Some, in half an hour, see a fish or maybe two. Bill's had pretty good luck over the years getting his sturgeon. Bill says you try to get closest to the spot where you caught a fish last year. You come out in the evening, and you could be right in the middle of a big town. But life on the ice is more sociable than competitive.
People stop to visit each other's shanties, maybe sharing a beer while they sit and talk.
Many people have CB radios in their shanties and chat back and forth. Like most shanties, Bill's is equipped not only with a heater but with a two-burner gas plate. Most of the gathering is in the taverns in the evening. It used to be years ago, the guy would walk in with a sturgeon on his shoulder and flop it on the tavern floor, even on the bar - everybody had a treat. Now, of course, they don't want you to do those things.