FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – With the second day of sturgeon spearing in the books, some people are already taking their shanties off the lake.
Shawn Schodrow spoke to WLUK as he moved his shanty closer to shore Sunday afternoon.
“I think last year’s first weekend was better than this year’s first weekend”
Schodrow and his friends have been sturgeon spearing together for years.
“It’s nice camaraderie, we all get together and do the same thing every year, but the conditions are bad out there, especially today”
However, this year’s opening weekend wasn’t what the three men were expecting.
“We decided to pull off a little bit early just because of the high winds and the lake is kind of busting up bit,” explained Mark Rymer.
“It’s going to get a little dangerous here in the next week,” explained Don Herman, with Sunk? Dive and Ice Service.
Herman said people heading out on the ice need to be careful of the changing ice conditions and also need to keep an eye out for spearing holes.
“The holes that they cut they mark with sticks, well in the warm weather they fall over. And so you’re going to have to be careful and remember there’s going to be 12-13,000 holes cut out there”
Herman added the warmer weather could also change how people drive to out to their shanties.
“I think it’ll be four-wheelers for the rest of the season, I’m thinking most of the clubs will be pulling their bridges by next weekend”
The DNR’s Davis Bartz said pulling those bridges out could impact the number of people heading out on the ice next weekend.
“It’ll kind of limit the areas they can get to because depending on where the cracks are, they can’t get over the cracks then they’re kind of limited on movement and where they can go”
The season is scheduled to last through the end of the month.
