The kames and eskers were covered by a healthy blanket of snow, the trails were groomed, the air temperature hovered in the 20s and the lakes had at least 10 inches of crystal cap.
By any measure, the northern Kettle Moraine region was bursting with opportunities for winter recreation.
The epicenter of action was clearly a 209-acre lake near Dundee, Wis.
About 150 people and more than a dozen vehicles gathered on the ice of Kettle Moraine Lake.
From a distance it looked like a combination tailgate party, winter carnival and track meet.
On closer inspection it was all that, but wrapped around a central activity: ice fishing.
"Flag!" shouted Katie Peters, a senior at West De Pere High School. A second later, she and classmate Alison Pawlowski and other team members were off and running to the waving tip-up.
Moments later, a delegation from Neenah High School chased a flag in their section of the lake. Nearby, a trio of anglers from North Fond du Lac High School jigged in an ice shanty while fellow team members watched set lines.
Brats were being grilled, footballs were tossed, fish were caught, measured, recorded and mostly released.
And so it went at the Kettle Moraine Lake Tip-Up Extravaganza, a tournament organized by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Fishing Association.
Seven teams were on hand, including students from Kettle Moraine, Kiel, Neenah, New Holstein, North Fond du Lac, Oconomowoc, St. Mary's Springs, Waupun and West De Pere high schools (some students combined to form teams).
"The greatest show on lake ice," said Ted Bonde of Kiel, WIFA vice president and director of the tournament.
Even when he wasn't smiling, Bonde, 32, wore his enthusiasm for the event on his face. His beard was trimmed into the shape of a hook and fish.
The conditions couldn't have been better. The lake was covered with 13 inches of ice, allowing access to everything from foot traffic to SUVs.
The event -- and the organization behind it -- were a long time in coming.
The tournament originally was scheduled for late December but was postponed due to poor ice. The delay did nothing but sweeten the opportunity.
WIFA has its roots in ice fishing outings that date back more than a decade. The nonprofit organization officially formed in 2015.
The establishment of WIFA creates an umbrella for ice fishing programs in central and eastern Wisconsin, sparked by Randy "Buzz" Butters of Ripon with activities started in the northwest by Wendy Dallman of Prairie Farm.
Butters was an officer with the Ripon Police Department who worked for many years at Ripon High School. Dallman is a physical education instructor and track coach at Prairie Farm High School. She serves as WIFA president.
"We knew there was a lot of interest statewide and wanted to get an organization in place to help channel it and make it as easy as possible for kids to participate," said Bonde, a tech education teacher at Kiel High School.
The organization offers tournaments at no cost to the students. It has attracted sponsors, including HT Enterprises, Battle on Bago, Jiffy Ice Drills, Berkley, Clam and the National Guard, to pay program costs and offer prizes.
The WIFA mission statement says it's "committed to the education, conservation and management of our natural resources while building an understanding of our aquatic ecosystems and sciences. Our primary goals are to get students involved in the outdoors and to become future ambassadors of our sport through the foundation of spirited competition."
The organization focuses its efforts on hard water. Participation is growing quickly, Bonde said, and 66 teams are listed on the WIFA roster this year. WIFA has no affiliation with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
The WIFA rules put an emphasis on contributions by all team members. Team scores are total length in fish caught divided by the number of anglers. There is no penalty for keeping a legal fish, but the rules encourage release.
Several teams were on the ice for the first time. Others, like North Fond du Lac, have been competing for more than five years. North Fondy is led by Pat Kolbe, a physical education teacher who also coaches football.
"It's really rewarding to get kids exposed to the outdoors," Kolbe said. "If we can do that, interacting with each other, having fun, learning about the resource, that's what it's all about."
The Kettle Moraine "Finnatics" team formed a few months ago and includes students from Kettle Moraine and Oconomowoc schools. Though they are new, they already have a sponsor -- Z Leaders in Oconomowoc -- and custom sweatshirts. Two team members created the Finnatics logo in design class. All 11 at the tournament take pride in being on a team, said head coach John Volz of Summit.
These points help illustrate the many values of extracurricular school activities in general, and interscholastic fishing in particular.
At 2 p.m. the fishing halted. Waves of young anglers fanned out across the ice, pulling tip-ups and taking down shanties. By 2:30 the crowd assembled around base camp. Bonde entered catch information provided by each team (it's on the honor system, another teachable moment).
Kettle Moraine, in its inaugural competition, took first, with 74 inches of fish caught per student. St. Mary's Springs (sponsored by the Ledgers club) was second (64). Waupun was third (44).
Bonde commended all the students for being ethical and legal anglers. And he made two final requests: make another pass around the lake to clean the ice and to stay active in fishing. The WIFA state championship is scheduled for Feb. 20 at Shawano Lake.
