With daytime temperatures in the 40s being forecast across the state this week, snow conditions are rapidly deteriorating. Snowmobile trails are now closed in most of the southern two-thirds of the state. Trail conditions in the northern counties range from poor to a few areas still reporting excellent, on the Department of Tourism Snow Conditions Report (exit DNR).
Most state parks and forests are reporting that cross-country ski trails are still snow-covered, but that conditions are icy early in the morning to soft and mushy by mid afternoon. With the current forecast, many parks are reporting they no longer plan to groom trails and that this may be the last weekend to get out and enjoy cross-country skiing. The very last candlelight ski event of the winter will be held this Saturday, on the Northern Highland American Legion State Forest’s Raven trail near Woodruff.
The early catch-and-release trout season opens Saturday with much of Wisconsin still covered with snow. That can make for tough sledding, but new online resources on the Early Trout Season page of the DNR Web site will help anglers meet the challenge. A new video features DNR stream ecologist and avid trout angler Mike Miller, showing anglers where to find fish and how to change their tactics to suit the conditions. And a new feature shares the secrets of success with a spinning rod, honed over the years by a foursome of DNR fish biologists and technicians. The early trout season is catch and release only, with artificial baits, but starting this year, anglers are no longer required to use barbless hooks. Streams in southern Wisconsin should be in good to excellent condition for the opening, with snow melt having water levels up and water running clear and cold. Most northern trout streams remain locked in ice and snow.
While the early trout season opens this weekend, the inland game fish season closes at the end of the day Sunday, March 7. That is also the last day permanent ice fishing shelters are allowed on waters south of Highway 64. The panfish season remains open year-round on inland lakes, and the current Guide to Hook and Line Fishing Regulations lists specific lakes where the gamefish season remains open year round.
In the south, access areas to major lakes are starting to weaken and some shoreland ice is eroding. Access remains good to many northern lakes, but with the warm weather this week, some spots are getting slushy and rutted. In general, ice anglers have reported fishing is slower, with the best action for panfish. Northern pike fishing also picked up some. Green Bay anglers reported perch fishing slowed this week, but whitefish and pike action has been good. More open water anglers have been seen at the Fox River, and on open water below dams on the Wisconsin River.
Some white-tailed buck deer are still being seen with antlers, but most have now shed antlers and this is peak time for searching out antler sheds. With the warm weather, bird watchers should expect the first big flush of migratory birds to move into Wisconsin with the next week. Look for diving ducks along open waters of the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers and blackbirds, robins, sandhill cranes and killdeer to arrives, especially when winds are from a southerly direction.
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Statewide birding report
Birder watchers should expect the first big flush of migrants over the next week. Including waterfowl, blackbirds, robins, sandhill cranes, killdeer and song sparrows.
Back to Top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NORTHERN REGION
Superior DNR Service Center area
Brule River State Forest - Daytime temperatures in the 30s and low 40s have been bringing those with cabin fever out into the late season winter wonderland. It seems that more people are out taking advantage of the warm weather by ice fishing, snowmobiling, skiing, snowshoeing, or just walking the roads. Even with the warm temperatures the Afterhours Ski and trails have been holding up nicely due to the overnight cool temperatures. Conditions are considered very good to excellent. The new snowshoe trails at the Afterhours trails are becoming popular with the 0.8 mile Fox loop and the 2.2 mile Coyote loop. These trails are gentle enough for a beginner and easy enough to follow with the trail markers. It's not too late to sign up for the 15th Annual River View Loppet Cross Country Ski Race at the Afterhours Ski Trail on Saturday, March 6. A 12k Classic, 12k/24k Freestyle, and 4k free youth event will take place starting at 10 a.m. Registration and bib pick-up will be at the Brule Town Hall from 7:30-9 a.m.
Hayward DNR Service Center area
Tuscobia State Trail – As of March 2, the trail was in fair condition overall, however, some areas with more exposure have deteriorated with little or snow cover. Conditions will most likely continue to deteriorate due to the warm temps.
