Environment

Breaking the morning ice: Passing time with Milwaukee’s ice fishermen

WUWM 89.7 FM | By Maria Peralta-Arellano

Published February 17, 2026 at 9:24 AM CST

Cal Haataja leads ice fishing expeditions for the Big Fish Guide Company, which is his father's business.

You might not think of Milwaukee as a hotbed of ice fishing, but a number of anglers have carved holes in the ice and set up shelters to fish on an inlet between the Summerfest grounds and Lakeshore State Park.

That’s where WUWM Eric Von Fellow Maria Peralta-Arellano met several anglers trying to catch — and release — a prized brown trout.

She headed out on the ice with Environmental Reporter Susan Bence and Race and Ethnicity Reporter Teran Powell. Together they captured the action and energy of ice fishing. Listen to the story above.

Peter Tanis and his friends traveled from Minneapolis for a couple days for a chance to score one of Lake Michigan's giant brown trout.

Holes were carved into the ice's surface and the Automatic Fishermen were prepped with bait, and set, just waiting for the fish to come.

An automatice fisherman sits and waits for a bite. The fish is hooked and bells signal the capture . — An Automatice Fisherman sits and waits for a bite. The fish is hooked and bells signal the capture.

Todd Neidermeyer was happy to be on the ice. He's been fishing since he was a kid, and the ice on the inlet of Lake Michigan is one of his favorite spots.