Madison, Wisconsin is sometimes referred to as the Four Lakes City…referencing the four major lakes in the city. Part of its charm is that two of the lakes are right downtown buffeting the city center including the State Capitol building into an Isthmus. The largest of the lakes, Lake Mendota (9,842 Acres) occupies the northern end of the Isthmus while Lake Monona (3,274 Acres) is on the south end of the Isthmus with yet a smaller bay cut out by a roadway (John Nolen Drive) and a train track.
The lakes provide Madison residents a vibrant aquatic cultural recreation both in the summer and winter season. This winter as most winters, the lakes freeze over forming a huge surface area for all kinds of sporting activities. Lake Monona seems to be the most favored as you find folks carve out ice-hockey rinks, or skating rinks and having fun with the sports they enjoy.
This season, as in many other seasons past, some ingeniously creative folks, remake a tradition that has endured since 1979. They create a huge head and crown of the statue of liberty in the middle of the lake, giving the impression that she is submerged in ice to the chin. While you can enjoy the view from the shores of the lake, the thick ice cover assures everyone the security to walk up to the statue over a hundred yards into the lake. As incongruous as this might look to non-resident Madisonians, just about another hundred yards away further from this sculpture last weekend, you saw some hardy families and friends lounging in lawn chairs on the ice, having a beverage and gazing into the brilliantly cool horizon as though they were sitting in their backyards gazing at the stars.
By far the most popular winter activity on the frozen lakes is Ice-Fishing. I ventured out consecutively for the last two weekends to join other hardy fellows ice-fishing. Majority of the area fishermen and women seem to prefer the bay end of Lake Monona. Close to hundred people or more are scattered all over the lake surface, some clearly in the elements sitting on an upturned bucket or easy chairs fishing while others go the whole nine-yards with heated tents and other sophisticated gears to keep the cold away and fish in luxury, I might add. One common denominator among folks is a cooler of beer sitting at an arms length.
An instant fishing buddy, I met on the frozen lake, Phil from a nearby city, Janesville, while not tenting, had some cool gadgets of his own, including gas powered machinery to drill a hole through the ice for the fishing lines. He also had a lunchbox-size gadget with a computerized surface to monitor the movement of fish underwater and alert you when the fish starts flirting or chomping at the bait and sometimes when it actually swallows the hook in the process. Such sonar tracking devise allows for guys to shoot the breeze without fixating on the lines.
The camaraderie on the ice is like no other. Strangers are instantly transformed into good friends, as people freely trade stories and fishing tips. Even the generosity of sharing was evident with people easily lending their tools, or handing over their meager catch to one person to boost someone’s harvest than each person taking home a couple of fish that would not make a full meal for them. Until early Spring when the ice on the frozen lake starts cracking, and getting thinner, we will keep the spirit of ice fishing in Madison going strong! When next you are up in Madison during the season, ice-cold beer or beverage of your choice is on me…. on the frozen lake of course.
Madison, Wisconsin is sometimes referred to as the Four Lakes City…referencing the four major lakes in the city. Part of its charm is that two of the lakes are right downtown buffeting the city center including the State Capitol building into an Isthmus. The largest of the lakes, Lake Mendota (9,842 Acres) occupies the northern end of the Isthmus while Lake Monona (3,274 Acres) is on the south end of the Isthmus with yet a smaller bay cut out by a roadway (John Nolen Drive) and a train track.
The lakes provide Madison residents a vibrant aquatic cultural recreation both in the summer and winter season. This winter as most winters, the lakes freeze over forming a huge surface area for all kinds of sporting activities. Lake Monona seems to be the most favored as you find folks carve out ice-hockey rinks, or skating rinks and having fun with the sports they enjoy.
This season, as in many other seasons past, some ingeniously creative folks, remake a tradition that has endured since 1979. They create a huge head and crown of the statue of liberty in the middle of the lake, giving the impression that she is submerged in ice to the chin. While you can enjoy the view from the shores of the lake, the thick ice cover assures everyone the security to walk up to the statue over a hundred yards into the lake. As incongruous as this might look to non-resident Madisonians, just about another hundred yards away further from this sculpture last weekend, you saw some hardy families and friends lounging in lawn chairs on the ice, having a beverage and gazing into the brilliantly cool horizon as though they were sitting in their backyards gazing at the stars.
By far the most popular winter activity on the frozen lakes is Ice-Fishing. I ventured out consecutively for the last two weekends to join other hardy fellows ice-fishing. Majority of the area fishermen and women seem to prefer the bay end of Lake Monona. Close to hundred people or more are scattered all over the lake surface, some clearly in the elements sitting on an upturned bucket or easy chairs fishing while others go the whole nine-yards with heated tents and other sophisticated gears to keep the cold away and fish in luxury, I might add. One common denominator among folks is a cooler of beer sitting at an arms length.
An instant fishing buddy, I met on the frozen lake, Phil from a nearby city, Janesville, while not tenting, had some cool gadgets of his own, including gas powered machinery to drill a hole through the ice for the fishing lines. He also had a lunchbox-size gadget with a computerized surface to monitor the movement of fish underwater and alert you when the fish starts flirting or chomping at the bait and sometimes when it actually swallows the hook in the process. Such sonar tracking devise allows for guys to shoot the breeze without fixating on the lines.
The camaraderie on the ice is like no other. Strangers are instantly transformed into good friends, as people freely trade stories and fishing tips. Even the generosity of sharing was evident with people easily lending their tools, or handing over their meager catch to one person to boost someone’s harvest than each person taking home a couple of fish that would not make a full meal for them. Until early Spring when the ice on the frozen lake starts cracking, and getting thinner, we will keep the spirit of ice fishing in Madison going strong! When next you are up in Madison during the season, ice-cold beer or beverage of your choice is on me…. on the frozen lake of course.
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