The unseasonably warm up is having a negative impact around Lake Winnebago, where businesses depend on events like "Battle on Bago" to bring in money during the winter.
We've all heard that impressive figure before: Lake Winnebago is helping support a $234 million fishing industry each year. It's a figure that depends on the strength of each season.
With slush, and water now pooling on top of Lake Winnebago, it's clear why "Battle on Bago" organizers are pulling the plug on the tournament.
"They bring in 10,000 fishermen, and now we're not going to have that," says Lake Winnebago "ice master" Don Herman.
For Herman, and the members of the several fishing clubs across the lake, these are realities this year that are easy to see, and hard to swallow.
"Yeah, all the [fishing] clubs are a little upset about it, but there's nothing you can do about mother nature," says Herman. "That's just the way it is, that's what happens."
For area businesses, fewer ice fishermen are only part of the total picture of lost revenue this winter.
"We're actually right on the path for some of the snowmobiling clubs," says Jamie Karlic, a multitalented employee of Vinland Still & Grill just a few hundred yards from the lake, "but we can't really do much of that considering there's barely any snow outside right now."
Karlic says the sturgeon spearing opening weekend was slower than normal.
"Throughout the week, a lot of hardcore fishermen would go sturgeon spearing," says Karlic, "but the ice conditions were just too unsafe."
Now, Karlic says a benefit scheduled for Saturday is also in jeopardy. She says the event is supposed to be an 18-hole ice golfing tournament, helping raise money for BEAMING Inc., which helps connect adults and children with special needs with theaputic horseback riding.
"18 holes of golf out on Lake Winnebago when it's frozen over," explains Karlic. "We have golf carts going out there."
This week, Karlic says organizers are figuring out what they can save.
"So, we're going to kind of improvise, and create a new event," explains Karlic, "but [conditions] are directly impacting not only our business, but.. our organization, as well."
Area businesses are trying to stay hopeful throughout all this.
If the ice and snow are really melting this quickly, buisiness owners say that will hopefully kick-start the traditional fishing season all the sooner.