Park Falls DNR Service Center area
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - The recent mild weather has really settled the snow pack on area lakes and the depth is down to 2 to 3 inches of grainy snow cover. Ice thickness is holding in the 20- to 22-inch range and travel conditions have been very good. However, with the warm & sunny conditions, some access areas have been getting slushy and rutted up, so anglers should be a bit cautious when getting on and off of the lakes. In addition, anglers are reminded that the gamefish harvest season closes at the end of the day on Sunday, March 7. Variable weather conditions made for another erratic week of fishing in the Northwoods. Panfish have provided the most consistent success in the past week as some decent catches of crappie and perch have been reported. Anglers have had to move around quite a bit to find the fish, but success has been good when a school of active fish are found. The best action has been over the deeper mud flats, with perch being found just off the bottom and crappie suspended a few feet up. Small minnows, spikes, and wax worms have all worked good for bait. Walleye success has been especially slow lately, with many anglers having a hard time finding any active fish. On most trips, anglers have been lucky to catch just a single fish, and only a few anglers have reported getting a two or three-fish limit. With the bright sunny days, northern pike action has picked up and tip-up anglers have been seeing some decent action on area pike waters. Large golden shiners or sucker minnows fished over the top of any old weed beds have been producing the best action. On many pike lakes in the north, anglers have had to move their baits up a couple feet off the bottom. This is to get above the low oxygen levels that are starting to show up on these generally shallow and weedy lakes.
Flambeau River State Forest – As of March 2, the Flambeau Hills Ski Trail was still in very good to excellent skate ski condition. Classic track is good to very good condition. Trail was groomed and tracked Tuesday. Classic track will become icy with thawing/freezing conditions. Best skiing before noon.
Woodruff DNR Service Center area
Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest – As of March 2, all cross-country ski trails remained in good condition. The McNaughton Trail was groomed March 2 Madeline and Raven trails were groomed March 1. Escanaba trail was last groomed Feb. 25. There will be a Candlelight Ski and Snowshoe Saturday March 6. The Raven trail system will be lit by hundreds of flickering candles. Enjoy a 1.5- mile and a 3-mile loop for skiing and a 1-mile loop for hiking and snowshoeing. Refreshments, including hot chocolate and apple cider, will be served. The Clear Lake Ranger Station is open and heated, and there are two warming fires: one at the start/finish and one at the halfway point warming hut on the 3-mile loop. Sorry, no pets are allowed on the ski-trail portions. Meet at the Clear Lake Ranger Station, in Woodruf. 6-9 p.m.
Back to Top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NORTHEAST REGION
Sunny days and warm temperatures have been taking a toll on the ice and the landings. Care should be taken when venturing out.
Peshtigo DNR Service Center area
Marinette County - The ice at 6th street slip is fast becoming untenable. Some walleye were being caught, but caution must be observed. Trout during the day and a few walleye in the evening is what the Hattie street area brings to the table. The trout were biting on stick baits fished from the walkway in open water. Walleye were being caught through the ice as well as the walkway.
Oconto County - Pike anglers are dominating the bay from Geano Beach to the Peshtigo Harbor. Golden shiners fished a foot or two off the bottom depending on the water depth as well as fishing on bottom with dead smelt works if the pike are hungry
Governor Thompson State Park – The 6 miles of cross-country ski trails are open and groomed for both classic and skate skiers. The trails were still in good condition as of March 4 despite the recent warm weather. The 2.5-mile packed trail is open, and it has been seeing some heavy use! Visitors are also welcome to backcountry snowshoe on any of the 10 miles of non-groomed trails in the park. Quite a few ice fishers have been spotted on Woods Lake and Caldron Falls Flowage. Construction also has begun on the new 50-site campground. Throughout the winter construction crews are hauling out brush and stumps, and grading in the new campsites and roads. The campground is expected to open for the 2011 camping season.
