Wisconsin Statewide fishing report 8.18.11Moderate temperatures and low humidity in much of the state made for more pleasant conditions for outdoors activities. Angler survey shows August is still a good time for fishing for many species, and anglers in many parts around the state proved that over the week.
In lakes and rivers in the
Upper Chippewa Basin, which includes Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties, anglers enjoyed some pleasant fishing conditions, with musky and bass becoming especially active. Musky success showed a nice little surge and most anglers reported some good action from small and medium-size fish. The fish seemed to be active along the weed edges and deep break lines, with jerks baits and swim baits the most productive. Action for both largemouth and smallmouth bass has been consistent and some very nice fish have been caught and released in the last week.
Rough boating conditions on Lake Michigan over the weekend in
Sheboygan and Ozaukee counties kept fishing pressure down. In Racine, once the lake settled down, trollers have been catching chinooks along with a few rainbows and coho. Most fish have been found in 80 to 140 feet of water, and flashers and flies as well as spoons have produced. Green glow-in-the-dark, purple, and blue spoons have produced, as well as blue and green flies. Perch fishing has dwindled in Racine, and shore fishing for trout and salmon remains slow as well.
In
Lake Michigan near Kenosha, fish have moved further offshore since the weekend winds. Trollers have recently had success catching chinooks and a few rainbows and coho in 90 to 140 feet of water. Perch fishing has slowed in Kenosha for both boats and shore anglers. A few brown trout have been caught in the harbor, but those have been few and far between.
Walleye fishing is still going good on the Wolf River in Waupaca County. Drag a half of a night crawler on the bottom and you'll have a chance at some great success. Crappies are starting to bite too.
Anglers on the Wisconsin River have been finding good smallmouth bass fishing in Columbia and Sauk counties now that waters have returned to near normal stage. Topwater lures seem to be the key.
On the
Rock River, catfish are still being caught as well as some panfish. Some catfish are being found dead along that river so DNR is asking anyone finding a fresh specimen or a catfish near death to contact local fisheries staff so they can obtain a sample for testing to try to pinpoint the problem.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties)Fishing success was pretty good in the Northwoods in the past week with both the weather and the fish cooperating. Moderate temperatures and low humidity made for some pleasant angling conditions, with musky and bass becoming especially active. Musky success showed a nice little surge and most anglers reported some good action from small and medium-size fish (28 to 40 inches). The fish seemed to be active along the weed edges and deep break lines, with jerks baits and swim baits being the most productive. Any time of day has produced action. Local weather conditions were the key. A weekend musky tournament on Butternut Lake, just outside of Park Falls produced some very good action for participating anglers. A total of 23 legal fish were tallied during the two-day tourney, with the largest 44 inches long. The winning team notched five legal musky -- all caught within an hour and a half's time, with the second and third place teams both doubling up. Most anglers, though, reported quite a bit of activity,-with many sub-legals caught and released, a lot of follows and short hits, and a fair number of legal -sized fish being lost at the boat. Action for both largemouth and smallmouth bass has been consistent and some very nice fish have been caught and released in the last week. Largemouth have pretty much settled in to their summer pattern and have been relating to the thick cover. Weedless topwater baits and soft plastics have been the most productive and have to be fished in the weed pockets, in the wood or tight to the bog/marsh edges. Smallmouth have been a bit tough to find in the lakes but action continued to be good on the flowages and larger rivers. Soft plastics have been the favorite baits and the fish have been relating to wood near deeper water areas. Walleye action has also picked up a notch and a few anglers have been reporting some very nice catches. Leeches and crawlers fished on the mid-lake rock humps and along the weed edges have produced most of the fish. Panfish action continues to be fair. Larger perch have been a little tough to find but some decent catches of bluegill, crappie and rock bass have been reported. - Skip Sommerfeldt, fisheries biologist, Park Falls
Manitowoc County Strong west winds Tuesday switched to the southwest at 10 to 15 miles per hour with gusts up to 20 mph consistent through Friday. Winds switched out of the north Saturday at 10 to 15 and switched to east-northeast for Sunday. Air temperatures remained steady in the lower 70s along the lakeshore. The west winds during the week dropped the water temperatures several degrees, but temperatures still remain at 67 to 70 degrees throughout the area. The weekend was relatively quiet with 2-4 foot rollers reported by the few boats that ventured out. The fishing slowed down by the weekend for rainbow trout, with many coolers carrying small chinook salmon and rainbows all less than five pounds. Throughout the week, boaters consistently targeted 120 to 200 feet of water, with fish coming in as shallow as 70 feet of water. This depth ranged from north of Two Rivers to the dome south of Manitowoc. A few boats earlier in the week continued to have success in 400 to 500 feet of water for rainbows, with a few nice chinooks landed out deep as well. Glow easter egg, glow and regular watermelon, blue dolphin, and several different orange spoons on 5 and 10 colors of leadcore, dypsies, and riggers worked for rainbows and chinook. Also run green/green dodger/fly combos on the riggers 60 to 90 feet down for chinook. Pier fishing remains quiet with no known trout or salmon caught this week off of both Two Rivers and Manitowoc. The few perch anglers trying the Manitowoc harbor had some success this week. A few perch were caught in the 8-12 inch range fishing slightly off the bottom using plastic jigs tipped with a small piece of night crawler. If you observe any violations, please call 1-800-TIP-WDNR (1-800-847-9367).- Craig Gates, fisheries technician, Mishicot
