Wisconsin Statewide Fishing report 8.16.12Mid-August brings cooler weather and with it sumac are beginning to change colors, bird migration is beginning to peak, bears and turkeys are filling up on acorns and fishing, more often than not, is good especially musky fishing. With the dry summer, the fall foliage may be not as brilliant since many of the maple leaves are drying up and falling off already.
Musky are getting active, including in the Park Falls area were good action was reported in the last week. Of the musky caught during a two-day tournament, 37 measured 34 inches or longer. Walleye success has continued to be fair and anglers have been reporting some decent catches. Low water on several rivers, including the St. Croix, has adversely affected canoeing and fishing. Water levels are also low on Dodge County?s Rock River.
Panfish angling has been excellent on the Mississippi River around LaCrosse, but the river is lower than normal. The bluegill bite is slow, but walleyes around wingdams are biting on live bait rigs, jigs or trolling with crank baits.
The perch bite on Lake Winnebago and the smallmouth bass bite on the Fox River are still doing well. Fisheries staff have begun their annual Fish Community Assessment trawling on Lake Winnebago. Early results indicate there are opportunities for good fishing in the near future including a good 2010 crappie year class and very good carry over from last year?s walleye hatch, which was the fifth largest year class of walleye dating back to 1986.
Perch fishermen continue to struggle in southern Green Bay, but picked up at Little Sturgeon Bay, with an average length of about 6-8 inches. Musky anglers were doing well off Geano Beach.
Great Lakes anglers north and south are having success on Superior and Michigan. Lake trout have been hitting on Lake Superior along with some nice catches of smallmouth bass, northern pike and walleye.
Storms have hampered the Manitowoc County fishing, but salmon continue to be caught in 90-200 feet of water. In Door County?s Sturgeon Bay, perch fishing has picked up and 6-8 inchers are being caught. It has been a struggle for Milwaukee trollers, but when the fish hit they are reeling in Chinook and some rainbows and lake trout. Salmon are, will soon be spawning.
Ashland County Lake Superior fishing has been good while inland fishing has been slow.
Bayfield County The northern part of Bayfield County has been able to get some rain here and there so the dust has been kept down a little. The berries loved recent rain and they are all over if people take the time to look. Some early acorns have been dropping so it will be interesting to see what the overall acorn comes to be. Fishing on Lake Superior has been pretty good with lake trout in the lower 20s being caught. Northern pike, smallmouth bass, and walleye have also been good on the big lake.
Sawyer County Panfishing has picked up on Lake Chetac. Mixed bags of perch, bluegill and crappie are being caught. With bluegill and crappie being more prevalent. Individuals getting perch are having to work harder and move often to add more of them to their bag. The better perch action is coming in the deeper 15-plus- foot depths using half a crawler or crappie minnow. Plastics work as well. The bluegills and crappie are coming shallower off the weed edges and cribs. Those concentrating and marking the cribs are getting a mixed bag of fish. Most are using slip bobber with minnow, piece of crawler or wax worm. Again, a few are using and catching fish on plastics as well. The more aggressive fish typically hit plastics. First few hours of morning and last few hours in evening seem to be the best producing times. Individuals fishing bass on Lake Chetac are getting good numbers of fish in the shallows, along the docks and shorelines. Shallow running crank baits, spinner baits and rubber worms are working well. Those targeting the deeper weed edges with deeper running crank baits are getting larger bass and an occasional nice northern. Individuals fishing northern on Lake Chetac are getting larger size fish when casting musky size lures.
