Fishermen rescued after ice sheet splits

Going out on the ice around Green Bay this time of year can be dangerous.

"The Bay is not fully iced over," says Lt. Steve Perry of the Brown County Sheriff's Office.

The fishermen found that out the hard way.

"We had a strong wind, winds of 30 miles an hour at Bay Shore Park, and it was blowing, and it cracked the ice, and it was just blowing the sheet of ice out farther into the bay," says Perry.

It took about an hour and a half from the time the distress call came in at 9:30 a.m. for the Brown County Ice Rescue Team and the Coast Guard to bring eight of the stranded men back to shore. Two others were able to walk off the ice before it got too far from safe ground.

When the rescue boats arrived, emergency personnel say the fishermen were in good spirits.

"As long as they stayed out on the middle of the ice flow, they were alright," says Perry.

Law enforcement reports the incident was the first ice rescue of the season, but crews were ready for it.

"We did a few last year, but for our guys, they are well trained," says Perry.

They also say, it probably won't be the last.

"The way the weather is and the way people want to ice fish, this is probably going to be just one of many that we are probably going to have," says Perry.

No injuries were reported.