Clown behavior…
We’re in the thick of ice fishing season here in southern Wisconsin, and after last year’s incredibly short season, I’d say anglers are stoked to get out on the ice right now and do a little hard water fishing. We’ve have temps in the mid-30s or lower (it’s about 15 degrees here right now) for the past two weeks, and aside from one day in the high 30s coming this Friday, it’s supposed to be back down in the single digits by early next week. What does that mean? More great ice. Plenty of it, actually. Enough for everybody to carve out a spot and cut a hole… or so you’d think.
An Illinois man was arrested in Racine Harbor this past weekend after he brandished a gun during a dispute over an ice fishing spot. According to Fox 6, Justin Dilley, is girlfriend and his dog arrived at Racine Harbor, just south of Milwaukee, and set up their shanty. Shortly thereafter, two men arrived and set up their shanty just 10 yards away… the only people in the entire harbor, right on top of each other.
Dilley says he was worried that his dog would spend the morning barking at the nearby strangers, so he approached them. And as you may have guessed, it didn’t go well…
“As I’m setting up, I’m like, ‘are you guys going to set up right here?’ and they go, ‘yeah, why, do you have any suggestions?’ and I’m like, ‘my dog is going to bark the whole time and it’s a little close.’
It’s only us people by ourselves, nobody else is out here, I don’t know why you have to set up this close. I go, ‘I don’t understand you guys.’”
He says he was very calm in his demeanor, but the response he got was aggressive. Insanely aggressive…
“The guy charges me and he goes, ‘talk now, talk now,’ and he gets right in my face and I think I’m about to get pushed. I’m just waiting to get punched and the other guy… waves out his pistol in my direction and all over the place.”
When the gun came out, Dilley called the police.
“In my mind, I didn’t know what was going to happen. At first I thought I was going to get punched then I thought I was going to get shot… I truly feel like if I would have gotten aggressive with the guys that I would be laying there on the ice dead right now.”
Just insane behavior… I can’t fathom it. Pulling a gun on a dude fishing near you, when you were the one who got their last? It’s just absurd to me. Granted, we’re only hearing one side of the story, but police showed up and arrested 59 year old Luis Herrera (of Illinois) for “disorderly conduct and endangering safety with a weapon.” Which means, the man had a gun and he pulled it. Police confiscated a Glock firearm.
You’d think that basic fishing etiquette should kind of go without saying, but it’s pretty astonishing how many people will pull up right next to you. I’ve been on the open water before, fishing out of a kayak, and had dudes in bass boats pull up within casting distance and drop the trolling motor. It seems obvious to keep your distance, but you’d be surprised how often it leads to confrontation on the water.
But pulling a gun over it? Are you gonna shoot someone over a fishing hole? Good Lord, man…