Green Bay DNR Service Center area
Brown County - People are still fishing through the ice at Voyageur Park; what ice is left is small. Perch were being caught along with a few small walleye using jigs and minnows; take care when fishing the ice in front of Voyageur. Open water fishing for walleye is attracting more people, stick baits and jig heads are the baits of choice. Sunset Beach was giving up some perch if anglers could hit them at the right time; jigs and minnow heads in 10 feet of water worked well.
Sturgeon Bay DNR Service Center area
Door County - The perch fishing has slowed over the last week at Sturgeon Bay. Most anglers that were finding any perch have been fishing in front of the state park. Anglers have been targeting northern pike by the yacht club with some success. Larger suckers or golden shiners have been working the best. Smelt were still being caught off Stone Quarry; most anglers have been walking off the landing and setting up 50-100 yards from shore. Sand Bay anglers have been doing well on whitefish over the last week. Most anglers have been targeting whitefish in water 20 to 40 feet deep. A few walleyes were being caught off Larson Reef. Perch fishing also slowed over the last week at Little Sturgeon Bay. Most anglers have been moving a lot to find the few perch that were being caught. Whitefish have also slowed over the last week; successful anglers have been moving away from the large groups of people to find any fish. Red River anglers are finding some respectable numbers of perch in 20 to 30 feet of water out in front of Red River. Most have been using minnows or waxworms to target their catch. Also anglers have been catching good numbers of whitefish as well, mostly fishing north of the park. Anglers have been targeting mainly whitefish at Volks Reef. Successful anglers have been finding most of the whitefish in 8 to 15 feet of water. Anglers are also reporting a few perch and walleye being caught as well.
Peninsula State Park - Snow depth as of March 3 was about 3 to 4 inches on the ground and fast disappearing with the warm afternoon temperatures. Cross-country ski trails are groomed, tracked and are in fair condition with occasional bare spots. Trails are currently icy in the morning but warm up during the day making for better in-line skiing conditions. Snowmobile trails are still closed. The sledding hill (Hill 17) is still closed with lots of grass showing. The mid-winter thaw has brought some ice pushes with beautiful "blue ice" stacked up along the shoreline.
Potawatomi State Park - Ski trails were rolled Tuesday afternoon and were still in pretty good shape. There is a 6 to 7-inch base. With warm weather forecast for the next five days, trail conditions may deteriorate. Call the park office at 920-746-2890 for updated conditions if you are heading this way for some weekend skiing. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
Whitefish Dunes State Park - There are segments of the red & yellow cross-country ski trails that are skiable. There are more segments with numerous bare spots that make these segments unskiable. The snowshoe trail is easier traveled with a good pair of hiking boots as the trail has numerous bare spots mixed in the areas with very light snow cover. The forecast for the next two days is for the temps to climb in the mid 40s which will make all trails unskiable.
Back to Top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOUTHEAST REGION
Havenwoods State Forest - As of March 2, there was still 4 to 8 inches of snow on the ground. Deer, squirrels, raccoon, turkeys, red-tailed hawk, cooper's hawk, owls, mourning doves, chickadees, juncos, nuthatch, downy woodpeckers, sparrows were being seen.
Kettle Moraine State Forest – Lapham Peak Unit – Ski trail conditions were still good to very good as of March 4, though getting soft in the afternoons as temps rise. Temperatures are forecast to be above 40 degrees beginning through Friday and into the weekend. Crews have been grooming the trails each morning and in the evening, when possible and conditions are below freezing. The man-made snow 1.5K loop still has a lot of snow on it and should offer good skiing for at least another week. Otherwise, it is anticipated that the rest of trail system is going to begin melting out soon, although it should remain good through this weekend. At this point, the only bare spot is on the South Field section of the lighted loop and confined to the classic track. Skiers can still use the skate lane.
