justnorth posted on January 30, 2007 22:00 :: 1419 Views
Snowfall last weekend dropped anywhere from an inch or two to more than 7 inches of snow across Wisconsin, allowing some counties to open their snowmobile trails for the first time this winter, but many county trails do remained closed. Many state parks and forests were able to pack and in some cases groom ski trails. The deepest snow of up to a foot or more is being reported in Iron and Vilas counties in the north, and counties through central and southeastern Wisconsin have snow ranging from 4 to seven inches. The far northwestern part of the state still has only minimal snow cover.
Snowmobile trails in the south have been receiving heavy use and trails have started to deteriorate in some areas. Cross-country ski conditions range from good to poor. Check the Snow Conditions Report on the Department of Tourism Web site for current conditions.
Ice conditions also continued to improve across Wisconsin, but even in the north, most of the ice on area lakes is still only around a foot thick. Southern Wisconsin lakes are freezing or refreezing and lake conditions vary from open water still on some of the larger deeper lakes to 1 to 5 inches of ice. There continue to be reports of both people and vehicles falling through the ice.
Fishing activity in the Northwoods has been slow and it seems that the mid-winter winter doldrums have begun to set in and success has tapered off for most species. Anglers have had to work hard to locate and catch some fish to take home. Panfish anglers have had to do some moving around to find active fish and many have been trying the various smaller lakes in the area. Northern pike activity has also slowed up in the last few weeks as the increased ice thickness and little bit of snow cover seems to have lessened their feeding activity. Walleye activity has been better toward evening hours, though many smaller fish were being reported.
Excellent perch fishing was being reported throughout the Lake Winnebago system. Walleye activity has been very good on Lake Poygan. The first ice fishing reports are starting to come in from southern Wisconsin, but ice conditions are extremely variable, complicated even more by a blanket of snow. Most anglers were catching northern pike on tip-ups in 4 to 6 feet of water. Some walleyes were being caught on tip-ups as well.
Ice fishing action has picked up along Green Bay as a result of the hardening of the water. But some areas remained quite unsafe at the beginning of the week, with ice depth at 1 1/2 inches reported. Those who did go out had to be patient and with some effort brought in yellow perch. When conditions permit, Lake Michigan trollers have been catching good numbers of chinooks and brown trout in and near the Milwaukee and Sheboygan harbors.
The Mississippi River stage was fairly constant all week holding around the 7 foot mark. Normal day and night time temperatures are allowing most of the Mississippi River’s backwater areas to freeze over again. Most of these areas are still very dangerous and travel on the ice is not recommended.
The snowfall has provided excellent conditions for rabbit and coyote hunters. Turkeys are starting to flock up in larger numbers now that the snow is on ground. The return of winter has not "cooled off" the birding in Wisconsin this week. Observers along the Lake Michigan shoreline continue to find good numbers of gulls, ducks and even red-throated loons along the Lake Michigan shoreline. A male snowy owl is being seen at the Horicon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge and short-eared owls are putting on good shows in the evening at Horicon and a number of other locations. Redpolls are being found in low numbers across the north and pine grosbeaks seem to be in above average numbers.
The city of Cassville located below Lock and Dam 10 on the Mississippi River in southwest Grant County will be hosting its 13th annual Bald Eagle Days this weekend. Eagles congregate here during the winter due to abundant opportunities to fish open water below the dam. Volunteers will assist visitors in locating eagles and there will be educational programs and refreshments served throughout the day.
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