In iceless winter, fishing is a no-go

It’s a bummer of a year for ice fishing.

Normally, on a clear morning in February, Joe Wood greets the yellow glow of daybreak from the middle of a gloriously frozen body of water. He likes a good 7 inches of ice, enough to hold a truck full of gear.

He and some 350 people would have been out on Monponsett Pond in Halifax last weekend, cutting holes in the ice with power augers and setting up their portable tables and chairs, tents, and grills. They would have enjoyed a day of friendly competition in the Bristol County Ice Masters Ice Fishing Tournament - would have, of course, were it not for the open water on the pond.

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.

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