Northern Lake Michigan Fishing Report: April 19, 2010
Manitowoc Co.
Fishing pressure became relatively low throughout the week on the East and West Twin Rivers, the piers and Lake Michigan due to cold temperatures, strong winds, and little angling success. Strong south and northwest winds combined with cool temperatures dominated the week's weather. The winds created waves 1-3 feet high on Lake Michigan and the lack of precipitation dropped water levels 4 inches in the area rivers by the end of the week. East Twin River: Anglers fishing for steelhead on the East Twin had little success this past week. The sucker and steelhead run slowed by the weekend, but both are still present in quantities worthy of a fishing trip. Use night crawlers to catch several suckers near the Mishicot dam or spawn sacs for steelhead. West Twin River: Steelhead fishing has slowed down as water levels dropped as the water temperature rose from 46F to 54F. Anglers had the greatest success early in the week using flies or an orange jighead/tail. A few anglers tried their luck catfishing, but the fishing was fairly slow. Manitowoc River: Fishing was relatively quiet this week due to high, murky, fast flowing waters. A few anglers ventured out for catfish, landing a few small fish. Anglers used a variety of bait from night crawlers to even spawn sacs on bottom. The water temperature at 56F. Little Manitowoc and Branch Rivers: A few fly fishermen on the Branch River, near the golf course landed nearly a half dozen steelhead during the week. Orange and brown or black flies received the most action. The Branch river had very good water clarity with water temperatures at 52F. On the Little Manitowoc River late arriving steelhead with great color were taken near the mouth of the river by floating spawn or orange yarn. Silver Creek: Water levels have dropped and so have the amount of steelhead and suckers swimming in the creek. A few anglers have been observed but there has been very little fishing pressure. Two Rivers and Manitowoc Harbor/Piers: Winds calmed long enough during the early morning hours to get some good fishing in. Using orange casting spoons, a small number of Brown Trout were landed. A few catfish have been taken on spawn while Brown Trout fishing. Manitowoc/Two Rivers Ramps: Anglers fishing on Lake Michigan in 7 to 13 feet of water south of the Manitowoc Harbor were landing brown trout this week. Spoons with any white combination on the dypsies are hot, with crankbaits and high lines relatively slow.
Kewaunee Co.
High winds for the majority of the week limited the amount of fishing pressure on Lake Michigan from boats. The higher temperatures have also raised the water temperatures in the streams to an average of 49 degrees. The Algoma ramp is starting to see an increase in usage towards the end of the week when the winds began to calm down. The fishing itself seems to be very hit and miss for Brown trout and Lake trout. The majority of the fish have been caught on spoons this week. The Algoma pier has seen moderate pressure with very few fish to show for it. The northern pier has seen a few catfish pulled in with the use of sucker chunks. All of the surrounding streams in Algoma have seen diminished fishing pressure due to few fish being caught and the warmer temperatures in the water. The most active streams are still Stony Creek and just below the Forrestville dam. The Kewaunee ramp is also seeing increased use as reports of Brown trout and Lake trout being caught begin to come in. As with Algoma, the streams in Kewaunee have seen decreased fishing pressure as fewer rainbow trout are being caught. The majority of the fish being caught have been near Footbridge and behind the Brummer Zoo on spawn sacs.
Door Co. (Lake and Bay sides)
The week in Door County brought high winds and rough conditions throughout the week, however fisherman were not deterred from angling. The week started with strong winds from the East but switched to strong winds from the West for the weekend Brown Trout fishing tournament. The unique shape of Door County allowed for fishing on whichever side of the peninsula that was more protected. It was a big weekend for many anglers fishing in the Lake Michigan and Green Bay waters Brown Trout Tournament. Pressure definitely increased over the weekend with most fishermen having success on both the bay and the lake. A twenty pound Brown Trout took the tourney title, with many fish close behind in the high teens. Overall fisherman reported good numbers of fish taken in the single digit pound range, mostly using stick baits and spoons. Heavy winds were cause for some turbid waters, a factor that benefited the fishing. The Walleye spawn should be right around the corner. Fish are still being reported with consistency off the train bridge in Sturgeon Bay, and along the shorelines moving west towards Potawatomi State Park and Green Bay. Many northern pike have been seen in the local marinas looking to begin their spawn too. One fisherman reported a 25 lb pike taken while fishing for Browns out of Fish Creek during the weekend, a very nice catch. Stream fishing has been picking up a little with some steelhead being taken out of Heins and Whitefish Bay creeks. Many fishermen reported seeing a good number of Steelhead, however the fish are very skittish and spook easily. Spawn sacks have been the popular choice for results.
The Northern Lake Michigan Fishing Report is updated once a week until October 31.
WDNR
