An aerial display by the Wisconsin Kiters Club will return to Lake Antoine on Feb. 25, 2023. The free event organized by Lake Antoine Park Partners had a successful debut at the Dickinson County park last Saturday. (Kyle Lindstrom photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — Uphill truck drag racing will take center stage Saturday, March 12, at Keyes Peak in Florence, Wis.

Gates open at 8:30 a.m. and power trucks will race throughout the day beginning at 10:30 a.m. The event is organized by Keyes Peak Ski Hill Committee, Blue Ox Trail Riders and Florence Volunteer Fire Department.

Admission is $10 and free for ages 12 and younger. There will be no parking along Highway 101 but free shuttle buses will be offered from a variety of locations, including Florence County High School and the Florence visitors center.

More information is available at https://www.exploreflorencecounty.com/ under the events tab.

Kites Over Awesome Lake Antoine will return next year, following a successful debut last Saturday. Lake Antoine Park Partners, sponsor of the event, said the next exhibition of giant, elaborate show kites brought in by the Wisconsin Kiters Club, is set for Feb. 25, 2023.

Fisher Lake in Florence is the site of the Northern Lites Ice Fishing Derby today. It’s a fundraiser for the planned Nose to Tail Animal Shelter. While registration for the contest has closed, there will be food and activities at the boat landing.

Fishing action has been a little slow over the past week, said Ken Dabb at Whisler Outdoors in Florence, Wis. Catches have included perch and bluegill and some walleye and northern pike, he said.

On Michigan-Wisconsin boundary waters, ice shanties must be removed by midnight March 15. All other bodies of water in the U.P. must have ice shanties removed by midnight March 31.

Daily use of ice shanties is permitted anywhere in Michigan if ice conditions permit and if the shanties are removed from the ice at the end of each day.

In northern Wisconsin, the deadline for removing shacks this year is March 13. As in Michigan, anglers can continue to use portable shanties, so long as they are removed from the ice when they are not actively in use and at the end of each day.

The Michigan DNR reported this Upper Peninsula activity:

Little Bay de Noc: Areas of heavy fishing pressure were between the first and center reef, out in front of Gladstone fishing pier and areas out of the Ford River. Saunders Point produced mostly undersized fish. Smaller numbers of anglers were fishing by the Escanaba River, although most reported very little success. Walleye anglers were fishing out in front of the Gladstone fishing pier and had some success harvesting some nice walleye. Fishing out of the Ford River had been slow but some respectably sized walleye were caught. Anglers reported marking multiple schools of fish throughout the day but struggled to get commitment. Perch angling reports had been mixed. Those that ventured into deeper parts of the bay reported limited numbers, but the perch size had been very respectable. Anglers fishing shallower depths had been sorting through small fish but were make more contacts. Some area perch anglers concentrated in areas between first and center reef, mud flats, just north of Kipling and at the head of the bay.

Keweenaw Bay: Anglers who braved some of the fast winds and snow found a few whitefish, lake trout and the occasional lake herring and burbot. More and more anglers found their way out onto ice closer to Pequaming. Anglers in this area were fishing for lake trout mostly and were successful. In depths from 100 feet to 290 feet, anglers were finding lake trout of all sizes. Anglers used a mix of natural and artificial bait to catch all species but cut bait was the most popular for the lake trout. Deep water had been producing more lake trout with the whitefish still biting on classic ice jigs and rigs. Try sight fishing larger holes for a new experience. Stay vigilant while on the ice and take safety precautions.

Munising Bay: There were some reports of a few coho and splake caught. Over the weekend there were a few reports of possible schools of smelt. Most anglers reported zero catches. Anglers were seeing some whitefish on cameras but no major schools. Burbot fishing continued to be slow and spotty for anglers at night.

Les Cheneaux/Munuscong Bay: A few perch were caught in Hessel Bay, along with a few splake being caught in Wilderness Bay. They were also catching a few perch in Musky and Urie bays. Anglers were catching a few perch at Conley Point, but the fish were mostly on the smaller side. Anglers were catching a few walleye at Dan’s Resort.