One of the key ingredients for an ice fishing tournament is, of course, the ice.

Anglers preparing for this weekend's World Ice Fishing Championship in Rhinelander say some recent warm weather and rain should not hold back the tournament.

The Championship brings teams from 11 countries to Boom Lake. They took to the ice for the first time Tuesday and said there was still between 20 and 30 inches of good ice.

Still, they're concerned it may be a little messy for the competitors and spectators--especially near the shoreline.

"Some cool nights have helped us refreeze and that's slowed us down. But the rest of the week we have some above freezing nights so well see what the weekend brings," says Brian Gaber, operations director.

There will be a parade of nations on Friday in downtown Rhinelander before the tournament starts at 9 Saturday morning. Everything is open to the public.