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Madison, Wisconsin — The most popular winter sports in the United States are skiing and snowboarding, but in much of Wisconsin, ice fishing.
Stephen and Rosa Owen are hardcore anglers from the Madison area. Stephen said he’s been fishing in Wisconsin for over 30 years and this year will be different.
“Yeah, in 32 years of fishing in Monona Bay, I think this is probably the worst year for weed in the bay, without exception,” said Stephen Owen.
(Spectrum News 1/Cody Taylor)
Over the past half century, temperatures in areas like Green Bay and Milwaukee have increased by an average of 6 degrees Fahrenheit.
This winter, warming has kept the ice thin, and algae and seaweed high, according to Owen.
“The sun has set and the weeds are just maintaining structure, literally growing to the bottom of the ice,” Stephen Owen said.
A thick underwater brush provides the fish with a perfect place to hide from the Owen Family fishing line.
“So the fact that it is already the end of January here and the weeds have reached the ice bottom is disappointing because we want to make sure we catch the fish that are here,” said Rosa Owen.
This weekend is one of the free fishing weekends hosted by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Theresa Stabo, angler outreach program specialist at DNR, said she was very concerned about ice thickness heading into the weekend.
(Spectrum News 1/Cody Taylor)
“I surveyed the area a few days ago and was very concerned about the ice conditions.
DNR wants to remind the public that ice is not 100% safe.
Follow this link on how to check if the ice is safe before you go fishing.
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