Oops, I'm a day late getting this up guys, sorryRecent warm temperatures and rain have quickly deteriorated much of the ice that formed on lakes across Wisconsin during the recent cold spell. Recreational safety specialists are cautioning that no ice should be considered safe at this time and are asking people to stay off the ice. Similarly, mild, wet conditions have melted snow from all but the most northern part of the state, and even there snow depth had dropped to just an inch or two in the most northern edges of Iron and Vilas counties.
The cold temperatures of a week ago resulted in 4 to 6 inch layer of ice on most northern lakes. However, rain and mild weather have cut this to just 3 to 4 inches of weakened and questionable ice cover. With above normal temperatures predicted all week, some lakes may open up again. Early season anglers that made it out prior to this mild spell experienced variable success for walleye and northern pike. Some decent catches of 12- to 16-inch walleye were reported from shallow mud flats on small suckers fished in 4 to 6 feet of water, with early morning and late afternoon periods providing the best success.
In the south, anglers had been out on some of the smaller, shallow lakes fishing through the ice, but ice conditions are highly variable and generally not safe at this point. Some crappie and northern pike action had been reported.
Anglers at the Milwaukee lakefront have been catching a few brown trout and boaters out of Milwaukee have been finding good numbers of browns in the harbor. Brown trout and a few steelhead have been taken at the Kenosha small boat harbor. Flows on the Root River have been good and there were decent numbers of brown trout and a few steelhead in portions of the river.
The Mississippi River was steady all week, holding around the 6.9 foot mark at Prairie du Chien. Most of the Mississippi River’s backwater areas have frozen. Pool 9 was almost completely frozen over last week but could reopen with warming temperatures. The Main Channel was also frozen over on some stretches. Ice conditions in the area are dangerous. Ice that exists varies from about half an inch to 3 or 4 inches. Open water fishing for walleye and sauger continues below dams on the Mississippi River with fair success.
With the mild, rainy weather there have been reports of skunks and badgers becoming active again. These animals along with raccoons and some other mammals are not true hibernators, and during periods of warm weather these "light sleepers" will come out to look for food.
The early December snow storm and cold temperatures that hit southern Wisconsin drove most of the remaining Canada geese out of Wisconsin. However, with the recent warm temperatures and the loss of snow cover, it appears that a few of the birds are returning to the state. The cold temperatures also brought dense ice to nearly all open water areas forcing the last of the ducks and few remaining great blue herons and kingfishers south as well. There have been snowy owls reported across northern Wisconsin, along with short-eared owls reported near Appleton. The Christmas Bird Count season has arrived, with the first counts beginning this week. Check the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology Web site for more information
A three-minute audio version of this report can be heard by calling (608) 266 2277.
A new report is put on the line each week.
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Statewide Birding Report
Warm weather and south winds have slowed down bird migration and have left most wondering if spring is around the corner. Bird highlights from this week included a varied thrush reported in Bayfield County, a few more snowy owl reports across northern Wisconsin, more tufted titmouse reports from northern Wisconsin, and a good diversity of waterfowl at large inland lakes that have remained open. There are still tundra swans being reported from Madison and the Upper Mississippi Refuge. Birders in Vilas County reported good numbers of white-winged crossbills, common redpolls, evening grosbeaks and a flock of spruce grouse. Short-eared owls are being reported near Appleton along Shady Lane, Bong Recreation Area, Zelosky Marsh, Grand River Marsh, and in the Military Ridge grasslands. Please consider reporting short-eared owls and all your other bird sightings to
www.ebird.org to help better document populations across the state. The Christmas Bird Count season has arrived, with counts beginning statewide Thursday, Dec. 14. Check the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology Web site at <http://www.uwgb.edu/birds/wso/cbc.htm> (exit DNR) for more information on getting involved with a count.
