Shawano Lake, which is about an hour Northwest of Green Bay.
“For the three people that go out there, yeah, they’re doing good. But you’re talking maybe three people a day go out. Just that’s the way it is this time of year,” said Cory Kuhn, Kuhn’s Bait and Tackle Palace Owner.
About a quarter mile off the western shoreline, Dennis Van Rossum is working for panfish.
“My brother thought they were going to be biting, and that’s the only reason we’re trying it. We tried our luck up north, and we didn’t have too much luck, and we thought maybe we had some time. That’s what we’re doing,” said Dennis Van Rossum, Kaukauna.
His fishing friend Dave Vander Velden says he caught one crappie, so far.
“We come out here in March, usually all the time, and it’s always been better than this. Nobody around, trying to get some fish,” said Dave Vander Velden, Kaukauna.
The anglers say there are about 8-12 inches of ice in the area. And for the most part, the two had this part of the 6,200-acre lake to themselves Tuesday morning.
“This is probably one of the warmer winters I remember,” said Kuhn.
At Kuhn’s Bait and Tackle Palace, the owner says when it comes to the weather, it’s been a season filled with ups and downs.
“I actually had people come in here, in the middle of February with a boat to go fishing on the river in a boat in the middle of February. Never have I seen that in my life,” Kuhn said.
Kuhn says March typically is a good time to catch panfish, and not deal with extreme weather conditions.
“A lot of people said, I think we almost got more rain this winter than we had snow. Except for the last couple of weeks, where we got all kinds of snow,” he said.
Back on the frozen surface, the group says they know their days on the Shawano Lake ice are numbered.
“It’s like you say, the last hurrah, for the year, So we’re hoping to catch a lucky day, and catch a few,” said Van Rossum.
Experts say no ice is ever considered to be 100 percent safe, and checking with bait shops for conditions is always a good idea.
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