What do you do for fun in northern Wisconsin during the winter? We can go skiing, snowshoeing, or snowmobiling. We love hanging out in our favorite pub, coffee shop, local brewery, or distillery. There, we play cribbage and cheer for our favorite sports teams. For many, ice fishing in Wisconsin is a popular choice.
Ice Fishing Contest
Above is a temporary village. Complete with trucks, cars, ATV’s, snowmobiles, campers, and ice shacks. Lions Club trailers are selling grilled burgers, brats, fries, and cold Wisconsin beverages. Hundreds of men, women, and children sit on lawn chairs, camping chairs, and plastic buckets. They are staring at holes drilled in the ice, waiting for a tiny bobber to disappear below the ice. Perhaps a tip-up flag springs up, announcing something has taken the bait. All of this is setting on a sheet of ice on a lake.
There is a check-in station for the biggest fish. Today is the Siren, Wisconsin Lions Club 27th Annual Whopper Ice Fishing Contest on Clam Lake. I decided to bring camera gear. I chose it over ice fishing gear. My plan was to catch a few winning images instead of a winning fish.
Searching for the Essence
From a distance, I picked out a particular couple of ice shacks. I thought they represented the traditional abode used by these hardy ice-fishing souls of the northwoods. Something more familiar to those who remember the movie, Grumpy Old Men. A movie that comes to mind when the topic of ice fishing in Wisconsin is discussed.
In Wisconsin, there is a particular scene that is so ubiquitous with the state. Whether it be at a Packers game, Brewers game, or Badger game. It could be a holiday, picnic, or camping. It can happen any day, anywhere, for any reason. It’s known as tailgating. Wisconsinites have elevated tailgating to a fine art. And in doing so, we have expanded it to nearly every outdoor activity where family and friends congregate, including a day on the ice.
And so It was no surprise when this wonderful family invited a stranger to join them for a beverage. A stranger walking by with a camera hanging around his neck. A friendly gesture so often offered by Wisconsinites. Even if you’re at the ballpark or stadium wearing the wrong team jersey (usually). Like a stranger expecting to be offered our last beverage, we have our limits.
Ice fishing can be for the whole family
It didn’t take long for the real star of the Cederberg family to stand out. Little Oakley stole the show!
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This is what a family day on the ice is all about. This is what we do for fun while ice fishing in northern Wisconsin during the winter!
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