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NORTHERN REGION
Superior DNR Service Center area
Brule River State Forest - Last week's snow has melted quickly due to temperatures in the upper 30s to lower 40s and the 0.4 inches of rain. The extended forecast calls for high temperatures to remain in the lower to upper 30s and the low temperatures are expected to be in the 20s. With the mild, rainy weather there have been reports of skunks and badgers becoming active again. These animals along with other animals such as raccoons and bear are not true hibernators. During periods of warm weather these "light sleepers" will come out to look for food. One other reason that these animals may be coming out of their dens is that the recent rain may have flooded them out, causing them to look for a drier spot to spend the winter. For more information on hibernation (true and not true) see the Wisconsin DNR EEK! Web site at . The USGS real time flow gauge for the Bois Brule River is iced up.
Spooner DNR Service Center area
Snowshoe hares are beginning to turn white and, with snow not melted by recent rains, are really standing out against the brown background. They likely won’t turn completely white for another week or more.
Park Falls DNR Service Center area
Above average temperatures have settled in to the Park Falls area. The warm temperatures and rain have quickly deteriorated much of the ice that has formed on area lakes. Most of the snow has melted and outdoor pursuits that involve snow and ice will need to be put on hold until conditions change. Anglers were reporting catching some fish and ice thicknesses up to 5 inches. However, most of the ice now on area lakes should be considered unsafe. As always check the ice before travel on any water body. Archery season continues until Jan. 7. Trappers are taking advantage of the warmer temperatures finding conditions conducive to operating water sets. Birds are feeding heavily ahead of the winter storms and rely on high quality food during the extreme cold temperatures. Be sure to have plenty of food and fresh water available if you intend to feed our feathery friends during the winter months. If you plan to be away during the holidays be sure to fill your feeders before leaving.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - The cold temperatures of a week ago resulted in most lakes achieving a 4 to 6 inch layer of ice. However, recent rains and mild weather have cut into this ice cover and many lakes now have just 3 to 4 inches of weakened and questionable ice cover. Any anglers venturing out should use extreme caution and be very wary of pressure cracks, spring holes and larger areas of honeycombed ice. Better safe than sorry. Early season anglers that did make it out prior to this mild spell experienced variable success for walleye and northern pike. Some decent catches of 12- to 16-inch walleye were reported from shallow mud flats, using small suckers on tip-ups in 4 to 6 feet of water. s typical for walleye, the early morning and late afternoon periods provided the best success. Some nice northern pike have also been caught incidental to the walleye and were providing some action during the mid-day hours.
Woodruff DNR Service Center area
Please remember that even though the lakes have begun their freeze-over, ice thickness is not stable. Ice thickness varies considerably as the last of the larger lakes have just frozen over. Before you venture out onto the lakes, please remember to follow these precautionary measures: Use common sense, test the ice thickness before you travel on it, and use the following guidelines for safe and enjoyable ice fishing. 1) Immediately following freeze-up, ice toward the middle of the lake is thinner than the ice along the shoreline; 2) Beware of lakes covered with snow. Heavy snow cover slows freezing and causes overflow seepage of water on top of the ice; 3) Cloudy ice or ice formed by the freezing of slush and overflow or under windy conditions is weaker than clear ice; 4) Ice thickness is not always an accurate measure of its strength. Clear lake ice is strongest. New ice is stronger than old ice; 5) Beware of areas that attract lots of other people. Continuous travel over the same path will weaken thinner ice; 6) Keep weight spread out; 7) River ice thickness can vary throughout the winter in different parts of the river, according to the strength of the current beneath it, and whether we are having a cold or warm spell;
River ice is 15 percent weaker than lake ice. Anglers were reporting some success on walleye activity but with no real patterns to rely on. Reports indicate that fish are being taken at all times of the day and late into the night. Some of the snowmobile trails opened last week; however, snow conditions are very poor and deteriorating. The forecast for this week is warm temperatures which will hamper what snow conditions there are. Snowmobilers need to remember that if you were born on or after Jan. 1, 1985, state law requires that you have a certificate of completion of a snowmobile safety course in order to operate a snowmobile in Wisconsin. If you are looking for a stocking stuffer or another type of Christmas gift, you may want to consider purchasing park stickers, trail passes, stamps or fishing or wildlife licenses.
