NE WISCONSIN (WTAQ-WLUK) – In Suamico, a fisherman died after being found unresponsive on the Bay of Green Bay. And in Kewaunee, the body of a fisherman was pulled from the Kewaunee River Monday morning, after he failed to return home Sunday.
Authorities say both men fell through the ice.
These incidents are tragic reminders of how unpredictable ice conditions can be — especially this time of year. Even experts, familiar with ice conditions, are telling people to stick to the shoreline.
Looks of solid ice on waterways like Green Bay can be deceiving. And in some cases, tragic.
Tom Drzewiecki is in the ice recovery business. He was one of the first people to reach the man who fell through the ice on Green Bay Monday night.
According to Drzewiecki, “We got him, put a rope around him and started dragging him in. CPR was performed all the way to shore. We must have fell in five, six times getting to shore.”
The Brown County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Tuesday morning that despite lifesaving measures, the man who had been ice fishing on the Bay died.
The ice conditions, according to local experts and first responders, just aren’t good enough right now for people — including experienced anglers — to be venturing out on it.
“We’ve had some nice warm weather in December, I’m not going to complain about that. But the ice is not safe at this time. We need that, those zero temperatures during the day and at night to make some good solid ice,” said Chief Joe Bertler with the Suamico Fire Department.
Further south, there is some ice on the bays of Lake Winnebago, but not enough to bring many anglers out. A lone tent sits about 30 yards from shore.
“I have fish in my freezer, so I don’t have to rush. I would like to be out there, but not yet. Nope. It’s a little bit early for me. It’s just not worth it,” Tony Galica Jr. of Oshkosh said from the shore.
The lake itself has too much open water too. In fact, the ice that is on it shifted from the west shore toward the east in just a day.
Winds and warmer weather are making conditions too unpredictable.
“I’m not going out there. I deal with bad ice conditions all the time when someone falls through and I fall through and I know how cold it is. I’m not doing that, not for a fish,” said Don Herman, owner of Sunk? Dive and Ice Service.
He’s been monitoring the ice conditions on Lake Winnebago. While they say the fish at first ice are the best, he knows it’s too dangerous, especially this time of year, to even think about heading out.
Herman added, “It’s early. I mean, a lot of times right around Christmas is when we start venturing out with walking and four wheelers, so remember it’s a couple of weeks early yet.”
And while rescue crews will respond, should the unthinkable happen, they really hope people think twice before heading out onto the ice.
Even if conditions improve for ice making, it’s important to remember ice is never 100% safe.
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