River Currents

Lodi, WI
3/12/10
by Gary Engberg
©2010 Gary Engberg Outdoors

Early Open-Water Opportunities

A nice Wisconsin River sauger

This is the time of the year for fishing shows after the snow and cold of winter. These consumer shows get anglers in the mood for open water fishing and thinking past the hard water season which will still be around for a few weeks and maybe even longer. Two weeks ago, the Madison Fishing Expo had a great three day run with good crowds and excellent speakers, not to mention all the new equipment and gear for fishers to see for the 2010 season.

This past weekend, the Wilderness Fish and Game store in Sauk City had their 27^th Annual Free Fishing Clinic and Sale with three knowledgeable and experienced professional anglers; Dave Ehardt, Adam Oberfoell, and Eric Haataja giving relevant seminars. Big Dave (of John Gillespie’s Woods and Waters fame) talked about fishing the Wisconsin River for early walleyes and saugers. Big Dave is now guiding and fishing the river and says that the good fishing is still down the road a few weeks. But, he is catching walleyes, as I write, with the bite being hot and cold. Adam gave an excellent Power Point seminar on fishing for pressured muskies. He is an area guide and tournament professional who fishes the Madison Chain and local waters for muskies and gave numerous pointers for area waters to try during the early part of the season. Eric Haataja, is a charter captain and guide from Kenosha, who is one of the state’s top multi-species anglers. Eric spoke about where and how he fishes through the seasons starting with spring when he spends the month of April fishing the waters of Green Bay for walleyes. Eric is now fishing the streams and tributaries of Lake Michigan for big trout. This is some of the year’s best brown trout fishing with water clarity and flow being of importance.

There is great ice fishing just before ice-out for perch, bluegills, and crappies. The timing is perfect for the fishing shows, because from now till the end of the month there are more opportunities to fish open water and catch fish walleyes, saugers, northern pike, and panfish. The areas where you are catching fish on the ice are going to be in the same general area as you’ll be fishing once the ice is gone. Read more »

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River Currents

Lodi, WI
2/26/10
by Gary Engberg
©2010 GAry Engberg Outdoors

Early Walleyes and Saugers on the Wisconsin River

Saugers, like this one, are plentiful in the rivers and lakes around the Lodi, WI area.

This is the time of year when I and I know many of you have “cabin fever” and are looking forward to a true Wisconsin tradition, river fishing for walleyes and saugers. It’s been a typical Wisconsin winter with some cold weather and enough snow to keep you busy shoveling. Personally, I’ve kept busy with my new Lab, Katie, who has to be doing something outside with her boundless energy. Plus, I’ve been doing some ice fishing, looking for eagles and wildlife to photograph, feeding over 100 pounds of bird seed a week, and getting ready for the sport show and seminar season. But, I’ve had enough of winter and the stable and sunny days last week had me thinking of walleye fishing on the Wisconsin River.

It is not unusual to be fishing open-water on the Wisconsin River below the dams at Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin Dells, and Nekoosa in February. In the last decade, there have been a few years where walleye and sauger fishing started this early. Most people think that the “spring walleye run’ starts in March and April when the temperature hits the magic 40 degree mark and all the walleyes in the Wisconsin River system decide to migrate toward the first impassable structure or the dam’s on the river system. The truth is that walleyes and saugers start migrating upriver toward the Prairie du Sac Dam in the late fall and winter and find an area where they will hold till spring. This location is usually a deep water location with access to shallow water feeding flats that have bait fish. These “holding areas” can be close to the dam’s scour hole which is usually the deepest water below the dam that was formed when the water was high from the melting of winter’s snow and rushing through the open dam gates. There is water over 30 feet deep below the Prairie Dam which is deep water for the Wisconsin River where farther downriver 10 feet is considered deep. The scour hole is only 20 to 30 yards below the dam gates. Though many walleyes and its cousin, the sauger, can be very close to the dam, there are locations downriver 2 to 3 miles that will also hold fish this time of year before the spawn. This time of year, many of the smaller males will be active and arrive before the larger female fish. This is why you’ll often go through dozens of smaller, non-legal walleyes and saugers before you catch a legal fish. The legal size for walleyes on the Wisconsin River is 18 inches and the sauger must be 15 inches with a daily bag limit of 3 fish of any combination. Read more »

