The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office is concerned about ice conditions on Lake Winnebago with the sturgeon spearing season set to open this weekend. Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt says in addition to one fatality when a UTV skidded into open water, there were four other incidents over the weekend where people fortunately escaped injury after breaking through thin ice. An ATV went into open water about 100 yards near Pipe, a snowmobile and kite board went through the ice along the west shore near the Fond du Lac-Winnebago County line, and an SUV went through the ice near Clarence’s Harbor on the south shore. “I can’t stress it enough, you really need to be following the fishing clubs, using their bridges. They do a great job of monitoring the conditions,” Waldschmidt told WFDL news. Meanwhile, Waldschmidt says an autopsy will determine whether a 67 year old Taycheeda man who died after his UTV went into open water Saturday may have drowned or suffered a medical condition. The victim has been identified as Clay Creighton from the town of Taycheeda. Waldschmidt says when the man was eventually pulled onto the ice, initially bystanders did not do CPR. “They just weren’t comfortable doing that given the environment and the factors, and for one reason or another weren’t comfortable (doing CPR).” Eventually other bystanders started CPR before paramedics arrived. The driver of the UTV was identified as 56 year old Michael Huffman of Fond du Lac.