Upper Wisconsin Basin fisheries report (Oneida, Vilas, Lincoln, Langlade, Forest and Florence counties) - Rain and above freezing temperatures have begun to deteriorate what little ice the area had. The ice fishing season just kicked into gear last week and unfortunately the weather may be bringing things to a halt. With above normal temperatures predicted all week, we may actually see some lakes open up again. Most smaller area lakes have around 2 to 3 inches of ice currently, but travel on them is extremely hazardous.
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NORTHEAST REGION
Peshtigo DNR Service Center area
Marinette County - Open waters should keep ice anglers at bay until another cold stretch comes through. All waters are hazardous at this time and anglers should stay off. The deer season continues with archery hunters hoping for snow.
Oconto County - Mild temperatures continue through the week. Ice fishing is not recommended at this time as ice thickness is diminishing. Now would be an excellent time to harvest your holiday tree as the weather is mild and a good supply is available.
Sturgeon Bay DNR Service Center area
Door County
Peninsula State Park - As of Dec. 12, most snow had melted. The Tennison Bay campground is open year-round. Only vault toilets and a central water supply are available. Ski and snowmobile trails remain closed. Water levels in Green Bay are still very low. Hunters harvested only 12 deer during this year's black powder deer season in Peninsula.
Oshkosh DNR Service Center area
Lakeshore team wildlife report - Plenty of geese (8,000 birds) offer opportunity for the final days of hunting within the Southern zone near the Fox Cities. Roosting sites are on the Fox River near the Fox Cities as well as on Lake Winnebago. Eagles are starting to converge for the winter on the Fox River. About a dozen birds have been seen from Kaukauna to Appleton. Site seeing is near Thousand Islands Nature Center, some of Appleton Parks like Lutz and Telulah as well as along areas of Menasha and Neenah where open water exists. With the high meadow vole population, many raptors are concentrating on the wildlife lands within the Lakeshore area. Raptors seen are rough-legs, harriers, short-eared owls, red-tails and some northern shrikes. Amongst the restored prairies lots of juncos and tree sparrows are enjoying the abundance of seeds from the prairie grasses.
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SOUTHEAST REGION
Ice fishing reports were just starting to trickle in but it looks as though warmer weather and a forecast of rain will have ice anglers waiting a while longer for fishable ice.
Ozaukee County - In Port Washington shore fishing has been slow. The discharge at the power plant remains turned off, and in that area only a few browns have been caught on spawn.
Milwaukee County - In Milwaukee, water levels are good on the Milwaukee River, although some ice remains upstream near Kletzsch Park. Anglers at the Milwaukee lakefront have been catching a few brown trout by the Summerfest grounds and Jones Island, as well as along the shoreline at Bender Park. Boaters out of Milwaukee have been finding good numbers of browns in the harbor.
Racine County - In Racine, flows on the Root River are good, but there is thin ice downstream of Island Park. There are decent numbers of brown trout and a few steelhead in portions of the river. Look for browns in the shallow, gravelly areas and the steelhead in deeper pools. Large black flies and bright egg imitations have been effective for browns, and drifting a brightly colored spawn sac under a bobber has produced steelhead.
Kenosha County - In Kenosha, most action has been in the small boat harbor, where browns and a few steelhead have been taken on spawn. Anglers have been catching most of the fish under the bridge near the Best Western.
Washington, eastern Fond du Lac, and inland Sheboygan counties - Anglers have been out on some of the smaller, shallow lakes fishing through the ice. Ice conditions are highly variable and generally not safe at this point. Take precautions and safety equipment with you if you choose to fish. Some crappies were being caught at Sheboygan Marsh. Small northerns were being caught on other lakes. BE CAREFUL.