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. Variable skies and seasonal temperatures have 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 (32 to 42 inches). The fish seemed to be active along the weed edges and in the shallower weed beds. Top-water baits, soft-bodied lures and slower moving stick baits were the most productive. Any time of day has produced action and was mostly dependent on local weather conditions. A local hotspot for musky has been Butternut Lake, in northern Price County (the lake has a 28-inch harvest regulation for musky). A weekend musky tournament on this 1,000-acre lake just outside of Park Falls produced some excellent action for the participating anglers. A total of 37 musky (longer than 34 inches) were tallied during the two-day tourney, with the largest being 42 inches long. The winning team notched five entry fish, with the second thru fourth-place teams all boating three entry fish. Nearly all of the anglers reported quite a bit of activity - with a lot of follows and short hits, a good number of 28- to 33-inch musky caught and released, and a few ?large? fish being lost at the boat. Action for both largemouth and smallmouth bass has been fairly 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 top-water baits and soft plastics have been the most productive and have to be fished in the weed pockets, in the woody cover, or tight to the bog/marsh edges. Smallmouth seem to have shown a little surge in activity and action picked up on many of the local flowages and larger rivers. Soft plastics and finesse baits have been the most productive lures and the fish have been relating to wood that is near deeper water areas. Walleye success has continued to be fair and anglers have been reporting some decent catches. Leeches and crawlers fished along the weed edges and in weed pockets have produced most of the fish, though some have also been found on the deeper gravel and rock bars. Panfish action continues to be fair. A few nice bluegill have been found around the mid-depth cover and some decent catches of crappie and rock bass have also been reported. Rainfall in the far north has been relatively light in the last month and as such, most river and stream levels continue to be near their summer lows. Many lakes and flowages have also seen a bit of a water level decline, and weed abundances have become very thick in many of the shallow bay areas. Picture is of a 19-inch smallmouth caught/released on the Phillips Chain of Lakes.
Price County Water levels are finally just below normal after a fairly wet summer, however anglers are still having good success on panfish off man made cribs on Butternut Lake and the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage. Nearly 40 legal muskies were caught by contestants at a fishery on Butternut Lake indicating that the bite hasn?t slowed down.
Oneida County As a general rule the fishing has been slow in the Minocqua area. Water temperatures remain warn making for great conditions for water sports. Algae blooms are mild in the area and the Minocqua area has not suffered from the warm water fish kills the southern part of the state has experienced.
Peshtigo Fishing pressure was light this past week due to high winds on Friday and Saturday but with the cool down in temperatures expect that to change.
Marinette County Some nice bluegill re being caught by the Peshtigo Dam in the vicinity of the Power House dead drifting worms has worked well. Floating the Peshtigo River from the landing at the Municipal Garage to Klingsborn?s Landing has been producing some nice catches of smallmouth and pike surface and crank baits are working well. The trout and salmon bite out of the Menominee River has slowed some with fishermen targeting 90 to 100 feet of water using spoons and flies.
Oconto County The bluegill bite at Stiles Dam remains steady with worms or crawlers fished in conjunction with slip bobber or dead drift has been the key to some nice limits of fish. Smallmouth bass were being caught below the 141 bridge using crank baits, surface poppers and streamers fishing the current seams. Walleye fishermen had a tough time of it last week with high winds and floating weeds. Some fish were being caught in 14 to 24 feet of water using crawler/harness. Perch fishing remains slow from Pensaukee to Oconto Park II with only a few boats having any success. Geano Beach anglers have been catching walleye in about 20-35 feet of water using crawler harnesses. They are also catching some perch by the weed beds in about 8-10 feet of water using night crawlers for bait.
Shawano County Recent rain has helped the water levels in area waters. Fishing has been fairly good with panfish being the most targeted species. Some acorns are starting to drop already. Deer and turkeys can be seen in the cut hay fields. Local geese can be seen working picked fields and sandhill cranes are flocking up and getting ready to migrate already. Fall is just around the corner. Fishermen are reporting fair success on Shawano Lake and area waters. Some fishermen are catching 12-14 inch walleyes, which are most likely the result of large fingerling walleye stocking by the DNR last fall. Approx. 10,000 large fingerlings were stocked.
Brown County Perch fishermen on southern Green Bay continue to struggle to find the perch. The perch population is good but finding the perch is the problem. The perch are not where they normally are this time of the year. The walleye bite continues but has slowed down. Walleye fishermen are having more success in the area of the west shore between Pensaukee Shoal and Oconto Shoal. The musky anglers are reporting success off of Geano Beach casting and trolling off of the 6 foot hump. At Bayshore Park, anglers were looking for walleye. Only one walleye was caught with a crawler harness (daredevil color) in about 15-20 feet of water. In the Fox River, boat and shore fishermen were catching carp, catfish, and drum. Shore fishermen were also catching a few panfish using night crawlers and minnows. A few walleye were caught by University Bay using crawler harnesses. Suamico, fishermen have been catching walleye using crawler harnesses in about 20-40 feet of water. Walleye numbers have been pretty good this week compared to last week. Shore fishermen have been catching perch and panfish, most ranging in size of 5-7 inches using minnows and night crawlers.
