MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – The DNR reported fewer deer numbers this year, but that’s not the only hunting season being affected by warmer winters. Ice fishing in the UP has always followed the entrance of a long winter, however, the DNR is seeing that the ice isn’t thick enough to support this long-standing tradition.
On top of warmer temperatures, the snow on the lakes can act as an insulation layer that keeps the ice from freezing.
The DNR said its biggest worry ahead of this warmer winter season isn’t the amount of snow, but the variability in water movement and temperature from lake to lake that might keep the ice from freezing fully.
“Conditions can not only vary between lakes but they can also vary on an individual lake you have to take something like a stick or a spud or a ski pole or something and poke ahead as you go out and test the ice as you go,” commented DNR Public Information Officer John Pepin.
For more information on licensing and regulations with fishing in the state, click here.
