TOWN OF BLACK WOLF (NBC 26) — Two ice fishermen are safe after their side-by-side vehicle plunged into a hole in the ice and into the water on Lake Winnebago on Saturday.
Brian Tetzlaff says it started as a normal winter Saturday for him and his father-in-law, riding their side-by-side onto the ice from Black Wolf Boat Landing. But then, about a half-mile from shore, out of nowhere, a hole appeared.
“It was kind of an unavoidable situation at that point,” Tetzlaff said. “Really, the only way to avoid it is to not be out. But, I mean, it’s a foot thick of ice, so how are we supposed to know that’s there?”
Before they could stop, they tipped over, the vehicle and their legs plunging into the cold water.
“It was kind of scary,” Tetzlaff said. “But [I] stayed calm and [was] able to jump out, and then I was able to get up and save my father-in-law.”
Tetzlaff hurt his knee, but that was the extent of the injuries. His feet and hands were cold, but he says he felt fortunate.
“We’re alive; that’s all that matters,” he said while filming the damage.
Watch: 'Happy to be alive': Ice anglers safe after UTV crashes
“Something that I never really thought about happened today,” he would later add on social media.
After the initial adrenaline wore off, Tetzlaff sought help—and it arrived.
“Off in the distance, I could see what I thought was the ends of two tracks, sticking out of the ice,” Mitch White told NBC 26.
White, the secretary of Friendship Fishing Club, had never met Tetzlaff but came to the scene ready to help.
Together with a few others, they pulled the vehicle out using Tetzlaff’s winch cable, an anchoring point that White set up, and a jack brought by Tetzlaff’s friend Ryan.
White says there is camaraderie among the fishermen on the lake to make sure everyone is safe.
“A rising tide lifts all boats,” he said. “And if everybody’s out there with that same kind of attitude—which, I would say the majority of everybody is—it’s all good.”
Tetzlaff agreed.
“It’s just a no-brainer situation with the outdoorsman, like, we’re kind of there for everybody,” he said.
The treacherous hole is now clearly marked, and the anglers say their story is a cautionary tale.
“Anything can happen to anybody at any time,” White said.
“I always try to go with a buddy,” Tetzlaff said. “That’s very important. Never fish alone, especially ice fishing.”
They both added that an ice suit with built-in flotation can also be a good idea for an extra layer of safety. Tetzlaff says the experience was humbling.
“I could have lost all my gear and I wouldn’t have cared,” he said. “I was happy to be alive, be able to go home to my wife. You can say ‘thousands of dollars would be at the bottom of the lake’—but my life’s worth more than that.”
The fishermen think frigid conditions this week have added a few more inches to the already thick ice, but as always, they say no ice is 100% safe—so be careful.
