A day of ice fishing went south quickly when Sturgeon Bay opened up on strong southerly winds.

Yesterday, just before the current snow storm rolled through, 66 anglers became stranded on Lake Michigan ice floes off the coast of Wisconsin.

The incident happened as the heavy snows were moving Thursday afternoon in Door County, Wisconsin near Green Bay.

The Coast Guard, Department of Natural Resources, and local Sheriff’s office swung into action and created a massive rescue plan to get them off of the ice ahead of the storm.

It took four hours, but all the fishermen were safely brought to solid ground. No injuries were reported and the Coast Guard commander says effective training and a good rapport with local agencies made the Sturgeon Bay rescue possible.

“Today’s success is a direct result of effective training and the long-standing and close relationships with our agency partners in the greater Sturgeon Bay Area,” said Cmdr. Bryan Swintek, search and rescue coordinator for Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan, in a statement.

The Coast Guard reminds ice fishermen to be dressed properly for the frigid conditions and to be prepared for bad weather when heading out. It's also never a bad idea to have life jackets with you.

MORE TO EXPLORE: Michigan Ice Caves

 

More From 100.5 FM The River