Door County Anglers fishing perch in Sturgeon Bay have been finding good success fishing between the bridges in town. Also some perch are being caught in Sawyer Harbor in 8-10 feet of water. Small perch minnows or night crawlers have been the hot bait. Bass fishing was hit or miss last week with most anglers finding larger fish in deeper water. A few anglers have been fishing musky in Little Sturgeon Bay with limited success. Most are reporting a few follows, but very few fish actually committing. Musky fishermen are also reporting catching a few nice sized northern pike. Perch have been slow with most anglers targeting deep weed lines. Walleye fishing has been consistent on Larson's Reef with most fish being caught in 15 to 20 feet of water. Chaudoir's Dock County Park is now open and anglers are starting to catch fish. Perch anglers have been finding numbers of smaller fish, but most anglers are catching a meal's-worth of keepers per trip. Walleye have been biting as well with anglers trolling or drifting for them. In Bayshore Park, perch have slowed some since last week with most anglers catching a few keepers. Anglers have been targeting 15 to 20 feet of water for the best success. Perch anglers have been catching numerous catfish and drum as well. A small jig tipped with a minnow has been producing the most perch. Walleye fishing has been consistent the last few weeks with anglers catching them while trolling harnesses. The best water depth seems to change by the day so some experimentation is needed. Pier anglers have reported fishing being slow, with drum and gobies making up the bulk of the catches. On the Fox River, Anglers have been fishing walleye with some success; most have been drifting while vertical jigging. Anglers are catching big numbers of catfish and drum as well. Shore anglers have caught a few perch but most have been small. On the Suamico River, walleye fishing has been good with anglers trolling harnesses to catch fish. Most have been targeting 15 feet of water. Some perch are being caught as well. - Nick Everson, fisheries technician, Green Bay
Lake Michigan fisheries team report
Sheboygan County Ramp fishing pressure has gone from high to low. The catch rate has also slowed down. Anglers have been scattered out on the lake anywhere from 70 feet to 200 feet. Spoons have been the best lure that has had some success at getting fish to bite. The best colors for spoons have been purple or red. Chinook salmon has been the main catch followed by some rainbows and a few lake trout. Sheboygan pier fishing pressure has been light as well, and the catch rate has remained poor for trout, salmon and yellow perch. The water temperature was around 68 degrees F ahrenheit and the water has become muddy. Most trout and salmon fisherman have been casting spoons.
Ozaukee County Port Washington ramp fishing pressure has been light. The catch rate has remained slow. Green, purple, or white spoons being trolled anywhere from 60 ft to 175 f eet have produced some fish. Chinooks have been the main catch. In Port Washington Piers-Fishing pressure has been light and the catch rate has remained slow. Trout and salmon fishing has been non-existent, while yellow perch fishing has remained slow. The muddy water pier temperature was around 66 Fahrenheit. Port Washington shore fishing pressure has been light to moderate at times and the catch rate is hit or miss. Some rainbow trout have been reported, and caught by fisherman using minnows off the bottom. Yellow perch fishing has been hit or miss, fisherman are using minnows. The water temperature was 68 Fahrenheit. - Top Moon Lee, fisheries technician, Plymouth
Milwaukee County The fishing off Milwaukee has changed over the past several days. Trollers had been catching decent numbers of chinook and rainbows and a few coho and lake trout in 60 to 90 feet of water, but the weekend wind has made fish more difficult to target. Shore fishing remains slow around most of the Milwaukee area, and perch fishing has tapered off for both shore anglers and boaters.
Racine County In Racine since the lake has settled down, trollers have been catching chinooks along with a few rainbows and coho. Most fish have been found in 80 to 140 feet of water, and flashers and flies as well as spoons have produced. Green glow-in-the-dark, purple, and blue spoons have produced, as well as blue and green flies. Perch fishing has dwindled in Racine, and shore fishing for trout and salmon remains slow as well.
Kenosha County In Kenosha fish have moved further offshore since the weekend winds. Trollers have recently had success catching Chinooks and a few rainbows and coho in 90 to 140 feet of water. Perch fishing has slowed in Kenosha for both boats and shore anglers. A few brown trout have been caught in the harbor, but those have been few and far between. - Cheryl Masterson, fisheries technician, Milwaukee
Rock County Catfish are still being caught along the Rock River. Some panfish are being caught around Janesville also on the Rock River. Some catfish are being found dead along the Rock River and thus far it is unknown for sure what is happening to the catfish. Anyone finding fresh specimens or a catfish that is near death is encouraged to contact DNR fisheries staff so they can obtain a sample for testing to try to pinpoint the problem. - Michael Dieckhoff, conservation warden, Janesville
Waupaca County Walleyes are still going good on the Wolf River in Waupaca County. Drag a half of a night crawler on the bottom and you'll have a chance at some great success. Crappies are starting to bite too, find some timber in the water and bring minnows. - Bryan R. Lockman, conservation warden, New London
Minocqua area fishing reporthttp://www.wisconsinoutdoor.com/minocquafishingreport.htm
Lake Michigan Fishing Report and tipshttp://www.wisconsinoutdoor.com/lmfishingtips.htmWausau Area fishing reporthttp://www.wisconsinoutdoor.com/wisconsinriverfishingreport.htm
Chippewa Flowage fishing reporthttp://www.wisconsinoutdoor.com/chippewaflowagefishingreport.htm
Information compiled from the WDNR Outdoor report and private sources