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Moonlight Hike in the Lodi Marsh State Wildlife Area

Lodi, WI
2/22/10

The Lodi Valley and Dane County Chapters of the Ice Age Trail Alliance will be leading a moonlight hike on Sunday, February 28, starting at 7:00 pm from the Robertson Trailhead on Lodi Springfield/Riddle Road.  Watch for the yellow “Ice Age Trail Event” signs.

Take time out to enjoy nature with others. Families are welcome. An astronomer will on hand with telescopes to help with viewing Mars, the Pleiades, and the
Orion Nebula.  This full moon is known as the snow moon.

Walkers should wear clothing appropriate to the weather with sturdy shoes or boots.  For more information contact Bill at 592-5666.

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River Currents

Lodi, WI
2/19/10
by Gary Engberg
©2010 Gary Engberg Outdoors

The Sturgeon Spearing Opens and the State Recorded is Smashed

The Wisconsin sturgeon spearing season opened this past Saturday morning, February 14^th, to below zero temperatures and a sunny sky. As soon as the sun rose, the temperature rebounded and one could not have asked for a nicer February day. By mid-morning, the sky was bright blue, the warming sun was shining, and thousands of sturgeon spearers were in their shanties waiting for a big fish to come by their hole.

Sturgeon Record the new state record 212.2 pounds and 84.2 inches speared by Ron Grishaber of Appleton

The glorious day turned out to also be a record-smashing day for the opening of the 2010 Wisconsin sturgeon spearing season. DNR fishery technicians have been seeing and handling sturgeon over 200 pounds for a few years, but none have been speared until Saturday. Finally, one of these “super-trophies” was speared by Ron Grishaber of Appleton, Wisconsin on Saturday morning. Grishaber registered the huge sturgeon (212.2 pounds and 84.2 inches) at the Harrison Registration Station, west of the village of Sherwood.

This was not the only record broken on Saturday. There were a record number of lake sturgeons greater than or equal to 100 pounds registered this day with 31 taken from Lake Winnebago and 3 from the Upriver Lakes. And the other record broken was the largest male sturgeon ever registered weighing 116.8 pounds and being 71 inches long. This fish was registered at Critter’s in the town of Winneconne. This sturgeon came from the Upriver Lakes of Butte des Morts, Winneconne, and Lake Poygan.

Lake Winnebago and the Upriver Lakes were gin-clear last week which would have helped the spearer’s by giving them greater visibility. But, the water on the west shore dirtied up from the flow of the Fox River. The best spearing and visibility was on the east side of the lake and up north near Stockbridge. This is the area where the record fish was speared and where the most fish were harvested. Water clarity can change daily and many people were moving their shanties to the east side and north end of Lake Winnebago for the last few days of the season.

I talked to and interviewed Ron Bruch, who is the Fisheries Supervisor for the entire Winnebago System, and Ron said that “the number of these very large fish in the Winnebago population has been increasing over the last 15 years due to the regulations developed by the DNR fisheries staff and the Winnebago Citizens Sturgeon Advisory Committee, and implemented in the late 1990’s and designed to decrease the annual exploitation of adult female sturgeon (which are the largest fish in the fish stock and also the most vulnerable).” There also were large hatches of sturgeon over a 20-30 year period in the early 1990’s that are now entering the “super-trophy” size in their life. Lake sturgeon and especially females are believed to be able to live to be 150 years old or more. The 212 pound record-breaking sturgeon hasn’t been aged yet, but is thought to be well over 100 years old. The previous state spearing record was a 188 pound and 79.5 inch sturgeon that was speared by David Piechowski of Redgranite in 2004. This year’s record fish was not only a record speared fish for Lake Winnebago, but also a Wisconsin state spear record topping a 195 pound fish speared on Lake Pokegama in Vilas county in 1979. Read more »

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Devil’s Lake Success

Lodi, WI
2/9/10

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Lodi, WI
2/9/10

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A new look for Lodi Reads Leopold

Lodi, WI
2/8/10

Each year, the Lodi Reads Leopold committee works to find ways to make Aldo Leopold’s writings relevant and interesting to modern Lodi residents.

