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The recent return to winter weather came just in time for two
diverse activities that I helped with this past weekend in
Wisconsin.

The unusual and warmer weather that weve had since November has
had residents split between those wanting normal winter weather
to arrive and those who like the above normal temperatures and lack
of snow and dont miss the snow and cold of a typical Wisconsin
winter.

I admit that as I grow older, the harshness of winter is
something that I dont look forward to as I did when I was
younger.

But, a little snow to cover the ground and cold enough weather
to allow those who like to ski, snowmobile, and ice fish the
weather that they need to enjoy their sports.

Many of our state residents look forward to ice fishing, some
even more than open water fishing and until recently there has been
little ice that was safe enough to fish without going to the
northern half of the state.

Last winter Lake Mendota, the largest lake in the Madison Chain,
froze over Dec. 19 and this year who knows when this lake will
completely freeze over.

There is still open water on Lake Mendota and ice fishing has
been limited to fishing Lake Mendotas bays and lagoons. The other
lakes in the Madison Chain are being fished, but anglers have to be
extremely careful where they travel.

Diehard ice anglers have had to fish many of the smaller lakes,
ponds, backwaters and sloughs off the Wisconsin River if they want
to fish. Even now, the third week of January, ice is still iffy
in many locations and most travel has been limited to ATVs,
snowmobiles, and walking for lake access.

Kids Ice Fishing Day

This past Saturday, the Yahara Fishing Club held its annual
Kids Ice Fishing Day on Monona Bay near Brittingham Park in
Madison.

The Yahara Fishing Club has been around since 1946 and is a
great group of diverse individuals who love the sport of
fishing.

The Yahara Fishing Club does numerous events for children with an
event in the winter ice fishing and a summer outing at Warner Park
where hundreds of youngsters fish the ponds and lagoons.

The club and major sponsors, such as Wal-Mart, buy hundreds of
rods and reels to give to novice anglers under 12 years old at both
of the events. This is a great way that the club introduces our
children to fishing and hopefully many of them will be hooked on
fishing for life.

With the aging of baby-boomer, many sports and leisure
activities are losing numbers and this is one way to combat the
losses of my generation. Check out their website at
http://www.yaharafishingclub.org and think about joining this
club.

Meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month at the VFW Club
on Lakeside Street in Madison and everyone is welcome.

The colder weather made enough safe ice for the kids event.
Club members Duffy Kopf and Jim Kloth were on the ice before first
light drilling holes for the event, which started at 9 am I
arrived around 8:30 am and there were dozens of children already
fishing and catching small, but hungry bluegills.

The best thing about fishing Monona Bay and the Triangle area
is that there are lots of hungry bluegills and most children will
catch fish and to many it will be their first fish ever caught.

There were many club members on hand to help the many, novice
anglers in tying knots, fishing techniques, baiting hooks, handling
fish, and about anything a beginning ice angler needs to know. Soon
the young anglers were pros and doing most of their fishing on
their own.

Besides giving the kids rod/reel combos and free bait, there
were hot dogs and hot chocolate for all the chilly fishers.

It was also a chance for children to get outside and enjoy a
winter activity in the outdoors. This was the first time many of
the children ice fished and also the first time that many kids
caught a fish.

Bald Eagle Watching Days

From Monona Bay, I had to return to the Sauk Prairie area for
the 25th Bald Eagle Watching Days.

Being a member of the Ferry Bluff Eagle Council, Ive been
helping with the eagle count that is done every other Sunday at
roosting locations around the Sauk Prairie area and Lower Wisconsin
River hills and valleys.

The Ferry Bluff Eagle Council is another great organization
which does nothing but good things for wildlife and the
environment.

This has been an average or above year for counting eagles, but
they were spread out over a wider area before the snow and cold
arrived and very difficult to count. But just in the nick of time,
the snow and cold came and concentrated the eagles close to the
Wisconsin River in locations where people could see and enjoy
them.

The Bald Eagle Watching Days has been an annual and popular
event for going on three decades. People come from all over
Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa to see these magnificent birds and
take part in the many activities centered on the eagle and its
comeback from near extinction in the 1960s and 70s.

There was something for the whole family to enjoy including;
childrens activities, a raptor show with live hawks, owls and
falcons for all to see up close, bus tours to popular eagle viewing
locations, a talk on outdoor photography, eagle and raptor
displays, and club members on the bus tours and at the overlook to
answer questions about eagles and help people view the birds with
quality optics.

Many visitors had never seen an eagle up close and their joy and
excitement made standing in winters cold well worth while and
quite enjoyable.

The best thing was that people were able to see and take
pictures of these birds.

If the weather hadnt gotten colder and snowier, the eagles
would have been spread out over a larger area and much harder to
see. But the weather and eagles cooperated giving people the
opportunity to see Americas symbol flying and roosting up and down
the Wisconsin River.

Marge Gibson of the Raptor Education Group
(http://www.raptoreducationgroup.org) of Antigo, Wisconsin was back
to release 5 eagles that she had rehabilitated back into the
outdoors from various injuries, many inflicted by man.

The eagles were released from a platform at the VFW Park and the
large crowd was awed by Gibson, who walked around the release area
cradling an eagle which was ready to be released while talking to
people as they took photos and asked questions.

Most people had never seen a live eagle so close and relished
this unique opportunity. Some had seen eagles with their optics or
had seen them in videos, but never just a few feet away.

The first eagle that had been lead poisoned soared when released
and even met another eagle as it crossed the Wisconsin River. This
scene brought a tear to my and many others eye knowing that this
eagle was free again and able to fly.

It was a busy, but very enjoyable weekend helping people do
diverse things in the outdoors.

The eagles will be in the area until March, so check the Ferry
Bluff Eagle Councils website at
http://www.ferrybluffeaglecouncil.org or http://www.saukprairie.com
for more information and take the drive to the Sauk Prairie area to
view these magnificent birds.

Ice fishing should continue to improve as we get more ice and
locations to fish. Ice fishing gets you outside and a good chance
of catching a tasty meal of panfish.

Enjoy winter.

Contact Gary Engberg, a freelance outdoors communicator who
contributs to the Wisconsin State Journal, at gengberg@chorus.net,
call 608-795-4208 or visit his website at

http://www.garyengbergoutdoors.com.

 

 

Tags: Leisure Activities