i fished just south of littlebear 4 weeks ago, the ice on the small un-named lake was 6-3" there was simply not enough wind to blow the snow off the lake and the freeze was slow, i did however catch quite a few trout. I am currently at lac ile a la crosse, haven't checked the ice but you can drive everywhere on the lake, all the locals have been and i sure plan on tracking down some nice walleye and perch while here.