Ice-fishing tournaments have been canceled this year in Southeastern Massachusetts and throughout much of the state. Although tournaments south of Boston often get postponed a week when the ice is too thin, the warm temperatures this winter have left organizers with little hope of rescheduling.
Wood, a Lakeville resident and chairman of the Ice Masters, canceled not only the original date last Saturday but also the “no ice’’ date this Saturday.
“It’s just not going to happen around here this year,’’ he said.
It’s the warmest, most ice-free year he can remember, and the forecast doesn’t show enough cold weather to give him much hope things will change. Toward the latter part of February, even in a normal year, the days are long enough and the sun strong enough that not much new ice forms, he said.
Another local tournament, the carpenters’ union derby scheduled for Feb. 19 on the Norton Reservoir, has been canceled as well. It would have been the fifth derby hosted by Norwood Local 535 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America.
Organizers of tournaments at Lake Nipmuc in Mendon and at the Easthampton Rod and Gun Club also said they were likely to cancel.
Joe Broderick, business manager of Local 535, said he was disappointed not only to miss the fun, but also to lose the opportunity to give one-quarter of the proceeds - usually about $1,000, he said - to a foundation that benefits students at Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School in Upton.
“I’m absolutely bummed out,’’ he said. “It’s a good time to get together with like-minded people.’’
The disappointing year for ice fishing has meant hard times for suppliers of bait and tackle. Tom’s Wholesale Bait Shop in Middleborough, a sponsor of the Ice Masters tournament, sells bait to 72 shops in Massachusetts and about 15 in Rhode Island, owner Thomas P. Stankauskas said. This is the worst year he can remember.
“It couldn’t affect us more. It’s like having the opening day of baseball and no baseball,’’ he said.
