OSHKOSH, WI -- It's a "Christmas miracle"... just not the kind many Wisconsinites were hoping for.
There's open water, from end to end, on Lake Winnebago. Without ice, the area's ice fishing industry is struggling this season.
No doubt, recreational ice fishing has a big economic impact in the region.
But Lake Winnebago is also home to a series of ice fishing tournaments, and right now the businesses that depend on them are worried.
At Fish Tales Bait and Tackle, near Asylum Bay, everything seems "very unusual," says co-owner Dawn Van Vonderen. "It's the longest downtime ever."
The racks of ice fishing poles, and jigs are anything but flying off the shelves.
"We're just praying for ice," says Van Vonderen. "Everybody is, though. This is Wisconsin, you know?"
Van Vonderen says, this time last year, they were gearing up for the rush that comes with the annual Battle on Bago ice fishing tournament.
"We had lines out the door," says Van Vonderen, adding she and her husband took shifts sleeping to be a constant supply chain to thousands of fishermen, "so this year we have to be better prepared."
At this point, it's unclear whether ice conditions will restrict one of the biggest ice fishing tournaments in the Midwest.
"10,000 fishermen coming from all over the United States, Canada," says Battle on Bago President Glenn Curran. "They spend their money here, in the hotels, bars, restaurants, gas stations. So, that one's our big one."
Curran and other organizers say they're not worried, and have faith in Lake Winnebago's ability to make ice in the right conditions.
Back at fish tales, on-line sales of custom crankbaits is how they're coping with the loss of revenue.
"If he didn't do his custom bates, we probably would've been having a hard time right now," says Van Vonderen, "you know, he does a lot of this stuff over the internet, so that keeps him very busy."
Battle on Bago has two tournaments each year -- one in the summer, the other in February.
But the winter tournament accounts for 90 percent of the non-profit's annual revenue.
