DE PERE, Wis. — Alec Schussman and Sean Wood did something Tuesday they haven’t done a lot of in the past: They were fishing open water in a boat on the Fox River in De Pere, Wis., in February.
“We heard the walleyes were biting and the river is open, so we figured we’d get the boat out and try it out for a little while,” Schussman said.
The pair made the trip to De Pere from Neenah. Schussman said they also fished from a boat last February.
“I personally like it better than ice fishing,” Schussman said. “I’m wearing the exact same thing I would be ice fishing, but it’s a lot nicer being able to open-water fish and move around a little bit.”
At a time of year when anglers are historically focused on ice fishing, they’re now fishing open waters from shore.
“I’ve been fishing most of my life and I can say I never recall a time where I was not on the ice at this time of the year,” Chase Tupper of Green Bay said. “This is a lot different. This is a first for me. Especially trying to catch perch out of a river.”
Tupper said he prefers fishing on ice at this time of the year.
“This year I was really looking forward to getting out. I maybe got out five times and didn’t have the best of luck,” he said. “You’ve got to adapt to it though.”
But some things about fishing in February — either on ice or from a boat — don’t change.
“Lots of layers. Hand warmers help,” Schussman said. “Gloves. Hats.”