Participants have hiked, built benches, watched movies and more – all in addition to the ever-present readings from Leopold’s “A Sand County Almanac.”  This year, the group is taking the project to the streets by coordinating an outreach project for Leopold’s ideas.

“Leopold’s 1949 book has always been at the heart of the Lodi Reads Leopold events, and the words still seem to apply to our lives,” said Patti Herman, Lodi Reads Leopold committee member. This year, the group is hoping to apply fresh perspectives through a series of events from now through the end of March.

Rather than a single day of readings, for this eleventh annual event, the readers will make Lodi Reads Leopold an interactive program by taking “A Sand County Almanac” into the places where Lodi residents live and meet. To do that, LRL volunteers will be attending the March meetings of many local organizations. Volunteer readers will give a 15-minute presentation, including a reading and a brief personal perspective.

“We’re very excited to have this opportunity to discuss Leopold across the community,” Herman said. “We expect there will be some people for whom this will be their first experience hearing Leopold read aloud, and they’re in for a treat!”

Additionally, a community forum event will be held Saturday, March 6, during the statewide Aldo Leopold Weekend. “Homegrown Meals: How can Lodi citizens eat nutritional and locally-produced food?” is the topic. The forum will be held from 10:30 until noon at the Lodi Woman’s Club Public Library.

Confirmed panelists will include D&D Piggly Wiggly co-owner Duane Westlie, Lodi Canning Company President Bob Goeres, Lodi Farmer’s Market Manager Gail Lamberty and Lodi School District Food Service Director Paula Larrabee. According to emcee Bill Haupt, the forum will address nutritional, environmental and economic concerns relating to the local food movement.

“This is a topic that seems to be gaining steam as a movement in Wisconsin and throughout the country,” Haupt said. “Given our strong agricultural culture and resources, it seems natural for us to examine this topic and the potential benefits it can provide to our community.”

Leading up to the forum discussion, the Lodi Public Library will host a book discussion on Michael Pollan’s “In Defense of Food.” Anyone who has read the book and would like to discuss it can join in at 7 pm on Monday, February 22 at the library.

“We’re sure that many topics of conversation from the book discussion are likely to overlap with the panel discussion,” said library co-director Trish Priewe. “This way, over a span of the next month or so, people will be able to read a book, think about and discuss their impressions of the book, and then attend the forum to discover new avenues and local approaches to implementing those same ideas.”

Lodi Reads Leopold began in 2000 when a group of local citizens met to read aloud from “A Sand County Almanac.”  Since then, the idea has spread to other communities and also spawned state legislation that designates the first full weekend in March as Aldo Leopold Weekend to celebrate the life and works of this Wisconsin conservation leader. To learn more about Lodi Reads Leopold, visit www.lodireadsleopold.org.

If your group would like to participate in this Leopold outreach project and has not been contacted, please contact Patti Herman at 592-5666 or billpatti@charter.net to schedule a reader/presenter. For more information about the community forum, please contact Bill Haupt at bhauptlodi@aol.com. To reserve a copy of “In Defense of Food” or for more information about the book discussion, contact the Lodi Public Library at 592-4130 or www.lodipubliclibrary.org.

