Cody Brongo (left) and Glenn Rowan (right) decided to bring their children (Zoe, Carter, and Annalise) out for a day of ice fishing on Irondequoit Bay.
After days of freezing temperatures, some of the local bays and ponds have developed a thick sheet of ice. Hordes of ice fishers, motocross riders, and other residents took advantage of the cold over the weekend and headed out onto the ice on Irondequoit Bay.
Zoe Rowan is almost 13. She came out on Saturday to ice fish with her dad and sister.
“It's pretty boring out here because there's no action,” she said. “But I'm just trying to have fun.”
The fish aren’t biting, but there’s plenty of action. Zoe, her sister Annalise, and their friend Carter are trying to build an ice rink, make snow angels, and slide as far as they can across the ice.
There are dozens of shanties set up on the bay. Kids are playing, people are fishing, walking their dogs, and taking pictures.
Glenn Rowan is Annalise and Zoe's dad. He said he’s glad to be outside with his kids in any weather.
“We're glad that we have this access,” he said. “There's a lot of things to do in Rochester, and fishing is one of them, even in the winter, so we're thankful for that.”
Motocross racers set up a makeshift track on Irondequoit Bay on Saturday.
Across the bay, a group of people with dirt bikes have set up cones for a makeshift motocross track.
Jeff Hobbs lives in Webster. He said he looks forward to getting together with this group once the ice is thick enough to ride on.
“In the wintertime, when it's 4 degrees for three, four days, we get excited,” he said.
Hobbs said he’s been riding for about 20 years. But his favorite part is that he gets to share it with his son.
“It's one way of getting your kids out of the house and hang out with you,” he said. “And one of the cool parts is they're stuck in the truck with you on the way to the track, so you get to teach them stuff.
“It’s really cool to ride with your kid.”
Across the north shore of Monroe County, kids are playing ice hockey on Eastman Lake and sledding and snow tubing in Webster Park.
Even the shoreline of Lake Ontario has frozen over, although its waves and currents have caused a jagged, uninviting terrain and ice volcanos.
It is the kind of winter Rochesterians haven’t seen in a few years. The last few Januarys have been some of the warmest on record, and climate change will continue to make them milder.
All the more reason for these winter sports enthusiasts to make the best of it.
Some areas on Irondequoit Bay and other lakes and ponds are soft and thin. The Coast Guard warns there is no such thing as safe ice, and to always carry a flotation device if you’re out on the water — frozen or not.
Sunday, January 12, 2025 at 7:06PM 