Manitowoc County Fishing continues to be as good as the last couple of weeks. The only problem is that storms and wind are limiting time on the water for many anglers. Most salmon are still being caught between 90 and 200 feet of water. Midweek in Manitowoc there was still a thermocline reported about 65 feet down with water in the mid-40s below 100 feet. Most angers are hoping for calmer weather in the near future to cut down on obvious risks and turbulence. Boats that have been braving the conditions have done quite well. Most are choosing to run their lines with the wind to make it easier and then quarter into the waves. For many anglers boat control is a little thought about subtlety of fishing, but when trying to run lines with waves, wind, and below surface currents, successful boats are paying great attention to these details. Boats size is also limiting many angers from getting on the water. For those that get a little green around the gills, there are a variety of remedies on the market and for the person that gets sea or car sick often there are doctor prescribed patches that are very effective and worth it if chartering a boat on a rough day. Very early in the week there were some anglers finding cold water pretty shallow but winds continue to mix up and warm near shore as well surface waters. The thermocline is reported to be variable out of Two Rivers with boats finding cold water starting at 45 and others finding it as deep as 75. Depending on the day and location, the storms and wind are affecting the thermocline location, though most boats are running their lure from 45 to 80 feet down offshore of Manitowoc County. Some boats are only finding 10 or 20 feet of cold water near the bottom and are doing well in this range. Flies, J-plugs, and spoons are all catching fish. Copper line, flashers, dodgers, leadcore, dipseys with wire line, and of course downriggers are all being used as tools to get lures into the strike zone. Boats are running from as little as 1.6 mph to over 3mph. Techniques used this week to catch fish are very similar to the ones used over the last three weeks. Top locations are north of the nets out of Two Rivers and south of Manitowoc. It has been reported by an angler that the coordinates given in the trap net location sheet available at most area landings are a little off on the nets farthest north (uncertain of this accuracy). Keep an eye out for net buoys in these locations. Net maps and locations can also be obtained at seagrant.wi.edu and then clicking on fish and fisheries. The pier fishing continues to be slow. An occasional brown trout is being caught. Most pier angers are hoping for west winds and cold water or an overall weather cool down and the lake to turnover altogether. Anglers are catching some northern and smallmouth from the piers and in the harbors. In-line spinner baits like Mepps have been producing fish. Plastics have been catching smallmouths. The perch bite appears to be slow. ith several rain events in the last two weeks, streams and rivers received some much needed water. Deer sightings near dusk are becoming more common.
Door County Overall, the fishing pressure was slow due to rain and high winds this week and water temperature has dropped to about 71 degrees in Sawyer Harbor and Little Sturgeon Bay. On Little Sturgeon Bay, there was a bass tournament on Sunday so smallmouth bass numbers have picked up this week from previous weeks. Main type of bait for the smallmouth bass was plastics/tubes (green, watermelon, green/pumpkin, and copper flake in color) and they were caught in about 12-18 feet of water. Perch has picked up a little bit as well, with an average length of about 6-8 inches. Anglers used night crawlers, leeches and minnows for bait and they were caught in about 6 feet of water. A few walleye were caught by boat fishermen, but all released. Gobies and sheepshead were still coming in as well. In Sawyer Harbor, anglers were looking for perch, smallmouth bass, and walleye. Perch were caught with night crawlers in about 8 feet of water by some weed beds. Smallmouth bass numbers were low. There were two spear fishermen that caught a few rock bass, sheepshead, and perch. Sheepshead and gobies were still coming in with boat fishermen. At Chaudoir's Dock, anglers were looking for walleye and perch. Boat fishermen did not catch anything, but a pier fisherman caught a few perch, gobies, a bluegill and a small bullhead using night crawlers.