Kettle Moraine State Forest – Northern Unit – The Zillmer ski trail loops were re-tracked and groomed for skating March 3. Expect some icy spots to develop, especially on some of the downhill areas. Overall excellent conditions but will change a lot with warming temps.
Kettle Moraine State Forest - Pike Lake Unit – The cross-country ski trails were groomed on Monday, March 1 and are in good condition, however, daily freeze/thaw cycles have created icy conditions. Ski trail conditions will continue to deteriorate with above freezing temperatures in the forecast. Call (262) 670-3400 for the most current trail conditions. The only groomed trail that hikers, snowshoers, and dog walkers are allowed on is the red trail to the south of the beach/picnic area. Only skiers are allowed on all other groomed trails.
Kettle Moraine State Forest – Southern Unit – The Nordic trail skate lanes were groomed on Monday and new classical tracks were set Tuesday on the green, white and purple trails. The Scuppernong trail had a new classical track set on Tuesday. The grooming took place each day before temps got to warm and resulting conditions were good. Skiing conditions will be greatly affected by the air temps at the time that you arrive at the trail. If it is below freezing the trails will be crusty and icy; above freezing soft and slow. In general there is still plenty of snow on the trails.
Kohler-Andrae State Park - As of Monday, the ski cross-country ski trail had about 5 inches of snow. The trail was groomed on Wednesday, February 24. It will not be groomed again until more snow is received. It is in good condition. Nature trails, hiking trails, and roadways may be snow covered and slippery.
Lake Michigan fisheries report
Ozaukee County - In Port Washington open water anglers have been catching a few browns near the power plant discharge. Both spawn and skein have produced fish.
Milwaukee County - In Milwaukee the river under the Hoan bridge is open, and the boat launch at Riverfront is usable. Boaters jigging in the harbor near the main gap have been catching good numbers of browns and lake trout. Fast moving portions of Oak Creek are open, but water levels are low. The Bender Park launch is open, and shore anglers there have been catching fair numbers of browns.
Racine County - In Racine the Root River is open from the Horlick dam into Lincoln Park, but flows are fairly low. The water is clear and fishing has been relatively slow, although there are both browns and steelhead in the river. Downstream portions of the Root are still iced over, but the ice is not safe to walk on. Fishing in the Racine harbor has been slow.
Back to Top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION
Dodgeville DNR Service Center area
Blue Mound State Park – As of March 3, cross-country ski conditions remained fair. With temps forecast around 40 during the day and below freezing at night Friday through Monday, crews are not currently grooming. Track is still mainly intact. Expect "reasonable" skating conditions in the morning over a frozen track, then good to slow classic conditions as temps rise above freezing later in the day. Try to refrain from skating once snow gets real soft, to reduce the amount of icy, deep ruts for the next day. Crust skiing all over the open areas of the park in mornings! Expect to encounter more hiker "prints"...hard to keep them off trails when it's sunny and 40 degrees. Saturday and Sunday look to be great days for morning skiing.
Wyalusing State Park - All trails are snow covered, but not for long. The forecast for the upcoming weekend calls for daytime temperatures in the mid 40s with lows near freezing. As of March 4, both the Whitetail Meadows and Turkey Hollow Cross Country Ski Trail were in fair condition. With the projected warmer temperatures, ski trail conditions may deteriorate. Skiers are welcome to call the park office at 608-996-2261 for updated weekend conditions. According to the number of ice anglers this week compared to the last two weeks, it seems as if the fish are biting again. Or it may be that the ice anglers know that their days on the ice are numbered as spring is just around the corner. Birds at the park office bird feeders include: cardinals, juncos, red-bellied woodpeckers, downy woodpeckers, hairy woodpeckers, chickadees, gold finches, bluejays, nuthatches, mourning doves, tufted titmice and purple finches. Park office bird feeders remain a popular spot for cardinals. A great time to watch the cardinals is late afternoon, as they are the last birds at the feeders in the evening. Approximately 6-8 red-bellied woodpeckers can be sighted at a time, preferring to feed on the suet blocks.
