Northern Lake Michigan Fishing Report: May 3, 2010
Manitowoc Co.
The heavy winds that have caused havoc so far this spring for anglers continued into the month of May. Strong northerly winds switched to the south by mid-week and continued through the weekend and warmed water temperatures to the lower 60s throughout the area. Heavy rain late in the week slowed shore fisherman with dirty, fast flowing waters, but anglers on the open water still had success. Manitowoc River: With the opening of bass fishing on Saturday, once again the bass fishing looks hot near the Shoto and Mishicot dams despite the high, murky waters. Using a bobber with live bait or crayfish crank baits landed the several reported smallmouth bass. Northern pike fishing has picked up lately at Cato Falls on the Manitowoc River using casting spoons and spinners. At Cato Falls and Manitou Park, several carp and suckers have been landed using nightcrawlers on the bottom. There has been limited angling pressure due to little fishing success at the Little Manitowoc and Branch Rivers. Manitowoc/Two Rivers Ramps: Angling pressure for brown trout remained slow this week, but a few fish were reported. A small number of brown trout are still being caught just north of Two Rivers in 8-12 feet of water, with several lake trout and an occasional king salmon. Browns continue to be caught from the Two Rivers Hospital southward to Hika Bay in the same depths. Varieties of stick bait color combinations have had success, so don?t be afraid to throw anything out in the water. White and orange over orange Pro King spoons have had success taking the few lake trout and salmon. Pier and harbor fisherman came out in both ports throughout the week, but poor water conditions from the heavy rain over the last week limited their success.
Kewaunee Co.
The beginning of the week saw beautiful weather for Kewaunee County but as the week progressed, winds began to pick up and a few storms moved through the area. These high winds made it rather difficult to get onto the lake as there have been a few small craft advisories due to large waves. The Algoma ramp and pier have seen very little fishing pressure this week due to the high winds but the people that have managed to try their luck so went away empty handed. Stony Creek is the only stream that has seen any fishing pressure this week but there have been no reports of any fish being caught there. Above the Forrestville Dam, people are catching some larger perch with some occasional largemouth bass strikes on minnows. The Kewaunee ramp saw a few boats launch earlier in the week before the winds picked up, and those boats did manage to come away with a few brown trout that were caught on stick baits. The Kewaunee pier has seen very little fishing pressure and according to the fishermen, there have been no reports of success.
Door Co. (Lake and Bay sides)
Blustery conditions continued into the last week of April accompanied by sunshine and some warmer weather. Winds mainly from the north have kept water temperatures cool around most of the county. Brown trout fishing has slowed considerably countywide as the attention has turned towards walleye, northern pike, and smallmouth bass. Some browns are still being caught out of the shipping canal in Sturgeon Bay and along the shorelines towards Potawatomi Park. Fishing in 4-20 feet of water with stick baits and spoons has been the most productive. Fishing the deeper water outside of Baileys Harbor and Rowley?s Bay has produced some fish too. Great walleye fishing was had by many anglers in Sturgeon Bay from the bridges out towards the Stone Quarry. Clown colored Rapalas were popular for artificial baits, jigging minnows produced good catches for live bait anglers. Northern pike fishing has also been good between the bridges in the shipping channel. Two anglers targeting pike reported catching and releasing a 30 pound musky taken between the bridges, a very impressive catch. Trolling Rapalas was the popular choice as well as jigging minnows along the edges of the channel. Smallmouth bass fisherman are out and starting to have some success in preparation for the Door County Bass Tournament in two weeks. Tube jigs were a popular choice along the flats in Sturgeon Bay out towards the Stone Quarry.
The Northern Lake Michigan Fishing Report is updated once a week until October 31.