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River Currents

Lodi, WI
2/5/10
by Gary Engberg
©2010 Gary Engberg Outdoors

Enjoy the Outdoors, Even in Winter

Watching eagles at the Overlook on the Wisconsin River at Sauk City, WI

I have a friend who I regularly talk to and sometimes see during the week with problems and glitches with my computer, website, or something technical. When I have problems, he’s a genius at fixing my mistakes. He usually is my savior when it comes to fixing the problems that I encounter on a computer. But, I rarely see this person when it doesn’t have to do with work or business. This past weekend, I thought that I’d ask my “friend” (let’s call him Dave) if he’d like to join me in an outdoor experience or activity.  This past weekend looked like it was going to be a nice one, so I thought that I’d ask my friend what he had planned and see if he was interested in joining me for a day outdoors doing “something” like ice fishing, snowshoeing, eagle watching, driving the back roads looking for wildlife, or checking out the many fisherees and trap shoots that take place every weekend this time of year. Now when so many baby-boomer are stopping their participation in outdoor activities that they have taken part in for decades, its time to try and recruit or bring some new and fresh blood into all outdoor activities, not just fishing and hunting.

I asked Dave if he was interested in doing “something” in the outdoors with me over the weekend. To my surprise, he said declined and said no! He said that during the winter he rarely does much outside and usually stays home and watches movies or sports. I was disappointed because there are so many diverse outdoor activities I was sure that I could find something that might get “old” Dave fired up. We get along fine, but most of this is superficial and part of work process. Dave grew up in a big city and never was introduced to anything in the outdoors. To him, the outdoors was taking the dog for a walk in the park or driving in the country to an apple orchard in the fall. Read more »

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Ice Age Trail Annual Meeting Scheduled

Lodi, WI
2/2/10

Greetings Friends – you have been invited to attend:

Ice Age Trail Alliance
Lodi Valley Chapter
Annual Meeting

Saturday, February 13, 2010
West Point Town Hall  N2114 Rausch Road

Social Hour: 5:00 PM (BYO)
Potluck Dinner: 6:00 PM. Bring a dish to pass.
Program: 6:45 PM
Chapter recognition and awards
Celebration of Rainbow Bridge Completion and recognition of people who volunteered substantially during construction
Keynote speaker: Rich Evans, recently retired superintendent of Devil’s Lake State Park and Gibraltar Rock State Natural Area.
Recognition of Rich Evans’ years of service to the DNR and the IATA

Fabulous Door Prizes!

Short Business Meeting and Election of 2009 Chapter Officers

Bonus Event !!!! Snowshoe hike over the land connected to the Colsac Segment.
Meet up at 8:00AM, Sat., Feb. 13th  for coffee at Downtown Coffee Grounds, Main Street, Lodi, and carpool to trailhead. Tim Malzhan & Luke Kloberdanz with guide us across the newly acquired land which is scheduled for new trailbuilding in 2010.  This will be an excellent experience!

Directions to West Point Town Hall

From Lodi, take WI-113 – go 5.0 mi. to the Ferry landing. Continue on WI-188 – go 3.5 mi. Turn Right on RAUSCH RD – go 0.1 mi.  Arrive at West Point Town Hall

For more information, contact:

Bill Beers
IAPTA Lodi Valley Chapter Coordinator
608-963-1625
williambeers@verizon.net

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Tips, Tactics and Tuesdays With Wally

Lodi, WI
1/26/10

Gary N-Ski recently spent some time ice fishing with Guide Wally Banfi and they have this tip to share…

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River Currents

Lodi, WI
1/22/10
by Gary Engberg
©2010 Gary Engberg Outdoors

Tips for the Novice Ice Anglers

Grandfather and grandson with their catch at the Yahara Fishing Club Kids Fishing Day.

This past weekend, the Yahara Fishing Club held their Annual Kids Ice Fishing Day at Brittingham Park in Madison, Wisconsin. The milder weather had many children out ice fishing with their parents, grandparents, brothers, and sisters. A few of the past ice outings have had extreme cold weather and even poor ice, so this years weather brought out many who other wised might have stayed home.

The members of the Yahara Fishing Club do a wonderful job in giving so many local children and their guardians an introduction to ice fishing and experience the fun of catching fish through the ice. Saturday’s event started at 9:00 am at Lake Monona’s Brittingham Park and those that attended were provided with free gear, live bait, food, and club members to help beginning anglers learn a “little” about ice fishing basics. If you were brought up in Wisconsin or anywhere in the Upper Midwest then you probably were introduced to ice fishing at some time in your life or know people who ice fish.

