Wolter report: Assessing the 2022/23 winter for fish

There may be nothing riskier than writing an early obituary for a Wisconsin winter. Yet it is undeniable that the days are getting longer and the sun more powerful. Spring is approaching, even if we experience a false start or two. Now is as good a time as any to offer an assessment of how this past winter may have affected our fisheries.

First off, risk of winterkill should be relatively normal, compared to other winters. That might mean that a few places where it is a frequent issue could experience some kills, but we would not expect kills to be widespread. Ice cover started around a normal time and it appears that most lakes will see their ice leave sometime in the second half of April. Average ice out for our area is typically mid-April, so ice out this year might be a little later, but not abnormal. Our stream trout should have had an ok winter too.