Snow, cold a boost for winter sports lovers

Recent snowfalls should be enough to get snowmobilers out in more areas, and certainly will improve cross country skiing and snowshoeing opportunities.

All the fresh powder has also benefited cottontail rabbit and coyote hunters, and their scent-trailing hounds.

With single-digit and even a few below-zero lows expected, you’ll need to layer up for those outdoor adventures,

A chilling 10-day forecast looks ideal for firming things up on Green Bay, where working pressure cracks continued to cause some issues last weekend. As always, check locally for the latest updates before heading out.

Inland lakes have been producing mixed catches of panfish and bass pretty much everywhere. Some also offer pike, walleye and even stocked trout. The use of electronics can help pinpoint the depths fish are holding, but you still might need to coax them to bite.

Great Lakes tributaries are producing a variety of species, from trout and pike on the lakeshore to walleyes, pike and panfish on the Green Bay side.

The main bay — from Green Bay to Marinette, and across to Door County — has been offering yellow perch, whitefish, pike, walleye and brown trout, though it’s definitely spotty. Many anglers say they’ve done best by exploring away from the crowds.

Giant sturgeon

More than 400 lake sturgeon were taken the first four days of the spearing season on the Lake Winnebago system, 218 on the big lake and 190 on the upriver lakes.

There were 19 sturgeon larger than 100 pounds speared through Tuesday. That included the fourth-largest in the history of the fishery, a 180.5-pounder that stretched 79.3 inches long taken by 22-year-old Hayley Herzig.

On day two, an even longer fish was speared, 81.9 inches. DNR fisheries staff said it was still about a year away from spawning and though still large at 161.9 pounds, they believe with mature eggs it could have weighed 40 to 50 pounds more next year.

Though not perfect everywhere, ice conditions are better than the past two years. Water clarity on Winnebago, however, is not very good.

In years with good ice conditions and water clarity, it’s not uncommon for 1,000 to 2,000 sturgeon to be registered.

There were 3,340 shanties counted on Lake Winnebago last weekend, with most located off the west central portion near the Oshkosh area.

The record harvest was set in 1995, at 3,173, before harvest caps were set.

Last year, a 177.3-pound, 79.9-inch female sturgeon was speared on Lake Winnebago. At the time it was the seventh heaviest since seasons began nearly a century ago. The record is 212.2 pounds, taken in 2010, and the only one over 200.

But that’s not the biggest sturgeon ever seen. DNR fisheries biologists weighed a spawn-filled, 240-pound female in April, 2012 on the Wolf River in Shawano.

It measured 87.5 inches.

In recent years the Winnebago spearing season has gone the full 16 days. If success is better, it closes earlier.

You can follow the progress of this year’s hunt at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/fishing/sturgeon/WinnSysSturgeonSpear.

This year’s Wildlife Forever Fish Art Contest has partnered with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to add a Great Lakes Fish Specialty Award.

The new award celebrates fish species that provide valuable ecosystem services and are integral to Great Lakes Indigenous, commercial, recreational and subsistence fisheries. It also raises awareness of non-native fish species that negatively impact the ecosystem.

K-12 students must submit artwork featuring a fish species from the official eligibility list at https://www.theartofconservation.org/great-lakes-award. There are four age group categories.

This year’s contest closes Feb. 28. Entering is free. See the rules and more at https://www.theartofconservation.org/fish-art-contest.

A meeting on two Peshtigo River and High Falls Flowage walleye movement projects is set for 6-8 p.m. Feb. 19 at the Peshtigo DNR Field Office. There’s a virtual option via Microsoft Teams as well. More information, including login info can be found at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/calendar.

Bird count Feb. 14-17

This weekend is the 28th annual Great Backyard Bird Count. You can participate for free and help scientists gather data on birds across the globe. Learn more at https://www.birdcount.org/.