Even though it’s still winter on the calendar, ice-out at Algoma and Kewaunee last week allowed anglers with spring fever a chance to launch and see what was biting.

Many found hungry brown trout shallow in Lake Michigan, with some very good catches Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Action slowed in the cold front Sunday, and windy weather has kept most boaters off since.

Browns and a few bonus lake trout and rainbow trout were caught. Most of the browns were in the 15- to 25-inch range while most lakers stretched 20 to 30 inches, with a few larger.

Stickbaits, spoons and crankbaits in 8 to 25 feet of water are working best. A few anglers have hooked up from shore or pier, too.

Meanwhile, midweek rain likely attracted a fresh batch of rainbows and the first wave of suckers into the Ahnapee and Kewaunee rivers.

River fishermen have been tangling with some browns and rainbows all winter, both through the ice and more recently, in open water. Spawn sacs are favorites now.

Deer meeting

Citizens can weigh in on deer populations and management strategies at the first of two spring County Deer Advisory Council meetings from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, at the Muskrat City Sportsman’s Club.

Council members and DNR advisors will review last year’s data and talk about preliminary recommendations for the fall quota. Management options will be discussed. However, any local recommendations would need approval by the Natural Resources Board and some would require legislation to advance.

Learn more and see historical harvest data at http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/hunt/cdac.html.

Water issues

Wisconsin Assembly Reps. Scott Krug (72nd District) and Joel Kitchens (1st District) will discuss water quality issues and opportunities for public participation at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 31, at Algoma City Hall..

“Restoring the Ahnapee River: Navigating the Steps to Improved Water Quality,” is hosted by the Friends of Crescent Beach and is the first in a series.

Next up is “Lake Michigan in Motion: Ecological Changes in the 21st Century,” 6 p.m. April 27 at The Farm Market Kitchen with Titus Seilheimer, Ph.D., fisheries specialist with the UW-Sea Grant Institute.

Fish art contest

The State-Fish Art Contest uses art to ignite kids’ imagination while teaching them about fish and fishing. Students across the United States and around the world have the opportunity to win awards and national recognition while learning about a state-fish species, its behaviors, aquatic habitat and conservation. The contest is helping create future stewards for our valuable aquatic resources.

The contest is in its 18th year of bringing children, art and aquatic conservation together. To enter, young artists create an original illustration of any official state-fish and one page of written words detailing its behavior, habitat, and efforts to conserve it.

Entries are categorized in four grade levels: K-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12. Educators nationwide utilize Fish On!, the full-color State-Fish Art Lesson Plan, combining the disciplines of science and art. It is available on CD, at no charge and for download.

Entries are due postmarked by March 31 each year. To learn more and to view the 2016 winning images after May 10, visit www.StateFishArt.org.

QDMA in class

Whitetails Unlimited chapters, sportsman’s clubs and avid deer hunters with an interest in educating youth may want to look at sponsoring a deer management curriculum for local schools.

The Quality Deer Management Association’s Deer Management Curriculum contains everything an educator needs to teach a unit on whitetail management, including videos, quizzes, activities and a test. Presentations cover deer biology, history, management, aging and judging, trail-camera surveys, and more. The curriculum also includes a one-year “QDMA in the Classroom” membership, Aging and Judging Bucks on the Hoof DVD, six issues of Quality Whitetails magazine, and a combo pack of three QDMA educational posters.

The QDMA Deer Management Curriculum is offered in partnership with OneLessThing.net for $60 per classroom membership. Hundreds of classrooms have already joined, with many teachers purchasing the curriculum for their own classrooms.

Turkey show

“Wild Turkeys in Wisconsin,” a one-hour special hosted by Outdoor Wisconsin host Dan Small and produced by the Outdoor Heritage Education Center, will air next month.

“Wild Turkeys in Wisconsin” will air on Fox Sports North April 8, 9 and 15, Fox Sports Wisconsin April 8, 9, 10 and 15 and Wisconsin Public Television at 8 p.m. April 25.

Kevin Naze is a freelance outdoors writer. Email him at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press Gazette: Naze: Trout bite is hot in Kewaunee County