Southern Lake Michigan Fishing Report: July 21, 2010
Kenosha Co.
In Kenosha the trolling bite remains consistent, with good catches coming from 20 to 60 feet of water. Nearly all methods have produced fish at times. Fishing in the Kenosha harbor has been spotty, with some chinooks taken off the south pier either before dawn or after dark. Silver & green spoons as well as glow in the dark have been catching fish. Perch anglers have occasionally been catching fair numbers off of the south pier and in Southport Marina, and the boats continue to catch some at the bubbler. Both crab tails and minnows have produced.
Racine Co.
In Racine trollers have been catching good numbers of chinooks and a few browns, coho and rainbows. Fish have been near shore, with the best action in 25 to 50 feet of water. Spoons, flies, and J-plugs have all taken fish, and green and silver have been the most productive colors. A 41.5 pound brown trout was taken north of Racine last Friday. Congratulations to the angler and his crew on this fish of a lifetime! Shore fishing in Racine has also been good, with fair numbers of chinooks taken off the piers in the early morning hours. Both spoons and alewives have taken fish. Perch anglers fishing from shore have had the most success near Gateway, and boats have taken a few limits near the DeKoven Center.
Milwaukee Co.
In Milwaukee trollers have been catching mostly chinooks, along with a few coho and rainbows. Fish have been caught in 40 to 60 feet of water, and spoons have taken the majority of fish. Some boats have also taken chinooks while jigging at Milwaukee?s north gap. For shore anglers, the most consistent spot continues to be McKinley pier. Chinooks have been caught off the pier after dark and before dawn, and most have been taken on alewives. Perch anglers have had some limited success at Cupertino pier and the Lake Express Ferry dock. Small shiners have produced the most when fished early in the morning.
Ozaukee Co.
There was moderate fishing effort from the piers and light effort from the ramps, harbor/shore and Amsterdam Road ramp. There was action to report from the piers, ramps and harbor/shore. On the 19th, the temperature was in the high 60?s, skies were cloudy with some rain and there was a light wind to the north. On the 21st, the temperature was in the mid 70?s, skies were mostly sunny and there was a light wind to the east. Port Washington Ramp: The water at the ramp was blue green with moderate clarity and the temperature was 62-64? F. Thirteen of sixteen boats interviewed caught at least one fish, with an average 4.2 fish per boat. Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, lake trout and a rainbow trout were caught. Fish were caught in 55 to 90 feet of water, 25 to 50 feet down with spoons on leadcore and downriggers. One boat caught their limit of yellow perch on the morning of the 21st, fishing along the south pier with jigs and crab tails. Port Washington Utility: The water in the area was blue green with moderate to good clarity. Yellow perch were caught with minnows. Port Washington Piers: The water off the lakeside was calm, 52-58? F, and blue green with good clarity. On the harbor side of the pier, the water was blue green with good clarity. Chinook salmon, a Coho salmon and a rainbow trout were caught. Fish were caught throughout the day on alewives. Amsterdam Rd. Ramp: The water at the ramp was calm, 56-60? F, and blue green with moderate to good clarity. No boats were interviewed.
Sheboygan Co.
There was moderate fishing effort from the piers and ramps, and light fishing effort from the shore, Cleveland ramp and Edgewater power plant. There was action to report from the piers, ramps and Cleveland ramp. On the 19th, the temperature was in the high 60?s, skies were cloudy and there was a light wind to the northwest. On the 21st, the temperature was in the high 60?s, skies were mostly sunny and there was a light wind to the east. Sheboygan Ramps: The water at the ramp was 64-66? F and brown with moderate clarity. Nine of 9 boats interviewed caught at least one fish, with an average of 6 fish per boat. Chinook salmon, brown trout, rainbow trout and a Coho salmon were caught. Most of the fish were caught in 80 to 90 feet of water, 20 to 30 feet down, with spoons or j-plugs on planar boards, dipsy divers and downriggers. One boat had success catching rainbow trout in 250 feet of water. Sheboygan Piers: The water off the north pier was calm and blue green with moderate to good clarity. The water in the harbor was 68-70? F, brown with low clarity. The water on the lakeside of the south pier was calm, 56-58? F, and brownish blue green with moderate clarity. Chinook salmon were caught off both piers on both days with alewives and casting spoons and gulp baits. Cleveland Ramp: The water at the ramp was calm, 58-60? F, and light brown with low clarity. The only boat interviewed fishing for trout and salmon did not catch anything. One boat fishing for yellow perch caught their limit on the morning of the 21st.
