Lake Winnebago ice fishing shanty blows away: video

FOND DU LAC, Wis. - Strong winds on Lake Winnebago are causing trouble for sturgeon spearers – viewer video from Wednesday, Feb. 15 shows an ice fishing shanty blow across the ice. 

Jason Bellmer shared video with FOX6 News that shows his shanty slide across the ice. He followed it on a UTV going around 8 mph, and said it blew a few miles before he was able to stop it and move it back toward shore.

"Here we are chasing shanties across the lake," Bellmer says in the video.

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It was a bad day for sturgeon spearers on the Lake Winnebago system overall. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said 11 were speared – the slowest day since 2019, and none of the fish were over 100 pounds.

Why was it so slow? The weather and changing lake conditions that sent Bellmer's shanty sliding are a factor. The DNR said, with colder weather on the way overnight, there may be an increase in activity Thursday.