LAKE WINNEBAGO, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – By many accounts, the ice season on Lake Winnebago is off to a slow start.
But as the surface gradually freezes, work is underway to make travel as safe as possible.
A couple hundred yards off the Lake Winnebago shoreline, members of the Quinney Fishing Club check the conditions on the Monday morning ice.
“We got 13 inches here. I think the lowest we found was 12. So anywhere from 12-14 inches,” said Adam Ecker, Quinney Fishing Club Member.
Ecker tells FOX 11 the ice looks good, but by February standards, it could be better. He says cracks in the ice typically form on the lake each season, and one runs for miles along the eastern shoreline.
“It’s a working crack, so it can move any day. A little bit of wind, temperature change, it can go wherever yet. So I wouldn’t be crossing it, jumping it if you don’t have to yet.”
The Quinney Fishing Club installed a bridge last week capable of carrying ATVs across, but road committee president Mark Ecker tells FOX 11 the area is still dangerous.
“A car went through south of here last Monday, and then a UTV went in this crack here last Tuesday.”
Ecker says colder weather is expected by the weekend. He says when the ice thickness reaches a foot around the lake, bridges designed to carry vehicles, could be installed. Plows will be out creating roads on the ice, and old Christmas trees will mark the way.
Until then, club member Jacob Schwefel says trucks should stay on shore.
“ATV only. UTV only. Snowmobiles. It’s not safe for the vehicles yet. No bridge, no tree line.”
“Just people use their head when they’re out here, and watch for cracks, and shoves and stuff like that,” said Mark Ecker.
Fishing Club members say if and when vehicles are able to travel on the ice, it’s best to keep the doors unlocked, and windows down in case there’s trouble, and those in the vehicle may have to make a quick escape.
