It's a "sport" but without a lot of movement ...ice fishing.

Because we're solidly into winter, now is a good time to post this piece about ice fishing that I put together back in March of 2007 during a visit to Madison, Wisconsin. On that day in March, I took it upon myself to go out and meet some of the legendary ‘ice fisher-people’ that I’d been observing since my first visit in 2003. Lake Monona was near my hotel and so I walked out, introduced myself and spoke with two gentlemen who were engaged in the "sport". They dutifully showed me all of their gear and patiently answered my questions. Incidentally, these guys were catching 7” bluegill fish. What I took away from the experience is a sense that though the sport is historically about obtaining food, the modern day ice fisherman is more akin to a modern day mystic… enjoying the calm, solitary and ‘emotional well-being’ of clearing the head while looking at frozen tundra and fish.