Coast Guard rescues 66 people stranded on ice in Wisconsin.
Growing up in Michigan, I learned ice fisherman are a separate class of idiots. In winter, huge ice chunks and floes on Lake Michigan break apart, shifting dangerously. Foolish men drive trucks onto the ice, plunge through and drown.
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin- "They were stranded on three separate chunks of ice that detached from the shore. High winds associated with an approaching winter storm pushed the floes further from shore. No one was injured.
"The U.S. Coast Guard worked with local and state agencies to rescue 66 fishermen who were stranded on three separate ice chunks that became detached from the shore Thursday in Door County, Wisconsin.
"The ice broke about a half mile off shore and created a 1,000-foot gap between ice chunks and rough water, first responders told Green Bay ABC affiliate WBAY.
"Coast Guard Ice Rescue teams from Sturgeon Bay, Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay, two helicopters from Traverse City, Michigan, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and local government agencies assisted in the rescue, which took four hours to complete.
"Helicopter crews lowered rescue swimmers to the ice to help coordinate the rescues as local first responders and the Coast Guard's ice boats arrived."
"The Door County Sheriff's Office urged everyone to use caution on the ice as weather conditions changed with the snow and wind.
"The Ephraim Firefighters Association Chief Justin MacDonald shared a strong warning for others on Facebook Thursday.
"No fish is worth getting injured, you also are placing every emergency responder in danger for your actions," said MacDonald.
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10 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Idiots is all too fitting, especially when the ice fishermen go out onto a huge lake like Michigan. I lived in Madison, WI for many years, and ice fishing is also quite common there. You can tell the smart ones right away, they were the ones that only fished areas like Squaw Bay on Lake Monona, because the max depth is only 8 ft. You can still catch fish, but you can also get out of the water if you fall in. Might have been illegal to drive onto the ice in Madison, I never saw anyone do it.
alliwant
Level 7
Feb 6, 2021
1
There are times when I think just sending thoughts and prayers is the most economical option, this would be one of those times. 
It does bring to mind an incident in Ontario, Canada (yes we have idiot fishermen too) a decade or so back where over a dozen vehicles went through the ice and to the bottom when ice fishermen decided to park side by each like they were in a parking lot. The ice finally gave way and the vehicles sank, the environmental clean up cost a small fortune. This supports my theory that you have to be pretty stupid to find a challenge in trying to outwit and capture a creature with a fish size brain.
Surfpirate
Level 9
Feb 5, 2021
1
Loved that. They should put that in their warnings instead of reminding them they are endangering first responders. Msybe better to give a number to call if they get stuck so they can pray for them. And don specify exactly what they woul pray for.
RE: "...ice fisherman are a separate class of idiots..."
....it took me about 15 minutes to recover from repeated bouts of hyterical laughter!
Carlos
CarlosG903
Level 6
Feb 5, 2021
3
Glad you like my sense of humor.
@LiterateHiker Hi Kathleen,
On your sense of humor...
<Forrest Gump accent> "you sure do have a way of saying things" 
Thank you!
@CarlosG903 Your right there in a good way
I don’t think Lake Superior ever freezes enough to fish on, however there are a small group of people who will actually go surfing when the wind gets high enough. Duluth, MN
[amp.wdio.com]
Marcie1974
Level 8
Feb 5, 2021
3
Minnesotan here.... I used to go ice fishing with my dad when I was a kid. I refused to ride in the car out to the fish house and would walk behind. It was a 1974 LTD so big and heavy. It always creeped me out hearing the ice crack too. In addition to fish houses, cars, snowmobiles, and ATV falling through the ice, there’s also the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Marcie1974
Level 8
Feb 5, 2021
2
This is worse than stupid. One of my mothers neighbors lost 3 boats in the Moriches Inlet on the South Shore of Long Island during windy and rough conditions..........for the very same reason.......to catch fish. Once is bad enough, but 3?
The mind boggles.
CuddyCruiser
Level 8
Feb 5, 2021
2
But....but....it’s fish
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