The one thing that makes ice fishing more accessible to people is that you don’t need a boat to catch fish. Though many ice fishermen and women use ATV’s for greater mobility, many anglers still walk to their favorite fishing hole. Most of the gear that an angler needs can be put into a five gallon pail and pulled on a sled. The pail also can be used to sit on while you fish your holes in the ice. Everything that an ice fisherman needs can be put on a small plastic sled that costs under $10.00. Ice fishing rods and reels can be bought for $15.00 to $30.00 which is inexpensive when compared to what open water rod and reels cost. A beginning angler should get a sensitive rod with a spring bobber on the end to detect the lightest bite. Purchase a small spinning reel with 2 to 3 pound line spooled on it to your ice fishing jigs. Talk to local anglers and those in the know to find out what the best ice jigs are for the area that you’re fishing. Bait can be wax worms, spikes, plastics, or the new Berkley Gulp which is made from real fish and lasts longer than live bait and really catches fish. A new hand ice auger can be purchased for about $80.00 and power augers start at over $300.00, but a thrifty angler can usually find used hand augers for $25.00 at garage sales. You’d be surprised at the good deals you can find at “swap” and garage sales if you spend some time looking for good used gear. Ice skimmers for clearing your hole of ice are less than $10.00 when brand new. Then, about the only other thing that an angler needs is a good assortment of ice jigs and plastics which are inexpensive. It’s nice to have an ice shanty for the real cold weather and recently I’ve seen new ice shelters for under $200.00 for a 2-man tent. But, you can also spend over $400.00 for bigger and deluxe shelters. It’s also possible to find good used shelters for under $100.00, if you do some searching. Read more »

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River Currents

Lodi, WI
1/12/10
by Gary Engberg

Bald Eagle Watching Days and Keep Those Feeders Full

Wisconsin River Eagle soaring near a local farm.

This coming Friday evening and Saturday, January 15 & 16, 2010 is the 23^rd Sauk Prairie Bald Eagle Watching Days in the twin cities of Sauk City and Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin. Most of activities with the exception of the Eagle Watching Bus Tours take place at the River Arts Center at the Sauk Prairie High School at 105 9^th Street. During the Bald Eagle Days, the bus tours leave every hour on the hour from the high school.

During the rest of January and February, the eagle tours leave from the Cedarberry Inn on Highway 12 (Phillips Street) at 10:00 am. The tour costs $5.00, lasts about one hour going to good locations for viewing eagles, has guides from the Ferry Bluff Eagle Council to answer questions, and make the tour educational and informative. To reserve a spot, which is suggested, call the Sauk Prairie Area Chamber of Commerce at 1-800- 68EAGLE.

Bald Eagle Days has something for the entire family and is a wonderful way for families to see these majestic eagles and learn about them and the many other raptors that call Wisconsin home. Friday evening, David Stokes, a wildlife humorist, will present a program called “Fun with Animals” which has been a success for years. This family program starts at 7:00 pm in the River Arts Center.

Saturday, January 16^th, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Ferry Bluff Eagle Council (FBEC) will have exhibits and displays in the River Arts Center Lobby beginning at 8:00 am. Beginning at 9:00 am, Kelly Kearns of the DNR Endangered Resources Department will have many diverse activities for children that will be open till 1:00 pm in the River Arts Center Gallery. Local photographer, Bill Pielsticker, will give tips on wildlife photography in the River Arts Center starting at 9:00 am. Throughout the day, there will also be wine-tasting at the Wollersheim Winery of their new “Eagle White” wine. The winery is located just across the Wisconsin River and only a few minutes out of town. Read more »

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Lodi, WI
1/8/10

Extend Your Winter Time Outdoors by Predator Hunting

Wade Feiner of Sauk City with a coyote.

