Smith: A lack of ice is causing fits for Wisconsin anglers and business owners to start the new year

A meme is circulating on the internet with an image of the sinister-looking, green-skinned title character from Dr. Suess' "How The Grinch Stole Christmas."

It is accompanied by the text: "Stole ice fishing, too."

It sums up the feelings of many ice anglers and business owners in Wisconsin as the winter of 2023-24 gets off to an abnormally warm start.

From the Great Lakes to small inland ponds, from Kenosha to Superior, the ice fishing season has been plagued by a lack of its essential ingredient.

As of Wednesday many Wisconsin waters and particularly larger, deeper lakes have no ice at all, a strange sight for the first week of January.

"It's driving ice anglers crazy," said Mike Smith of Dick Smith's Live Bait and Tackle in Delafield. "It's not good for our business, either."

Smith said Wednesday none of the popular ice fishing lakes in southeastern Wisconsin had sufficient ice to support foot travel, let alone ATVs or snowmobiles.

"We always pray for good, walkable ice between Christmas and New Year's Day when kids are off school and people are off work," Smith said. "That obviously didn't happen. Ice fishing is a substantial part of our livelihood, it's just so incredibly popular. So it's hard on everybody to not have conditions to support it."

Poor, late or no ice is a constant theme this winter in the Upper Midwest.

Most scientists attribute this winter's ice conditions to a combination of El Niño, a weather cycle that typically results in warmer winters in Wisconsin, and the larger, long-term issue of climate change.

As the calendar turned to 2024, average ice cover across the Great Lakes was 0.4%, the lowest documented in the 50 years it's been tracked. The average for Jan. 1 is 9% ice cover, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.

As of Wednesday, Lake Mendota, one of the most-studied waters in the world for ice formation and duration, was free of ice. The average freeze date for the lake is Dec. 20, according to records kept since 1852.

When it will be covered in ice this year is anyone's guess. It froze on March 4 in the winter of 2001-02 and Jan. 30 in the winter of 1931-32.

The trend in the data set is clear, though. And it's not favorable for hard-water anglers.

Lake Mendota's average ice duration is 102 days, but the five-year average is 83.

Dangerous ice conditions cause fishing tournaments to be canceled around Wisconsin

The ice conditions have caused many ice fishing tournaments scheduled for this weekend to be canceled.

The 12th annual Tichigan Sno-N-Go Ice Fishing Jamboree is scheduled for Saturday. Organizers announced Wednesday "there may not be ice but the Jamboree will go on! There will be tons of great raffles and meat raffles all day as well as live music."

Farther north Comfort Cove Resort in Phillips also canceled an ice fishing event scheduled for Saturday.

"After checking the ice we don't feel comfortable hosting the January 6th Ice Fishing Tournament," the resort announced over social media. "We will put all efforts in the Feb. 3rd tournament."

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John Carlson, a fishing guide and owner of Ross's Sport Shop and Guide Service in Phillips who has been preaching restraint for the last several weeks, agreed with the decision.

"As a business that feeds off of ice fishing this is a blow to a usually busy weekend but it is the best decision and in the best interest of our customers," Carlson said Wednesday. "Not saying the ice isn't good enough to fish on, just not safe to host a tournament."

He is advocating for foot traffic only on the marginal ice conditions of lakes in his area. Further, he said anyone venturing on the ice should use a spud, wear flotation, carry ice spikes and a rope and travel with another person.

"We're not asking you to stay off the ice, just use your head and be safe," Carlson said.

Small Wisconsin businesses threatened by abnormally warm winter

Carlson said the poor ice conditions have hurt his business, which typically makes about one-third of its ice fishing sales between Christmas and New Years Day. This year sales during that period were down by 50%, he said.

The conditions have resulted in some firsts. Carlson said he sold more minnows Dec. 26 to anglers who planned to fish from boats or shore in open water than he sold to ice anglers.

"I never would have thought that," he said, referring to the open water fishing sales so late in the year. "I feel for all the businesses that depend on the ice and snow right now."

Carlson recommended people support local businesses that rely on winter recreation, including bars and restaurants.

"Go out to dinner even if it's not on your sled, or even stop and buy a gift certificate from a retailer," he said. "I've been here for a long time so we will ride out this bump in the road, but that may not be the story for everyone."

In another unprecedented happening, Flambeau Forest Inn posted a photo of a boat fishing open water Dec. 28 on Connors Lake in Sawyer County.

Loren Eiseley famously wrote: "If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water."

For those of us in the Upper Midwest, that phrase has rung true at least partly because of the substance's ability to turn solid.

Multitudes of anglers and tackle shop owners are now wishing the same wish: Bring on the hard water.

Ice safety tips from the Wisconsin DNR

Recreational safety officers with the Department of Natural Resources say no ice is completely safe. But to help avoid accidents, they recommend:

Dress warmly in layers.

Don't go alone. Head out with friends or family. Take a cell phone if available, and make sure someone knows where you are and when you are expected to return.

Know before you go. Don't travel in areas you are not familiar and don't travel at night or during reduced visibility. Local bait and tackle shops or other businesses are often good sources of information.

Avoid inlets, outlets or narrow that may have current that can thin the ice.

Look for clear ice, which is generally stronger than ice with snow on it or bubbles in it.

Carry some basic safety gear: ice claws or picks, a cellphone in a waterproof bag or case, a life jacket and length of rope.

For more information on ice safety, visit dnr.wi.gov.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Warm winter hurting Wisconsin ice fishing enthusiasts, businesses