Upcoming tournaments include the annual Tip-up Town of the U.P. on Saturday, Feb. 7, at the Sagola Township Sportsmen’s Club on Sawyer Lake Road four miles north of Channing.

Admission to the club is free but you must be registered and have a button for the fishing contest. Buttons are $10 each or $5 for ages 17 and under. Registration begins at 7 a.m. on derby day.

Find out more at https://stsportsmen.com/tip-up-town.htm.

***

The Aurora-Homestead Conservation Club annually sponsors an ice fishing derby in memory of Pete “Toad” Church. Family members were on hand at the C&R Bar in Aurora on Jan. 17 to show their appreciation. From left, front, are Amanda Bartels, Weston Bartels, Kaylee Bartles; second row, Jackie Church, PJ Church, Peter Church, Linda Church, Fran Herman, Marilyn Vassar, Jon Church; back, Brayden Bartels, Dillon Church, Gerard Church, Brandon Church and Oliver Church. (Courtesy photo)

A 38.5-inch northern pike was the biggest fish caught in last weekend’s Pete “Toad” Church derby, hosted by the Homestead-Aurora Conservation Club. The “fish anywhere” tournament that coincided with Wisconsin’s free fishing weekend had nearly 200 participants.

Julia Brown of Homestead landed the big pike. Butch Harvath of Niagara, Wis., registered a 30-inch walleye.

Upcoming Wisconsin events include the Long Lake Winter Fishing Derby on Feb. 7, the One O One Fishing Derby on Feb. 14 and the KAMO Ice Fishing Derby, also on Feb. 14. For more, go to https://www.exploreflorencecounty.com/events/.

***

MJE Cares Foundation will host an ice fishing tournament Saturday, Feb. 28, at Lake Antoine. Preregister at https://www.zeffy.com/…/lake-antoine-fishing-tournament.

Participants will compete across multiple categories including northern pike, walleye, perch, bluegill and crappie. Cash payouts will be awarded based on entry revenues. Raffle prizes, food, and hot drinks will be available throughout the day.

Registration begins at 6:30 a.m. Feb. 28 and fishing will take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more, go to https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/lake-antoine-fishing-tournament.

***

Tri-County Snowmobile Club reports mostly good to excellent conditions on its trails. Operators should ride right and stay on groomed trails.

“Groomers have the right of way, so pull off and wait for either the groomer to go by or they wave you on to pass them,” the club reminds riders.

According to Travel Wisconsin, trails in Florence County are in good condition, but there are icy conditions making it harder to brake. The same is true in northern Marinette County, where there is less snow.

****

An outdoor education program at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Florence Natural Resource Center lower level conference room will focus on trout habitat enhancement projects.

Greg Matzke, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist, recently evaluated the impact of various local projects and will walk through them one by one. He’ll discuss whether the effort put into these trout streams has paid off. 

This meeting is part of the DNR’s Northern Wisconsin Fisheries Spotlight Series, which allows the public to learn about game fish management and meet staff members.

Participants may attend in person, or sign up to attend virtually via a TEAMS link by registering at www.ExploreFlorenceCounty.com. On the Events page click on this event and then click on “Register here to attend via Teams link.”

There will be time for questions and answers.

***

Saturday, Feb. 28, is the date for the Keyes Peak Uphill Truck Drags. Gates open at 8 a.m. and racing starts at 10:30. This year there are seven truck classes and more big-truck races will be held earlier in the day so fans can see the nitro excitement.

Trucks from around the country will be racing up the snowy slopes to the finish line at the top of Keyes Peak in Florence, Wis.

There is a guaranteed $15,000 in cash payouts.

Regulations and rules can be found at “Keyes Peak Up Hill Truck Drags – Official” Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/people/Keyes-Peak-Up-Hill-Truck-Drags-Official/61557127694904/.

Event proceeds go to Keyes Peak Ski Hill Committee, Blue Ox Trail Riders and Florence Volunteer Fire Department.

There is parking north of the Keyes Peak Ski Lodge, along with a free shuttle bus from numerous sites.

***

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Western Upper Peninsula Citizens’ Advisory Council will hear updates on the western U.P. snowmobile trail system, the fish guiding process for Michigan lakes, a winter boating access site snowplowing partnership, and consider support for a council wildlife committee recommendation when the panel meets virtually Wednesday.

The web conference will take place from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern time.

Other business includes reports from various DNR division staff, council officer elections, old business items and subcommittee reports.

For virtual meeting details or public comment instructions, please contact Kristi Dahlstrom at DahlstromK@Michigan.gov or 906-226-1331.

***

The Wisconsin DNR will host a public meeting on Wednesday to discuss the Fisheries Management Bureau’s statewide genetic management plan.

The meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in person at the UW-Stevens Point DeBot Dining Center in Stevens Point and virtually via Microsoft Teams. The Fisheries Management Bureau is committed to stocking fish with the greatest potential for survival and has been working over the past several years to update the statewide genetics management plan using the most current data and science.

Fisheries staff will present and discuss the updated statewide genetics management plan and seek public comments and input.

More information about this event, including the link to join the meeting virtually, can be found on the DNR’s Meetings and Hearings calendar at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/calendar.