Kewaunee County Some winds this past week made getting out to the fish difficult at times. When anglers got out they still caught trout and salmon but not like earlier in the year. Water temperatures are warm and the warm water has extended down to the 100 feet depth. The better catches for groups in recent days have mainly ranged from 8 to 12 fish vs. the 15-20-plus when the water wasn?t so warm. Of course, not everyone makes one of the better catches but a shot at an 8-12 fish day is pretty good. Early mornings and late evenings have been best, as usual. Many boats staying closer and shallower got just 1-2 fish in recent days. Larger catches are still possible closer to shore but not as likely.
The best fishing this past week, outside of occasional bites at dawn on deep Dipsys, copper or full cores in the warmer water, was in the cooler water 100-plus feet down over 150 to 300 feet of water for both salmon and steelhead. Some have even been fishing as deep as 200 feet down. Trollers are hoping this week?s southerly and offshore winds will slowly raise the thermocline so they don?t have to fish as deep. On the inland scene, small to medium size panfish and bass are hitting leaf worms, wax worms and night crawler pieces with abandon fished both under bobbers or with a couple small split shot and allowed to sink to the bottom, often in 5 to 15 feet of water. Bullheads and an occasional catfish or carp are being caught in the rivers, with the larger specimens taken at night.
Outagamie County The perch bite on Lake Winnebago and the smallmouth bass bite on the Fox River are still doing well, with many anglers catching very nice size fish. Thanks to the recent rain and cooler temperatures, the blue green algae bloom has broken up some.
Winnebago County Fisheries staff have begun their annual Fish Community Assessment trawling on Lake Winnebago to gather information on fish reproduction for particular species including forage species. Early results have shown that there are good angling opportunities for fishing in the near future including good hatches of a 2010 crappie year class. There was a very good carry over from last year?s walleye hatch. The 2011 walleye hatch was the fifth largest year class of walleye dating back to 1986. The Lake Winnebago System has a strong forage base including shad, drum, and white bass. These forage base fish allow for a strong and healthy walleye population throughout the Winnebago System.
Lake Michigan fisheries team reportSheboygan County
Trollers in Sheboygan have been catching mostly chinook, along with a few rainbows and lake trout. The majority of boats have been working 100 feet down in 130 to 150 feet of water. Some boats went out as far as 350 feet of water, with fish biting 100 to 130 feet down. Blue & silver and green & silver spoons have been the most productive. Fishing off the Sheboygan piers has been slow, with more effort off the south pier than north pier.
Ozaukee County
In Port Washington trollers have been taking good numbers of chinook, along with a few rainbows and lake trout. Fish have been found anywhere between 130 and 350 feet of water. Depths in the water column have varied with water temperature changes; some days the fish are as deep as 90 feet down. Blue & silver or green & silver spoons have taken the most fish for trollers. Shore fishing in Port Washington has been generally slow, but occasionally perch have been taken off the pier. The lighthouse area has been productive at times, as has the harbor side of the pier. Perch have been taken on plastics, night crawlers, and wax worms.
Milwaukee County
In Milwaukee trollers have had to search to find fish, but once they are found anglers have been catching chinook, along with a few rainbows and lake trout. Most trollers have been working 105 to 175 feet of water with baits about 60 to 100 feet deep. In pre-dawn hours, some fish have also been taken in shallower water. Fishing off McKinley pier has been slow, but during low light times of day a few perch have been taken off the rocks on minnows and small jigs. Anglers at Jones Island have reported a few browns taken on spoons and alewives fished on the bottom. Of the salmon being caught, many are already turning dark indicating they are preparing to spawn.
Racine County
In Racine trollers have been successful fishing 60 to 100 feet down in 105 to 175 feet of water. They have been catching mainly chinook, though occasional rainbows and coho have also been caught. Those fishing from shore in Racine have had very little success, but anglers have managed to catch a few browns from the pier. Perch fishing is slow both from shore and for boaters.
Waukesha County
Musky fishing has picked up significantly on Waukesha lakes.
