OSHKOSH, Wis. — Hundreds of fishermen headed out to Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh, Wis. on Saturday for the 16th Battle on Bago.

Mike Mcrae made the trip for the fishing tournament from Illinois with friends and family. He said he was excited for a fish to bite.

“This is our first time doing Battle on Bago. We’ve been talking about doing it for years, but we actually committed to it this year,” said Mcrae.

He said there haven’t been too many opportunities to ice fish in his state and wanted to take advantage of the more favorable conditions in Wisconsin.

“We got about 12 inches over here — fairly close to the shoreline — maybe a couple more a little further out,” he said. “Fish [have] been slow, definitely slow; [we have been] trying all kinds of combinations but nothing seems to be working. We got one perch so far.”

Anthony Dziondziakowski, who is taking part in his second Battle on Bago this year, said he thinks the milder winter has affected turnout at this year’s event.

“Not that many fish this year. There’s a lot less people out here. You can’t really bring your vehicle and many parking spots,” said Dziondziakowski.

After the fish are caught and weighed, they are then placed on a leaderboard, where ice fishermen can win prizes. The event offers thousands of dollars in prizes.

Todd Reuss sits on the board of directors for Battle on Bago. He said he believes milder winters can have a positive effect on the event and ice fishing in general.

“It presented more awareness and I think a lot of these fishermen are paying attention. I would imagine that people would literally just drive out there without a care in the world, just hoping that the ice is safe, but this year, a lot of guys are paying attention and we really haven’t had any issues at all,” said Reuss.

No matter how slow it was for Mcrae, he said he’s glad he came out.

“It’s a good family event. It brings family and friends together. It breaks up the winter. That’s probably a big one: Something to do. We are a little bit south of here, so it’s really hit or miss on how often we get to do it,” said Mcrae.

While weather conditions may vary from year to year, the goal of Battle on Bago has stayed consistent: To raise funds for kids in conservation to teach the next generation the importance of protecting the environment.