DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — In Door County, anglers are starting to ice fish, but it’s still early, and ice safety is more important than ever as ice begins forming near the shore.
In Little Sturgeon Bay, ice shanties are already set up.
Watch below as we speak with a local angler and officials to learn more about how to stay safe on the ice:
The Door County Sheriff’s Office doesn’t recommend fishing yet, as the ice continues to thicken.
"The biggest problem we see with ice rescues is the early ice and typically the late ice," Chief Deputy Kyle Vesser said.
Last year, there were thirteen ice rescues during the ice fishing season.
"When there's a strong south wind, we’re probably going to have an ice rescue," Vesser said.
Gary Nault has been in the fishing business since the 1980s and warns that ice fishing can become risky very quickly.
"You get a windy day from whichever direction you came off the ice, and it can move the ice away from shore, leaving you 50 feet from land," Gary Nault said.
Every now and then, the ice on the Sturgeon Bay Canal could be heard cracking.
"Last year, I had a shack on the ice less than two weeks. I was down south, and my brother called to say we were taking our shacks off it was too dangerous," Nault said.
Nault and the sheriff’s office advise never going on the ice alone, making sure someone knows your whereabouts, and always checking the wind direction.
The DNR says that no ice is completely safe. If you plan to go out, check that morning with your local angler or bait shop to get the latest information on ice conditions.
