Those not caught up in the thrill of this sport have probably wondered the same thing. I know I have.

For instance, you probably questioned the general sanity level of ice fishing when you heard the story out of Ohio earlier this year about the 134 fishermen who needed to be rescued on Lake Erie. They were several miles off shore when the ice started cracking, threatening to strand them on an ice floe that could have floated all the way to Canada. Or worse, upstate New York!

One man interviewed afterward said that he and about 40 other fishermen drove their ATVs along the crack for six or seven miles until they came to the end. There they went around it and drove safely to shore. Asked about his thoughts as his life was in danger, he replied, as any true ice fishermen would, “Our concern was more for our $5,000 machines that we were riding. We did not want to leave those out there.”

I know what you’re thinking, not only do these brave men fish on ice, they drive expensive, all-terrain vehicles on the ice, too.

As for the competitive ice fishing scandal, that took place in Wisconsin (America’s “Little Manitoba”). Fishing investigators hired by the tournament suspect the winning fish was smuggled in. Two red flags alerted investigators: First, the fish was nearly 50 percent larger than the runner-up fish, and second, the box it was in said Gorton’s.

Another theory is that the fish was legally caught during the competition then given steroid injections and made to work out on a tiny treadmill to gain weight.

Whatever method of cheating took place, the real losers are those competitors who play fair. Now, jaded ice fishing spectators will look upon any winning fish with skepticism. How can any of us be sure that the winning pike, trout, swordfish, tuna, manatee, or humpback whale truly was caught under the ice of a Wisconsin lake? How do we know they’re not bulked up on steroids? And aren’t manatees and whales actually mammals impersonating fish? Isn’t there some law against that?

These are all good questions, which I am not going to bother answering. Instead, I am going to suggest that if you believe fishing is less popular today then back in the days of the old Andy Griffith show you will realize how wrong you are by visiting any Bass Pro Shop and seeing the two trillion different fishing rods on sale there. I had no idea there were so many different kinds. They’re like snowflakes.

Don’t let the name Bass Pro Shop confuse you either, it is not a store for professional bass. In fact, it is a store for people. People who love to fish, hunt, camp, or otherwise enjoy spending time in the Great Outdoors, defined as any place where the television is powered by a generator.

Also for sale are acres and acres of fishing accessories, including lures and bobbers, which I fondly recall my dad keeping in his tackle box to give it extra weight for when he needed to club into submission a fish that I accidentally let loose and was flopping around on the dock.

I probably would have enjoyed fishing if my dad owned one other key fishing accessory: A boat. Nothing fancy, a 20-foot outboard with a sun canopy would have been enough.

I have a theory about this. I believe fishing’s continued popularity is due to its use as an excuse by husbands to buy a boat. It sounds better than telling his wife the real reason: “I want to drive super fast over water while drinking beer.”

But boating doesn’t help us to understand the popularity of ice fishing. Sure, ATVs are fun, just not that much fun.

This leaves only one possible explanation why anyone would sit on a frozen lake to catch something that can easily be purchased at the local grocery store: Football season ended.

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