justnorth posted on January 27, 2008 20:27 :: 1361 Views
Anywhere from several inches to more than a foot of snow fell across Wisconsin in the last week, and snow depths now range from a low of 4 to 5 inches areas of southeaster, central and far northwestern Wisconsin, to more than 2 feet in far north central Wisconsin. Snowmobile trails were currently open in most counties and were being reported as fair to excellent on the Department of Tourism Snow Conditions Report. Cross-country ski trails are generally being reported as good to mostly excellent in many areas, with a few areas of the northwest reporting conditions as only fair. Frigid temperatures with lows reaching minus 20 at night in many locations in the last week have kept many people indoors, but temperatures are expected to moderate this weekend, which combined with good snow cover and good lake ice is shaping up to be one of the best weekends of the winter for outdoor recreation.
With mild weather in the forecast, this may be a great weekend to attend one of the seven candlelight skis events scheduled for this weekend at Wisconsin State Parks, Forests and Trails.
Ice thickness on most lakes across the state varies from 12 to 17 inches and recent snows have added about 3 to 4 inches of light snow to the surface. The frigid weather firmed up most of the slushy spots on the lakes and access has been good to most fishing areas. The cold did put a damper on fishing pressure and the high pressure associated with the cold typically slows fish activity. Panfish have been providing the best action for those few anglers venturing out, with a few fair catches of crappie and perch being reported. Walleye fishing continued to be on the slow side.
Fishing pressure has also been very low on Green Bay. There were a few fish being caught out of Dikesville, but with ice conditions just starting to improve the fishing should pick up. The Little Sturgeon Bay area has had the most fishing pressure as of late with a few perch being caught. There were also some descent numbers of whitefish being caught in the deeper water north of Little Sturgeon. The cold and snow also hampered Lake Michigan and tributary river fishing. Tributaries are slushy or iced over and most harbor areas have some ice cover. Shore anglers in Milwaukee and Racine were catching a few brown trout.
The Mississippi River has been dropping slowly this week. Last week the river was up to 8.5 feet but slowly dropped to 7.5 feet at Prairie du Chien, about a foot lower than last week. Most of the main channels of the Mississippi and lower Wisconsin rivers are frozen over. Fishing activity was slow due to the bitterly cold weather.
Because of the cold, animal activity has been limited. During cold stretches it would take more energy to forage and keep warm so some wildlife will "lay low" and rely on their fat reserves to conserve energy. As temperatures moderate, look for deer and turkeys to begin actively feeding in agricultural fields. The recent snow will provide excellent opportunities for winter tracking as mammals become more active during the warm-up. Mid-January is generally the onset of coyote and red fox breeding cycles. Cold, crisp winter nights afford opportunities to listen for the raspy barks of red fox or the high pitched yipping of coyotes. Red foxes generally avoid raising pups in areas where coyotes have established territories.
The deep snow cover has reduced feeding opportunities for migratory birds, and as a result, Canada geese have moved out of many areas, including around Horicon Marsh. It also appears that many of the wintering hawks may have been forced farther south due to the lack of access to food. Flocks of snow buntings have been seen in the surrounding uplands as wells as Lapland longspurs and horned larks.
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