QUINNEY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – With sturgeon spearing season less than two weeks away, another mild start to another expected mild week has warning signs appearing on parts of the eastern shoreline on Lake Winnebago.
“We have some samples we cut out of the lake. There’s 13-and-a-half inches here. If you look close, and see the water at the end of it. And then, we got a chunk here. It’s good black ice out there we cut. There’s 11 inches of ice. When we took it out there, you could see the air bubbles, and water coming out of there too. So, the ice is getting saturated,” said Mark Ecker, Quinney Fishing Club Plowing Committee President.
Ecker says the Monday morning sample is an example of the ice conditions along the section of Lake Winnebago’s eastern shoreline.
“There’s open water yet, like 3.5 miles off of Twilight Beach Road Landing . And there’s one like, 3/4 a mile off Stockbridge Harbor. There’s some off High Cliff, north of Faro Springs. There’s some everywhere, north of here.”
A warning sign greets those venturing onto Lake Winnebago at Quinney. Fishing Club member Jacob Schwefel says ice conditions in the area are far from ideal.
“Definitely walking out, and snowmobiles and UTVs, no vehicles. We won’t have any of our club trucks out there. No bridges.”
Fishing club members say time is ticking. Sturgeon spearing season opens in less than two weeks.
“There’s definitely going to be people out there spearing. But it’s not going to be as safe as other years,” said Schwefel.
“I’m sure dedicated ones will. The die-hards will be out there. With, hopefully not vehicles, but side-by-sides. I’m sure someone will even walk out,” said Ecker.
Experts say no ice is ever considered to be 100% safe. The sturgeon spearing season begins on Feb. 10.
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