Lake Michigan fisheries team report
Sheboygan County -
In Sheboygan, steelhead fishing has tapered off on both the Pigeon and Sheboygan rivers, although some northern pike have been caught in the Sheboygan near the Kohler dam. Fishing off the piers has been improving, with fair numbers of browns taken off the lake side of the south pier. Minnows have produced the most fish. Sheboygan trollers working shallow water have been taking decent numbers of browns, along with a few lake trout, rainbows, and chinooks. A variety of baits have been productive, including spoons, plugs, and stick baits.
Ozaukee County -
Fishing effort in Port Washington was relatively light this past week. Shore anglers near the power plant discharge have been catching mostly suckers, but a few browns have been reported off the pier. Minnows fished on the harbor side of the pier have produced the most. Fishing on Sauk Creek has been slow.
Milwaukee County -
In Milwaukee anglers fishing the Milwaukee River along the wall under the Hoan bridge have been catching a few browns on spawn and shiners, but overall fishing has been slow. In the Milwaukee River anglers have been catching a few steelhead on yarn flies at Kletzsch Park, but numbers of fish have dropped here in the past week. Steelhead fishing on Oak Creek and the Menomonee River has been slow. Boaters working in and around the gaps in the Milwaukee harbor continue to catch browns and lake trout. Both jigging and trolling small crank baits have been effective.
Racine County -
In Racine the Root River is still holding steelhead. Fish were processed at the Root River Steelhead Facility on Wednesday, April 14, and the facility has been shut down. A total of 363 steelhead were passed upstream this season. Most of the steelhead left in the river have been actively spawning on gravel beds with good current flow. There have been a few fish holding in the deeper pools as well, and most of these fish have completed spawning. Flies have been best when fishing for spawning fish, and small natural flies as well as egg imitators have been working best. For the fish holding in the deeper areas, spinners and drifted spawn have been producing a few fish. Sucker numbers are also beginning to drop slowly.