Kettle Moraine State Forest, Southern Unit - As of Dec. 13, with warmer temperatures and rain the ski trails have deteriorated and the bike trails are closed. For the current conditions please call the hotline number at (262) 594-6202.
Richard Bong State Recreation Area – There is insufficient ice for fishing, though fishing had been good when there was ice. There is no snow for skiing, sledding or snowmobiling. Winter raptors have appeared though, short-eared owls, rough-legged hawks and harriers are being seen regularly. There are some overwintering interesting songbirds as well--bluebirds, kinglets, fox sparrows, yellow-rumped warblers and robins. These birds are being seen north of Hwy BB in the park. Deer are still moving around with some frequency. Dog training is open at 2 p.m. until Dec. 31 when it resumes normal hours. Please check with office for weekend availability. Pheasant stocking ended on Dec. 5. Daily pheasant armbands are now $1 until close of season on Dec. 31.
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SOUTH CENTRAL REGION
Horicon DNR Service Center area
Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area - The snow storm of early December forced most of the remaining Canada geese out of eastern Wisconsin. However, with the recent warm temperatures and the loss of snow cover, it appears that a few of the birds are returning to the area. The cold temperatures also brought dense ice to nearly all open water areas forcing the last of the ducks and few remaining great blue herons and kingfishers south as well. The annual Horicon Marsh Christmas Bird Count will begin on Saturday, Dec. 16. Birders will be out in the field to tally the variety and abundance of winter birds seen in and around Horicon Marsh. Nearly every year, a few great blue herons, kingfishers and ducks will find open water along stretches of rivers or spring fed creeks in southern Wisconsin. Many hawks spend the winter in the area and it appears that rodent numbers are remaining high, providing abundant food for rough-legged hawks, red-tails, northern harriers and the possibility of short-eared owls entering the area from the prairie states. The abundant cone crop in Canada is providing food for many winter finches and it is expected that many of these birds will not be coming south in large numbers this year. With the changing weather that first forced many birds out of the area followed by mild and unseasonably warm temperature providing comfortable conditions for birds, it will be interesting to see which birds remained during the cold snap and what may have taken advantage of recent southerly winds to return to the area.
WEST CENTRAL REGION
Baldwin DNR Service Center area
Recent warm weather and rain has thawed out most lakes after some anglers were starting to ice fish, making for very unsafe conditions. On some lakes waterfowl were starting to use newly opened areas again for loafing and roost sites. This will slow up the refreezing process once cold weather returns. Fishing for walleye and sauger continues on the Mississippi River below lock and dam 3 with fair success.
St. Croix County
Willow River State Park - As of Dec. 12, rain was falling and all trails remained open to hiking with no change in the near future as “non winter” returns to Willow River. Early season ice fishing has been under way for over a week. Some keeper bluegills have been reported. Several anglers came out over the weekend, many with portable shelters. Robins have been heard along the Willow River below the dam. Adult skiers can get some pre-season training at the park on Wednesday evenings and on Saturday, Dec. 16. The Wednesday group meets at the nature center at 5:30 p.m. The Saturday event meets at the nature center at 9 a.m. A vehicle admission sticker is required and a small fee is charged for the training sessions. The next Saturday session is Dec. 30, hopefully it will be an actual ski lesson on snow. Classic and skate classes will be offered. Call the park to register for any of these sessions and further details (715) 386-5931. Archery hunting for deer remains open in undeveloped parts of the park north of the Willow River and some land to the east. Hunters may pick up a map at the park office. Participation in the archery hunting season is normally very light.
