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IRON MOUNTAIN -- The Homestead Aurora Conservation Club will host its annual Pete "Toad" Church Ice Fishing Derby on Saturday, Jan. 15, which is free fishing weekend in Wisconsin.
Sign up in advance at Bob's Midland in Aurora, Wis., and fish anywhere. Register fish at the C & R Bar in Aurora, Wis., by 7 p.m. the day of the derby.
Entry fee is $10, free for children ages 12 and under. There are door prizes and cash prizes for each fish species. Prizes include an Ion ice auger, Husqvarna chain saw, CVA muzzleloader and more.
Anglers this past week were reporting some small walleye catches, said Fay Whisler at Whisler Outdoors in Florence, Wis. Most lakes had 6 to 8 inches of ice, with about 9 to 10 inches on areas of the Brule Flowage.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources had no fishing report this week, but reminds anglers to always use caution because there is no reliable way to test ice thickness.
The snow belts of the eastern Upper Peninsula and northern part of the western U.P. and the Keweenaw Peninsula should have rideable and groomed trails going into the Christmas weekend, according to trailreport.net.
Locally, the Tri-County Snowmobile Club reported its trails closed, awaiting a significant snowfall. Florence County trails were closed as well.
The Michigan DNR and the Straits Area Snowmobile Club have reached a grant agreement for trail grooming over 101 miles of state-managed trails in the southeastern U.P. Recently, the DNR alerted snowmobilers to avoid the area as trails would not be groomed indefinitely while an agreement was being discussed. Since then, the club's leadership has reorganized, and trails will be groomed.
The affected trails are in Mackinac and Chippewa counties, connecting the communities of St. Ignace, Trout Lake and Epoufette.