PEWAUKEE — Despite the warm temperatures, ice fishers braved the melting conditions Monday to try to catch some fish.
James Childs and Ben Arutunian had a day off school and wanted to try their luck fishing, despite the wet conditions created by weekend temperatures that reached nearly 60 degrees.
"It's still about a foot, foot and a half, but there's just a lot of water on top," Arutunian said, pointing to weak spots where a layer of ice covered standing water.
The warm weather made fishing difficult for the teens, who said the warm conditions messed with the fish biting.
"I think the weather with it being almost 60 degrees can mess with the fish. And I think a lot of people know that but we just wanted to try it out anyways," Arutunian said.
The slippery conditions made walking on the ice a little challenging.
"It can be hard when the ice is slippery and you have no grip like cleats on," Childs said.
Watch: Ice fishers describe Pewaukee Lake conditions after car breaks through ice
Despite the melting surface, the fishermen said thick ice remained toward the middle of the lake.
"The conditions weren't great, really melty. But plenty of ice out there still," Arutunian said.
The slippery conditions came after a weekend incident where a 58-year-old man drove his Ford Bronco onto the lake Saturday night at the Pewaukee Lake boat launch. The vehicle broke through the ice, forcing the driver to crawl out through the back hatch.
Photos from the Village of Pewaukee Police Department show a local towing company pulling the fully submerged SUV from the water.
"I wouldn't drive my car out there, but I think maybe a little car would be alright. I still wouldn't do it, though," Arutunian said.
Police remind residents that ice is never 100% safe, especially during periods of fluctuating temperatures.
Larry Kempke planned to go ice fishing for the first time in years but reconsidered after seeing the melting conditions.
"I'm not going to walk out there by myself because that's bad ice safety," Kempke said.
When asked about his change in approach over the years, Kempke laughed and said, "When I was younger, I would already be halfway there. Now I'm gonna go home."
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