Predator hunting has been around for years, but the last decade has seen a boom in this hunting which fills some of the gaps between other seasons and gives the hunter and outdoorsman another chance to be in the outdoors. The main predators in Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest are; wolves, bears, bobcats, foxes, and now the most common predator the coyote. There is no open season for wolves in Wisconsin, bears are regulated with seasons and harvest quotas, bobcats are also highly regulated, foxes are more common and have set seasons, and the main predator that most hunters hunt, the coyote has a season open all year.

The coyote population has continued to grow with a population of 18,000 to 20,000 animals in Wisconsin. Development and growth into previously rural areas has brought people and coyotes into direct contact with each other and coyotes much like the whitetail deer have learned to adapt and live with man. All one has to do is read the local papers and see the numerous sightings and confrontations people and pets have with coyotes. The westside of Madison has seen coyotes killing smaller pet dogs and “stalking” people while showing no fear of humans. Though, I know of no verified reports of these predators attacking a human. But, small pets, like cats and dogs, should not be left or let outside alone. A few years back, I saw a coyote trotting along the Beltline Highway by Odana Golf Course. There are reports from all over the state about the numerous sightings and abundance of coyotes in every county and most towns and villages in this state.

As I said earlier, predator hunting is a rapidly growing sport for hunters and doesn’t require too much equipment and gear besides a good rifle, a quality scope, a manual or electronic call, and a decoy. Many of the same guns that you use for deer hunting are fine for predator hunting. The most common caliber rifles for predators are; the .223, 22-250, .243, and the .270 in a 50 grain bullet. I suggest a quality long gun made by Browning, Bennelli, Remington, Winchester, or Ruger. The Ruger M-77 is an excellent rifle at a reasonable price. Since most of your shots are going to long ones, you’ll also need a quality scope and the one that you used for deer hunting will most likely fill the bill. If it doesn’t, a Wisconsin company in Middleton, Vortex Optics, makes outstanding optics and has won numerous awards for their products and their quality the last few years in the hunting community. Besides rifle scopes, Vortex makes top-notch binoculars and spotting scopes at most price points with outstanding features. Personally, I’d check out the Viper and Diamondback series of scopes from Vortex if looking for optics that will perform in the worst conditions. Read more »

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River Currents

Lodi, WI
12/18/09

Early Ice Fishing in Southern Wisconsin and the Madison Area

A nice 10" 'gill from the Madison Chain

The warmer than normal November had ice anglers worrying about when there would be ice on area waters. With the way the weather was going, I didn’t think there would be “good’ ice until at least Christmas. But, the recent frigid blast has angler’s already venturing out on area waters. Wisconsinites love a few things this time of year; first and foremost they love the Green Bay Packers and their second love is ice fishing. The average date that Lake Monona freezes over is usually near the end of December and in 5 years of the last decade the ice wasn’t safe until January. Last weekend, there were many anglers out on Monona Bay and the Brittingham Park area. There were at least a hundred anglers out Sunday afternoon when the packer game finished.

Personally, I’m waiting till the ice is a little thicker, in the 3 to 4 inch range, before I “hit’ the local waters. The vision of fresh bluegill and crappie fillets frying in a cast iron pan is so inviting, but I’m not as daring and bold as I once was and am waiting for thicker ice. Anglers love to be the first one on the ice because fishing is usually good in many areas early before the fish migrate to deeper water structure later in the winter. Now, the fish and I mean most panfish, walleyes, and northern pike are in the same location as they were before the ice formed. The key if possible is to find green weeds because most fish will be close to these spots.

Safety is the most important thing when fishing the first ice of the year! The weather this week looks good with another cold front coming in by mid-week which should continue the ice building process. Use good judgment when going ice fishing because any fish isn’t worth going through the ice for. Here are a few important tips to remember when fishing the year’s first ice: Read more »

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Horse Snow Day

Lodi, WI
12/11/09

These horses on Gary N-Ski’s farm seem to enjoy the first major snowstorm of the season this past week.

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