Kenosha County
Recent rains have been very welcome in the Kenosha area, not only making the area greener but opening the mouth of the Pike River to Lake Michigan as well. Fishing Lake Michigan continues to be excellent. Storms in the past week have pushed the salmon to deeper water, however anglers are still reporting catching limits using a variety of summer baits. Shore fishing continues to be slow with the harbor being dredged and high water temperatures.
Fitchburg Fishing for smallmouth bass has picked up on the Wisconsin River in Columbia and Sauk counties. Although the river is shallow right now bass can still be found near the cut banks and drop offs. Fishermen have had some success on area lakes fishing for pan fish on the edge of the weed lines in the evening.
Dane County Fishing in Dane County has been decent over the last week. Some nice catches of bluegills have been observed fishing from shore in Lake Monona along the Monona Terrace. Fishermen in the boats have been drifting parts of Lake Monona in about 30 feet of water and have been catching their decent sized bluegills that are suspended at approximately 15 feet. Game fishing enforcement on Lake Monona has been slow. Very few musky and walleyes are being caught but largemouth bass has been fairly productive. Lake Mendota has started to slow down a bit. Some fishermen are catching nice bluegills and perch anywhere along the weed lines. In 12-30 feet of water. Smallmouth are still really biting on Lake Mendota as well. Walleye and northern pike fishing has been slow although some fishermen report catching a decent amount of undersize walleyes. It is important to remember that Mendota has different size and bag limits than the other Dane County Lakes. Bass has an 18 inch size limit and only one fish may be kept. Walleye has an 18 inch size limit and only three fish may be kept. Northern pike has a 40 inch size limit and only one fish may be kept. Lake Kegonsa has been decent for bluegills as well. Fishermen seem to be catching bluegills in 15-20 feet of water. Even some walleyes are being caught but most of them are undersize. Lake Waubesa has been a little slower but every once in a while some fishermen are reporting some decent bluegills being caught and a few fishermen are reporting catching decent amounts of undersize walleyes ranging in size from 12-14 inches. The section of the Wisconsin River that borders Dane County is extremely low. Boaters are advised to use caution as certain parts of the river where you could travel may no longer be navigable. Fishing on the river has been average, with smallmouth bass providing the best bite right now.
Jefferson County Boating conditions continue to improve with each rainfall. Most lakes and rivers are navigable without too much worry of shallow water. Fishing reports vary from each body of water. Catfish, northern pike, white bass, and walleye are still biting on the Rock and Crawfish rivers and Lake Koshkonong. Panfish are hit and miss on other lakes. Bluegills were biting in deep water on Rock Lake.
Sauk County The acorns are starting to drop in the Baraboo Hills. With the dry summer, the fall foliage may be not as brilliant since many of the maple leaves are drying up and falling off already. Lake temperatures have dropped slightly to around 75 degrees at the surface and fishing should be improving in the next couple of weeks. Crappies and bluegills continue to be suspended in the lakes on Redstone and Dutch Hollow. Boaters and anglers are reminded to check their boats and trailers over for plants and other invasive species as they travel from one lake to the next.
Crawford County Water levels remain low on Pools 9 and 10 on the Mississippi River. Fishermen have been having a lot of luck catching panfish anywhere there is a little flowing water in the shallows.
La Crosse County Fishing for panfish on the Mississippi River is excellent right now. The current is low, and bluegills can be found on wing dams and along rocky shorelines. Anglers are also finding walleyes on sandy flats and in the sloughs. Due to the very low water on the river, and numerous underwater structures, boaters should be cautious when navigating.
Vernon County Water levels on the Mississippi River have dropped to a about one foot below normal level for this time of year. The water temperatures have dropped about ten degrees with most the temperatures in the low to mid 70s. The bluegill bite has slowed, but fishermen are still catching some nice bluegills on wing dams and submerged trees. With the cooler water temperatures, fishermen are catching more walleyes by targeting the wing dams with live bait rigs, jigs or trolling with crank baits. The catfish bite has also picked up with individuals catching channel catfish on stinkbait, worms or leeches.
Merrick State Park Water levels have fallen drastically and staff is hard at work extending the boat landings with gravel. Please use extreme caution when on the river since new hazards may present themselves in the low water.
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
Information compiled from the WDNR Outdoor report and private sources
