Like Winnebago, Shawano features a sophisticated matrix of winter ice roads. A major key to success is getting off the beaten path.

Contact: Shawano Chamber of Commerce, phone (800) 235-8528, Web site: www.shawanocountry.com.

NORTHWOODS OPTIONS
You could fish a different lake in the Wisconsin northwoods every day and run out of winter before running out of water. A good place to start fishing is Forest County, just off the snowmobile trail, about 12 miles due east of Eagle River.

There is a one-fish, 32-inch daily bag in place for pike on both Butternut and Franklin lakes. Set smelt or a big shiner just under the ice in less than 6 feet of water on either of these lakes and have the taxidermist's phone number on speed dial.

If you're headed up to Eagle River from southern Wisconsin and simply can't wait, check out either Thunder or Pioneer lakes south of town. Pike probably won't be as big as you'll find on Butternut or Franklin, but the same weed pockets that hold northerns on these waters also hold fat crappies, especially on Thunder Lake.

Pioneer Lake can be the shortest route to a panfish dinner if you target the bay directly across the lake from the access off Chicago Avenue, west of Highway 17. This basin lake is both easy to "read" and easy to fish.

Contact: Eagle Sports Shop, phone (715) 479-8804, Web site: www.eaglesportscenter.com.

RICE LAKE
This 1,000-acre Barron County lake hides in plain sight, with anglers passing through bound for fisheries with established reputations. Rice is a great multi-species fishery with super pike action out from the hospital at the south end off the Veteran's Park Landing and at the north end access at Arnold's Landing. Another good place to target is the mouth of Clearwater Bay.

If you're looking for crappies, target cribs and deeper holes on the south end. Slabs typically suspend over 14 to 20 feet of water all winter long. Bluegills and perch are in the shoreline weeds right now, where they will remain until mid-January when they migrate to the main-lake basin. Just before ice-out in March, both predatory pike and panfish return to the shallows. Try an orange Rocker or Rat Fink while waiting for a pike to pop a flag.

Contact: Rice Lake Tourism Bureau, phone (800) 523-6318, Web site: www.ricelaketourism.com.

LONG LAKE
On an acre-per-acre basis, Long Lake in Washburn County probably holds more trophy walleyes than any other Wisconsin inland fishery. Two places to entice a whopper 'eye are fishing the weed edges in Gruenhagen Bay and fishing the sharp break-line at the narrow part of the lake.

Local guide Ron Wilder likes jigging offshore rock humps from 12 to 40 feet down with a chartreuse jighead tipped with a medium shiner.

Instead of using tip-ups for walleyes, Wilder uses jigging rods rigged as "tip downs" -- dead-sticking two lines while actively jigging the third and moving from hole to hole.

Walleyes for Tomorrow has done considerable work on this fishery over the past several years, making Long a "must-do" destination this winter, and again after opening day in May.

Long Lake is located off County Road M, about halfway between Rice Lake and Spooner.

Contact: Guide Ron Wilder, phone (715) 236-7105.

Find more about Wisconsin fishing and hunting at: WisconsinSportsmanMag.com