Thin ice prevalent on Lake Winnebago as sturgeon spearing nears

STOCKBRIDGE - In the "sturgeon center of the world" in Stockbridge, the excitement is building for this year's season.

"It's a big, big boost for everybody around, it brings a lot of people into town and financially it is big," said Dave Levknecht, owner of Gobbler's Knob Supper Club in Stockbridge.

The season is just days away but down on the Lake Winnebago shore, optimism for a good season is vanishing.

"I'd say we are going to see a three-quarter percent drop in number of people and no vehicle travel and that will cut into the numbers," said Mark Ecker of the Quinney Fishing Club.

With just a week to go before sturgeon spearing starts, normally there are hundreds of ice shacks out on Lake Winnebago, but local fishing clubs say the thin ice is a bad sign that may keep many people off the lake altogether.

The story is similar at other places around the lake.

Ryan Kamba of Chilton made several signs for the Quinney Fishing Club, warning people venturing out on the lake of the dangers of the thin ice. It's a warning many may have never seen before on Lake Winnebago this time of year.

"They drilled a hole right here and we had 12 inches of ice and then we went a couple hundred yards away and we had six or six and a half inches of ice at the time," said Ryan Kamba of Chilton.

Fewer shanties on the ice mean fewer fishermen, spectators and less business in a town that lives for sturgeon spearing season. But no matter what happens next weekend on the ice, Dave Levknecht knows off the ice one thing is a sure thing.

"The beer will be cold," he said.