Ice shove season on Lake Winnebago came early, sturgeon spearers disappointed
CALUMET COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) – Ice shoves made a surprise appearance along the shoreline of Lake Winnebago this week.
Amber Lee is a sturgeon spearer from Appleton who said her family will not be out sturgeon spearing the first weekend of the season because she feels that it is too unsafe with the current ice conditions.
“Normally I sturgeon spear with my dad and my grandfather every year,” explained Lee. “It’s disappointing in a way just because you don’t get a chance to go out there and do what you enjoy doing, especially growing up hunting and fishing and all that kind of stuff.”
Most ice shoves don’t occur until later in the year so Lee told Local 5’s Samantha Petters she isn’t happy to see the impact of the unseasonably warm temperatures ahead of the sturgeon spearing season.
“To see it in February is just really isn’t the norm so it’s kinda cool to see but also it’s not ideal,” said Lee.
Scott Broehm is a sturgeon spearer from Stockbridge and is even more disheartened by the ice shoves.
“I don’t like it,” stated Broehm. “I’ve been spearing out here for 47 years and I’ve never ever seen a year like this before.”
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Broehm took Friday off to get a head start on the season with a group of friends, which he says is a very special time.
“It’s a tradition and a lot of families do this,” said Boehm. “This is their vacation what they do for a winter break with their kids.”
He encouraged other spearers to keep in contact with their local fishing clubs in the coming weeks to stay up-to-date on ice conditions.
