"I've been here at this resort for 60 years and never seen anything like this": Wisconsin facing frozen fishing opener

Wisconsin facing frozen fishing opener

BALSAM LAKE, Wis. - It will be the fishing opener that's frozen shut. Lakes in the northern third of Wisconsin remain ice-covered and Thursday's snowfall is a late-Spring punch to the gut.

"My son was supposed to come up, but he's cancelled the trip," said John Boniface from Cottage Grove. "I think a lot of people are changing their plans."

On Balsam Lake, an hour from the Twin Cities, 12 to 18 inches of ice cover the lake. It's a sad realization for surrounding business relying on fishing tourism.

"I've been here at this resort for 60 years and never seen anything like this," says Ron Ward, owner of Ward's Resort.