MILWAUKEE — Setting up his ice fishing equipment close to, but not quite on Lake Michigan is how Tony Cass managed the unseasonably mild temperatures Monday.
As a professional fishing guide, for Cass, warmer weather in February is less than ideal.
“A lot of people look forward to getting on this ice. I even book trips a year in advance for people,” he said. “Some of them had to cancel unfortunately, so it was a bummer for sure."
To keep customers, Cass is having to make adjustments, like setting up his ice shack on a dock near Veterans Park in downtown Milwaukee.
He said luckily, most of his customers have been understanding, and willing to participate in the makeshift experience, but he’s still hoping the milder temperatures this winter are just a fluke.
A hope, not everyone shares.
"Warmer weather means a happier crew,” M&M Tree Care arborist Leo Schuller said.
He said their crews can get a lot more done without the freezing temperatures but admits when it comes to their heavy machinery, which can weigh more than 10,000 pounds, the cold weather is a plus.
"With the weather being colder the ground is harder so we have less issues moving heavy machinery around because it doesn't impact the ground as much,” he explained. “It doesn't damage the lawns."
That means, with softer soil, sometimes having to hold off on larger tree removal projects, or using planks and plywood to make do.
Schuller said they do what they can to get through and that’s something Cass knows all about.
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