Short Wave Spring ice is thawing earlier in lakes. What does that mean for life below the surface?
16 snips
Mar 2, 2026 
Zach Feiner, a fisheries biologist in Madison who studies lake ice timing and fish, walks the ice and explains big shifts beneath the surface. He talks about wildly variable spring thaws, how mismatched algae-to-fish timing threatens walleye, and signs of warm-water species moving in. The conversation covers on-ice research methods and tough choices for managing changing fisheries.
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Local Angler Notes Six Week Season Loss
- Longtime angler David Van Lannen reports roughly six weeks lost from the ice-fishing season since the 1980s.
- He said seasons shifted from December–April to now roughly January–March in his area.
Dawn Ice Fishing Trip On Lake Wabisa
- Burley McCoy joined Zach Feiner for an early-morning ice fishing trip on Lake Wabisa to observe fish and ice conditions firsthand.
- They met local angler Tom Sihash and scouted walleye spots before setting up on the ice at dawn.
Spring Thaw Timing Controls Lake Food Webs
- Spring thaw timing controls a domino of lake events from algae blooms to fish survival.
- Zach Feiner found thaw dates varying by two months, which can decouple zooplankton and fish hatch timing and reduce young walleye counts.