Southern Lake Michigan fisheries team report -
Compiled from creel clerks by Cheryl Masterson and Jeffrey
Zinuticz, fisheries technicians, Milwaukee
Sheboygan County - In Sheboygan only a few boat trailers
have been seen in the Deland ramp parking lot at any one
time. Success for trollers has been spotty, with some
concentrating nearshore in 10 to 40 feet of water and others
working further out in 70 feet of water. A few steelhead and
browns have been taken. The Eighth Street ramp remains
closed. Fishing pressure remains steady on the piers, but
catch rates are low. Small browns are being caught every now
and then on spoons. Schools of baitfish are near shore, and
alewives are commonly snagged by anglers casting spoons.
Ozaukee County - In Port Washington fishing pressure has
remained steady off the ramp, and some trollers have
reported catching their limit of coho, while others spent
hours on the lake without a hit. Fish were caught between 20
and 50 feet of water on blue flies coupled with dodgers, and
one group reported strikes on a variety of baits. On Sunday
a mixed bag of a brown, lake trout, and a couple coho was
brought in from 75 to 120 feet of water off Concordia
University. It has been reported that charter boats have
been catching chinook. Anglers have been fishing on the
pier, but few fish are being caught. Water clarity has
fluctuated over the past few days on the lake side, but
clarity is quite good overall; water on the marina side is
still murky. Schools of baitfish can be seen near the pier,
and anglers have been snagging a lot of alewives. There has
been steady fishing pressure both in the marina and near the
power plant. Anglers using a variety of live bait near the
power plant have been catching small browns and rainbows. On
Sunday, a couple nice rainbows, a brown, and a coho were
caught near the power plant discharge on spawn.
Milwaukee County - In Milwaukee fishing has picked up with
the arrival of the coho salmon in recent days. Trollers were
having success fishing in 20-45 feet of water. Coho could be
found north of the north gap, between the north and south
gaps, and from the South Shore Yacht Club south to the
boils. The coho were not concentrated to any one particular
area, so covering the most ground produced many more fish.
The best presentations were orange flashers paired with
peanut files in variety of colors. Blue, white, green, and
purple flies seemed to produce the most coho, and limit
catches were common over the weekend. Fishermen off of
McKinley pier have also caught coho on live bait rigs of
alewives and shiners. Casting small spoons has produced
additional coho, though nearly all of the fish caught
casting were taken before daybreak. Shore fishing has also
been productive at the Oak Creek Power Plant pier. Good
numbers of coho have been taken, with the best presentations
being alewives fished under a float or casting plastics or
crank baits off the end of the pier.
Racine County - In Racine there was a big increase in
boating activity this past week at the Pershing Park boat
launch. Over the weekend, there was an average of 15-20
trailers parked in the lot at any given time. Most boaters
have been catching their limit of coho salmon, usually in
3-4 hours or less. The fish are pretty aggressive, and some
anglers report that they?ve had two or three coho on at a
time. Most of the fish were caught on dodgers and flies, but
some also hit spoons. A large number of boats were seen
trolling for coho from the tip of the North Pier to the one
mile reef marker, and others worked north of the harbor.
Action was good in 25 feet of water. Some action has also
been reported for chinook and rainbow trout in 100-plus feet
of water. At the fish cleaning station, all of the coho were
filled with alewives, and some had gobies in their stomachs.
The average weight of the coho measured on Sunday was 3.8
pounds. As of Sunday, only one pier was in the water at the
Pershing boat ramp. The repair work continues on the six
western launch lanes. A navigation channel for larger boats
will be dredged in the harbor sometime this year according
to a report from the Racine Parks Department. Successful
shore anglers in Racine have been concentrating on the
piers. Good numbers of coho have been taken on both the
north and south pier, with a few limit catches reported. The
best action has been between sunrise and 8 a.m. Most coho
have been caught fishing alewives on the bottom, but some
coho and a few browns have been taken by jigging green and
silver or blue and silver spoons just off the bottom.
Kenosha County - In Kenosha the Simmons Island boat ramp and
the fish cleaning station have been very busy lately,
especially on the weekend. Most of the boaters have been
catching their limits of coho salmon, usually within a few
hours. Some boaters reported finding coho anywhere between
20-55 feet of water. Some trollers have been working just
north of the harbor, while others have been between the
water treatment plant and the Illinois border. A few
trollers have also been working the hills for Chinook. Dipsy
divers and yellow birds with dodgers and flies were popular
setups for most boaters. The Kenosha Sport Fishing and
Conservation Association held a fishing contest this past
weekend. There were some nice size lake trout, steelhead,
coho, and chinook weighed in at the cleaning station. One of
the chinook tipped the scale at over 21 pounds. Kenosha
shore anglers reported good catches of coho from the piers,
and the hours between sunrise and 8 a.m. was most
productive. Some local anglers reported that the morning
bite hasn?t been this good in several years. Fishing with
alewives or casting stick baits produced some decent numbers
of coho, and a few browns have been caught as well. Large
schools of alewives have been seen in the harbor, and one
angler reportedly filled his bait bucket with alewives in
less than two hours. The surface temperature at the
lakefront was 53 degrees on Sunday.
Sheboygan County - High bird migration. Many species of
warblers (including the ones just migrating through) are
easy to find. Now is a great time to get out and see birds
that you will not be able to see the rest of the year, in
their bright breeding colors. Spring flowers: trilliums,
jack-in-the-pulpit, cowslip (marsh marigold), hepatica, and
many other plants are actively blooming. Wild Leeks are
plentiful. - Diane Tenpas, financial specialist
Lower Wisconsin State Riverway - It is a great time within
the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway! The fishermen are
reporting good activity including catches of bluegill, bass,
and catfish. The morel mushrooms are being found in good
numbers and the sandbars are beginning to reappear. If you
visit the Riverway don?t forget your bug spray because the
mosquitos are bad in most of the river bottoms. - Matt
Sequin, property manager
Grant County - Mississippi River water levels are finally
receding, albeit the water levels in Pool #10 and # 11 will
remain higher than normal for the next week or longer. The
pool levels remain 3-4 feet higher than normal. Low lying
areas such as Bagley Bottoms boat landing, and Schleicher?s
Landing still remain flooded. Most of the islands have
emerged, with a thick coating of mud, and a fine new growth
of poison ivy. Look twice before stepping out on an island.
Fishing has remained slow in most of the areas. This past
weekend saw good bass fishing activity at Potosi Point, now
that the lower water levels have re-opened the road. There
is a large number of geese on the area streams and rivers,
attempting to re-nest with lower water levels. - Richard S.
DeWitte, conservation warden, Cassville
Fishing was slow but steady this past weekend in Grant
County. The weather was nearly perfect. The water levels on
the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers are slowly receding,
and maybe only a few feet above normal for Memorial Day
weekend. Most trout anglers reported good success, with most
all area streams running at near normal water levels. Most
mushroom hunters are reporting several pounds being found
now that the weather has warmed up. - Martin Stone,
conservation warden, Fennimore
http://dnr.wi.gov
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