Wisconsin Fishing Reports & Outdoor Report for March 2, 2017

[Rick]

Wisconsin's weather rollercoaster continued this week, with temperatures swinging from the 50s and 60s back down to the 20s and 30s and now forecast to back up again this weekend. With snow March 1 and 60 degrees forecast for Sunday it makes it hard to determine if March is coming in like a lion or a lamb. Large portions of the state received snowfall ranging from 2 to 6 inches or more, but not enough to greatly improve winter recreation. Snowmobile trails remain closed in all but a few counties in far northern Wisconsin, with mostly poor to fair conditions, on the Wisconsin Department of Tourism's Snow Conditions Report (exit DNR).The additional snow saved one of the last cross-country ski events on state properties, allowing organizers to move ahead with the River View Loppet at the Brule River State Forest Afterhours Ski Trail this Saturday. Heavier snows also fell through central Wisconsin, allowing the Northern and Pike Lake units of the Kettle Moraine State Forest to groom trails, but they won't last long with warm temperatures on the way.Starting line of the 2017 River View LoppetPhoto Credit: DNRLast weekend's warmup continued to erode ice conditions across the state. Some smaller lakes in the south have reopened. Lake Wingra in Madison opened Feb. 27, nearly a month earlier than normal. There is still close to a foot of ice on some northern lakes, but access is treacherous with open water reported along shorelines. If they have not already been removed, fishing shelters must be removed from inland waters south of Highway 64 by March 5. The general inland game fish season also closes next Sunday, March 5. Fishing for panfish and rough fish remains open, and some lakes and rivers remain open for game fishing year round.

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