MILTON – With record low temperatures this month, ice fishing season is getting an early start, but many ice anglers are reporting an unusual phenomenon. They are catching frozen fish!
With temperatures reaching as low as -30 degrees Fahrenheit this past weekend, many Vermont ice anglers have reported a large number of frozen fish being caught in Lake Champlain, to the delight of some and the annoyance of others.
“I was gonna eat this for supper tonight!” protested Milton resident Geoff Poisson, who caught a 14 lb. lake trout encased in a block of ice from the Inland Sea. “Now I’ve gotta wait for it to thaw out. We’re gonna be eating at midnight!”
Marjorie Paul, who runs a market in Georgia that sells local fish had a sunnier outlook. “This is great!” Paul said. “Saves me a ton of time. I don’t gotta freeze ’em myself or nothing. I just pull ’em up outta the lake all frozen and throw ’em into my cooler over there. Then I drive the truck back to town and dump ’em in my display case. You don’t get no fresher than this!”
The frigid temperatures are expected to rise this week to near-normal levels, and fish and wildlife officials say that they expect the fish to thaw out soon. So if you’re looking to catch a pre-frozen fish, you might want to head out soon. But if you like your fish pre-thawed, this weekend will be a better bet.
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