Horicon DNR Service Center area
Dodge County - The Dodge County Snowmobile Trail System and the ATV Trail along the Wild Goose Trail is now closed due to the warmer temperatures.
Fitchburg DNR Service Center area
Dane County - All Dane County snowmobile trails are closed. Dane County Parks cross-country ski trails are open but are in fair to poor condition. Lake ice is holding up well but shorelines are starting to erode. Lakes have 10 to 18 inches of ice generally. Fishing has been slow although northern pike have been hitting on bays of Lake Mendota. Some bass have been taken on tip ups also. Game fish season closes at 12:01 a.m. Monday March 8 and permanent ice fishing shacks must be removed by then also. Conditions look very good for the opening of the early catch and release trout season on Saturday. Run off from snow cover has been gradual and streams are still running clear. Geese and other waterfowl have been arriving in the area and as soon as winds switch out of the south other migrants should be showing up. This weekend should be a great one for bird watchers looking for migrants arriving. Red winged blackbirds, sandhill cranes, and a few robins should be filtering in any day. Turkeys are strutting already and the maple sap is flowing so spring can't be far off.
Military Ridge State Trail - The trail is now closed to snowmobiling. Warm temperatures and clear skies have caused the snow to melt and expose the trail surface. Warm temperatures are forecasted through the week of March 1 7.
Back to Top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEST CENTRAL REGION
Baldwin DNR Service Center area
Willow River State Park – As of March 4, cross-country skiing is on the wane. Trails are frozen hard in the morning and they soften up as the day progresses. There is a short window of time in which the trails are between rock hard and squishy soft. With high temperatures in the 40s there will not be much more skiing. The groomers may try one more time on the skate lane but don’t count on it. Ski trails retain the skiers only restriction as long as people are skiing. Skiing on really soft trails is a different season. First of all it is slow. Bring the old beat up skis. Step turns and marathon skate strokes become part of classic skiing since the skis sink into the trail and won’t slide sideways. Expect to find puddles at the bottom of the hills and in low spots. Expect to find bare spots. It is a short season. Trout anglers do not have much to pick from with the Willow River still holding a lot of ice. There is water open below the dam but it will be running under 40 degrees in temperature. Access down or up a snow covered bank anywhere will be a challenge.
La Crosse DNR Service Center area
Early March typically marks the beginning of northward bird migration. Over the next two months, many species of birds will migrate into and through Wisconsin as they move to their breeding areas. This influx starts gradually and builds toward a climax that usually occurs in late April or early May. As the Mississippi River begins to open, watch for diving ducks- - ringnecks, scaup or bluebills, buffleheads, and goldeneyes. Inland, keep an eye out for red-winged blackbirds, meadowlarks, and grackles, all members of the blackbird family, robins, and killdeer to arrive in early to mid March. Good days to monitor for newly arriving birds occur when winds are from a southerly direction.
Perrot State Park – Cross-country ski trails are in fair to poor condition. No bare spots have been reported but trails may be soft during the day and icy in shaded areas. The Great River State Trail and the Buffalo River State Trail and all adjoining county snowmobile trails are now closed to snowmobiling.
Wildcat Mountain State Park – Cross-country ski trails are in spring skiing condition: icy in the mornings and soft in the afternoons. Classic tracks have held up good. There is still plenty of snow 6 to 10 inch base with over foot on the north side of the hills. This time of the year conditions are changing daily.
