When the word got out among our angler buddies that we were going ice fishing, the feedback was quick and somewhat incredulous: "You will freeze your patooties off" warned more than two of our friends. "It's late February and the ice is thinning out and you will fall through the ice!" was another common retort.
Truth to tell, most of these anglers have never been east of Lake Tahoe nor any further north of Humbolt County (California). So the prospect of walking on ice, much less driving on it, is a scary thought indeed.
We traveled to Door County in northern Wisconsin to find out first-hand if any of their dire warnings had weight. Not only did we discover that there are strict regulations for when you can fish on the ice. We also got a glimpse of what die-hard ice anglers come back for year after year - a community of fisher folk who love the vast open spaces and the conviviality of a sport that demands respect for the limitations of weather and those elusive whitefish and walleye who ply the waters at as much as seventy-five feet below the surface of the ice.
Our guide for this Sturgeon Bay adventure was Captain Dale Stroschein, Owner of Wacky Walleye Guide Service in Sturgeon Bay. We had heard that Stroschein is the 'go-to' guy in these parts for anything-ice fishing-related. He definitely doesn't disappoint. We suspect that years of fishing professionally have helped Stroschein share his encyclopedic knowledge of this sport in an interesting and engaging way.
And share he does. Stroschein fielded our questions with patience and humor - the very qualities that separate the successful ice fishing guides from the wannabes. Watch our exclusive video, shot on location, to get a sense for the type of grit and grace needed to find and catch these cold water fish. It's a study in contrasts: Bundled up we drove out miles to Wacky's mobile ice shack where we fished in sauna-like conditions (thanks to propane heaters!). An arresting silence envelopes the surrounding ice that seems to stretch out forever in all directions. Only to be interrupted periodically by the punctuating sounds made by augurs that fishermen use to drill new holes in the ice.
Also watch our slide show to get a sense of the variety of structures used for ice fishing - From the simple upside-down bucket used by anglers who fish in the open to the elaborate and cozy havens where fishing is as much about chilling-out (without freezing-out) as it is about nailing a catch.
We returned home to the West Coast with great stories to share. And a new-found mission to melt those ice-bound myths that surround the sport of ice fishing.
If you go:
3798 Sand Bay Point Road, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
1-888-879-5548 (toll-free)
What does it take to be a successful fishing guide? Our companion site, the Vallejo Community Issues Examiner, features Captain Dale Stroschein in our ongoing series, The Ways We Work. You can get a free email alert as soon as we publish it by subscribing to the Vallejo Community Issues Examiner. Subscribe here.
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