OUTDOORS REPORT

IRON MOUNTAIN — The Pete “Toad” Church Ice Fishing Derby hosted by Homestead-Aurora Conservation Club takes place Saturday, Jan. 20, coinciding with Wisconsin’s free fishing weekend.

Register in advance at Bob’s Midland Service in Aurora, Wis., and fish anywhere. Entry fee is $10, or free for children ages 12 and under.

There will be cash prizes for perch, walleye, northern pike, crappie and bluegill/pumpkinseed. Register catches on derby day by 7 p.m. at C & R Bar in Aurora. There will be numerous door prizes.

For more information, call 715-589-4400.

While no license is required during free fishing weekend, all regulations remain in effect, including seasons, bag limits and length limits. Michigan’s free winter fishing weekend is Feb. 17-18.

Anglers this week reported about 7 to 8 inches of ice on some area lakes but conditions remained “adventurous” on the Brule River, said Katy Church-Baeb at Cast Away! Bait Shop in Florence, Wis. Most of the action was walleye and perch, she said.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, which has yet to resume its weekly fishing report, urged outdoor enthusiasts to use caution, especially when snowmobiling or venturing onto the ice.

“Unfortunately, with the unseasonable winter we’ve experienced this season, there are still marginal ice conditions throughout the state,” said Lt. Tom Wanless, DNR recreational safety, education and enforcement supervisor. “Accumulating snowfall often creates blankets of snow on top of bodies of water that are still freezing, which creates deceiving perceptions that the water is solid and safe to venture onto.”

As of Monday, the Oconto, Peshtigo and Menominee rivers were mainly open with a little ice in areas with no current, the Wisconsin DNR said.

A gun and knife show hosted by United Sportsmen’s Club in Merriman continues until 3 p.m. today. The club is located at W7689 Sportsmans Club Road north of Iron Mountain. Admission is $5, or free for children ages 13 and under accompanied by an adult.

Iron Hills Cycling Team is organizing the Shiver Me Timberstones Fat Bike/Snowshoe Race on Saturday, Jan. 27, at Timberstone Golf Course/Pine Mountain Resort. The event is sponsored by U.P. Sport and Spoke, with grooming support from Pine Mountain Resort and Dickinson Trail Network.

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