Crawford County - All snowmobile trails in Crawford County are now closed. Warm and sunny days melted many stretches of trails in the counts. The Mississippi River remained steady this week and was at 7.9 feet Monday. Ice conditions in most backwater areas are pretty good. Most of the popular ice fishing spots have anywhere between 12 to 28 inches of ice. Even so, ice fishers are urged to use caution when traveling out onto the frozen waters. Many stretches of the main channel are starting to open up, but it remains ice covered in many areas. Open water exists at the confluence of Mill Coulee Creek and the Ambro Slough just upstream from the USFWS boat landing. Also, the East Channel in the Prairie du Chien is showing some open water areas. Ice fishing action this week was spotty. Prairie du Chien Area and Lower bottoms: Garnet Lake has decent ice but access to it is tricky and action there has been slow. Pickerel Slough was slow also. Fishing pressure in these two areas was light. White bass action is slow in Dillman’s pit. In the past stripers were caught on jigging rapalas or sweedish pimples near the bottom of 40 feet of water. Ice conditions are pretty good there with over 20 inches of ice. Rotten Slough, St. Feriole Slough and Hunter’s Slough which are located near the sewer treatment plant is becoming unsafe. Caution in these areas is advised. Anglers have been fishing between the Blackhawk and Washington Street bridges. On some days the bluegill action was pretty good, but the average size was small. St. Feriole Slough has open water areas near the bridges and in the center of the channel so use caution there. Prairie du Chien Ambro Slough Complex: Gremore Lake’s northern end has very low oxygen so fishing action there is very bad. The lower end of Gremore Lake was very spotty. A few crappie, bluegill and perch along with some bass have been taken from time to time. For the most part Gremore has about 24 or so inches of ice. Tilmont Lake and Mud Slough have been very slow. Good ice conditions exist on Tilmont Lake and Mud Slough. Anglers are urged to use caution crossing over the Black Slough to get to Tilmont Lake as warm temperatures might cause the Black Slough to become unsafe. The Lower Doubles and Fish Lake have been pretty slow recently. Ice conditions there are good with around 24 inches of ice. Little Missouri has been spotty with some smaller bluegill and a few decent crappie being taken. Good ice exists on Little Missouri. Big Missouri on the other hand has been very slow for some reason. The Upper Doubles has slowed too. Even so some decent bass and crappie are still being taken. Upwards of 24 inches of ice exist on the Upper Doubles and Big Missouri. The Fennimore Cut has produced some perch, crappie and bluegill. The bluegills have been small and overall action was spotty. Spring Lake has been very slow even though good ice conditions exist. Spring Lake has produced a few bluegill and crappie just under the ice. Access to the Doubles, Big and Little Missouri, the Fenimore Cut, and Spring Lake can be tricky. Poor ice conditions exist where Mill Coulee Creek enters the Ambro Slough. Anglers traveling on the Ambro Slough must monitor ice conditions as current is slowing in it and ice conditions can change rapidly. Sturgeon Slough Area: Sturgeon Slough remains very quiet. Some anglers have ventured down to Sturgeon (aka McGregor or Horseshoe) Lake but success there has been very spotty, especially on the northern ¾ of the lake. Recent oxygen level testing on Sturgeon Lake shows very low oxygen levels. Some crappie and bass action was reported on Sturgeon Lake closer to the East Channel. Sturgeon Slough and Sturgeon Lake have good ice, however travel to Sturgeon Lake can be tricky. Stay on established paths. Cold Spring: Fishing here remains very slow. Reports of a few small bluegill and an occasional crappie and a fair amount of small bass have been reported. Ice conditions on the southern lobe are still good except when you get near the boat landing/stream where open water and very thin ice exists. Mississippi River: Walleye and sauger anglers had been venturing out onto the ice below the Lynxville dam earlier in the week. Ice conditions there have deteriorated a lot. Travel in this area is not advisable.
Black River Falls DNR Service Center area
Black River State Forest - Warm daytime temperatures have significantly reduced the snow base on cross-country ski trails and made what is there very slick in some spots. Daytime highs are expected to be near 40 everyday for the next week. Crews will likely not groom the trails again this year unless the weather forecast changes. All snowmobile trails are closed and will likely remain so for the rest of the season.
Last Revised: Thursday March 04 2010
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/news/or/#top
