Gov’s Fishing Opener Could Be Iced Out Of Cable

Update: The governor’s fishing opener won’t be moved, for now. Read all about it here.

For only the second time in its 48-year history, the governor’s fishing opener may have to be moved because of lingering winter ice. Both times were at the same lake.

Wisconsin Indian Head Country manager Debby Sterchy is stressed. It’s a week and a half away from the governor’s fishing opener at Lake Namakagon and the ice shows no sign of budging: “We are bound and determined to find open water somewhere.”

That probably will mean moving it southward from Cable. DNR fisheries biologist Scott Toshner says ice is at least two feet thick in the Bayfield, Ashland County area. Even so, he found out it isn’t safe ice.

“The edge of the ice was not good, this past Saturday, which was kind of surprising to me. It looked like it was tight, frozen to the edge but I actually fell through to waist-deep.”

Toshner says 60 to 70 degree days are forecast, which probably won’t be in time to save the governor’s opener May 4th.

“The ice that is there – even if you can get out to it – is probably pretty punky. With all this snow on top of the ice that’s been melting, that water is going to find the path of least resistance. So a crack or hole in the ice will be used by all that water and make that part of the ice very weak.”

The DNR and Indian Head Country will meet Thursday to decide about moving the opener. That’s rare. The governor’s opener has been around since 1965 and it’s only been moved once. But Sterchy says this ice, too, shall pass.

“Yes, I’m hoping so. It’ll probably go out a couple of days after the opener.”

Wherever it’s held, there’s no guarantee the governor will actually catch a fish. The last sitting governor to do so was Jim Doyle in 2003: ironically, he caught the fish on Lake Namakagon.