La Crosse DNR Service Center area
Crawford County - The Mississippi River was steady all week. The river stage held around the 6.9 foot mark most of the week, which is still pretty low. Most of the Mississippi River’s backwater areas have frozen. Pool 9 is almost completely frozen over. The Main Channel was frozen over in many stretches. Most of the backwater areas along the Wisconsin River also froze over. Ice conditions in the area are dangerous. Even though the cold front that froze most backwater areas made some very good ice, there remains numerous dangerous locations. Ice that exists varies from about half an inch to 3 or 4 inches. Bluegill action was spotty mainly due to the fact access has been tricky. Bluegill action at Cold Spring was spotty. Cold Spring has some decent ice on the south pond but access can only be made from the south end parking area. The Cold Spring boat landing is very dangerous as the water there hasn’t frozen very well. Bluegill action in the Ferryville/Lansing area was spotty. Poor ice conditions are making access to some of the traditional fishing spots tricky. The same goes for the Prairie du Chien area. Only a few locations are accessible right now. Some have ventured out onto the Sturgeon Slough area but action was poor. Walleye fishing wasn’t bad this week. Some anglers were out because of the moderate weather. Fishing below the dam at Lynxville produced a few walleyes and sauger this week. The boat ramp at Gordon’s Bay was open. The deep hole outside of Prairie du Chien in the East Channel had to much ice to fish from boats. The channel outside of Cold Spring and the upper end of Deer Island was frozen solid. Duck hunting closed last week and the cold weather made hunting difficult. Most of the hunting spots froze over so hard they were difficult to access. Some hunters utilized the only open boat ramps along the Lansing dike. Those duck hunters that were able to get to open water areas did very well on mallards. The Herd Control Antlerless 4-day gun hunt also ended Sunday. Some hunters took advantage of this special season. Most hunters reported fair deer sign however the deer were very elusive. Standing corn and the lack of snow made hunting difficult. Some hunters were able to fill their remaining antlerless tags. The only deer season that remains open is the later archery season. This season will run through January 7th. Now that Pool 9 froze over most of the migratory birds have left the area. Bald eagles are finding their way farther inland. Eagles can be seen throughout the county along stream beds and along open fields. Some Eagles can be observed standing on the ice of the Mississippi River eating fish.
Black River Falls DNR Service Center area
Snowmobile and all-terrain vehicle (ATV) trails on the Black River State Forest and Jackson County Forest will remain closed until further notice because of unseasonably warm wet weather. Normally the trails open on Dec. 15. Trails normally are closed from Oct. 16 through Dec. 15 to allow State Forest and Jackson County staff to level the trails and do maintenance work. This is crucial for winter trail operations because snowmobiles share the trails with ATVs, and therefore trails need to be free of rutting. The Jackson County Forest and Black River State Forest trails form one linked trail system. This year, warm weather has prevented the ground from freezing and recent heavy rain has removed most if not all of the frost layer that had started in the ground. Trails will open once freezing weather provides a sufficient frost layer for a safe and quality ATV and snowmobile trail riding experience.
Eau Claire DNR Service Center area
Brunet Island State Park – As of Dec. 11, ice fishing in the Brunet Island north campground lagoon had begun with mixed results. A section of the Nordic Trail area of the park is still open for 23A permit late bow hunting. Brunet Island has yet to receive any skiable snow this season. Hikers have many great opportunities within the park, whether it’s using the island’s trail system, exploring the wilder areas of the park, or a brisk walk on the park road.
Wisconsin Rapids DNR Service Center area
Buckhorn State Park - A few people have ventured out onto the ice on the Castle Rock flowage, and have had mixed success, catching mostly crappies. Late season bow hunting is allowed in the park and both wildlife areas. Small game, waterfowl and trapping are allowed in wildlife areas A and B. Pick up hunting rules and maps at the park office. Deer may be registered at the park office when it is open. Campsites 8, 9, and 16 are open for camping and are non-reservable. Water is available at the park office. 2007 annual park stickers are available and make a great gift idea!.
Roche-A-Cri State Park - Hunting is allowed in the Roche-A-Cri Natural Area EAST of Hwy. 13 only. Campsites and facilities are closed for the season, but the park remains open for day use. Parking is available at the Winter parking lot on Czech Avenue. The stairway to the top of the Roche-A-Cri Mound is not maintained for winter use. 2007 annual park stickers are available and make a great gift idea.
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