Water temperatures are dropping and with that fishing picked up in some areas, especially with some good fall panfishing reported in a number of areas. In the north, musky action continues to increase with more reports in the last week of nice fish caught. Largemouth bass fishing has also been very good. In the south, anglers are being cautioned about some very low water levels on the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers that has been contributing to boat and motor damage, especially with wing dams.
Smallmouth bass fishing continued strong along the waters of Door County, but walleye action slowed some on both shores of Green Bay. Cooler nearshore Lake Michigan waters brought trout and salmon closer to shore in the last week. Fish are beginning to stage and mature salmon are turning darker and many brown trout are also showing their spawning colors, but as of yet there has been no fall salmon runs up rivers.
Douglas County Panfish have been biting in the area lately.
Polk County The fish bite has been slow over the past week, but musky action continues to heat up. Many of the fish have been found moving up into the shallow water in the evenings and at night. The surface water temps have dropped to the low 70s down from the low 80s only a few weeks ago.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) The warm late-summer weather that has prevailed across northern Wisconsin has made for some very good fishing conditions. Sturgeon season opened Saturday on the inland waters and early reports indicated just limited success. Opening day pressure was moderate on most sturgeon waters and most anglers were having a tough time finding any hungry fish. There were a low number of sub-legal sturgeon caught and released, but reports of any legal-size 60-inch keeper fish were limited. The preferred baits were a gob of night crawlers or cut bait, and fished on the bottom in the main river channel in the deepest water that could be found. Musky have also been providing some very consistent action and most musky anglers are reporting a lot of sightings and follows, with quite a few hook-ups as well. Early morning and late afternoon hours have produced the best action, and the favorite lures have been bucktails and top-water baits fished over weed beds and near the deep weed edges. Largemouth bass have stayed very active with the continued warm weather and some very good catches have been made in the past week. The bass have been found near mid-depth structure such logs/stumps, weed lines, and bog edges, with soft plastics and jig/craw combinations being the lures of choice. Smallmouth bass fishing has continued to be very erratic, with the best success coming on finesse plastics fished near cover along deeper water areas on the local rivers and flowages. Walleye fishing has been improving and more anglers are starting to target this species. Most walleye are still relating to weed beds and weed lines, though fair numbers have also been found around mid-depth gravel and rock bars. Small jigs tipped with a leech have produced the most consistent catches. Panfish action continues to be good with crappie, bluegill and rock bass providing the bulk of the success.
Woodruff The panfish bite appears to be improving a bit, with some decent catches of crappie reported but the musky action seems a little slow yet in the Woodruff area.
Peshtigo Fishing pressure this past week was light to moderate with water temperatures in the Bay in the low to mid 70s.
Marinette County Anglers below the dam on the Peshtigo River have been catching some nice panfish in the vicinity of the powerhouse and the basin below the dams. Live bait or very small twister tails have been working well. Floating the Peshtigo River from the Municipal Garage Landing to Klingsborns Landing or the mouth of the Peshtigo has been producing some nice bass and pike. Casting top-water baits or small stick baits has been working well. Panfish, rock bass, and drum are being caught in the pocket water below the Hattie Street dam on worms and bobbers. Sturgeon were also being caught below the dam on the bottom with crawlers but be advised it is catch and release only. A few salmon were still being caught off the mouth of the Menominee River trolling spoons, but most anglers being interviewed were after walleye in 20 to 30 feet of water in and around Green Island and Hennes Park.
Oconto County Anglers on both the north and south side below Stiles Dam have been having a field day catching panfish. Worms or crawlers drifting with the current or using a slip bobber have been producing some very nice fish. Floating the river from the Iron Bridge to River Road Landing or Holtwood Park has been producing some smallmouth casting spinners and crank baits or floating crawlers, both real and plastic. The walleye bite from Pensaukee Landing to Oconto Park II has been fair to good with most fish being caught in 12 to 30 feet of water using stick baits or crawler/harness. The perch bite remains slow with some fish being aught in 12 to 16 feet of water in the deep weed beds. At Geano Beach, anglers were trolling for walleye using crawler harnesses and crank baits at various depths. They were also trolling for musky and casting for musky with not much luck.
Green Bay area
Brown County In the Fox River, shore anglers were catching carp, catfish, sheepshead, drum, and some are catching small young of the year white bass. Anglers were also trolling for musky, but none were caught yet. At Suamico, anglers were trolling for walleye using crawler harnesses and crank baits, depths are varying at this point. A few anglers were also trolling for musky with some being caught. At Bayshore Park, anglers were looking for perch and walleye. Perch numbers were good again this week and weekend. Perch were caught on minnows for the majority of them, but a handful were caught on night crawlers as well. They were found in about 20-21 feet of water with an average size of about 6-8 inches. There were a handful of walleye that came in, they were caught on crank baits and crawler harnesses (pink, green, purple,gold and tiger in color) in about 15-20 feet of water. Sizes ranged from 15 inches to 26 inches. Anglers were also catching sheepshead, catfish, lots of white perch and some white bass as well.
Manitowoc County Water temperatures have been cold all week inshore. In effect, fishing has been productive inshore for boats and shore anglers alike. There is still cold water reported though east winds over the next couple days may continue to change fish locations. Midweek most boats were still fishing between 60 and 200 feet of water out of the Manitowoc and Two Rivers. Good catches in deeper water were reported south of Manitowoc and around the commercial nets. Some rainbow were showing up with the colder water. On Aug. 29, there was 43 degree water 65 feet down in 90 feet of water. By Saturday, Sept. 1, many boats were trolling in shallow water and having success out of Two Rivers and Manitowoc. Anglers were working the 10 to 40 foot range and using spoons, J-plugs, and stick baits for kings and browns. The cold water brought all year classes of salmon inshore, not just the four year old fish. There were still some boats that had fair success out deep. Many of the mature salmon are turning darker and many brown trout are also showing their spawning colors. There was still surface water in the mid 50 degree between the pier heads in Manitowoc by the end of the week, but fishing seems to have slowed inshore, though this may be due to fishing difficulties in the 3 to 5 foot waves. Pier fishing has been good for king salmon and brown trout as of late because of the cold waters inshore. Some days are better than others, but it is not out of the question for anglers to catch many fish per pier in Manitowoc or Two Rivers in a morning. Most anglers have been using spoons but some anglers have had luck with alewives or other bait fished on the bottom. It has been an early morning bite, though there has been good catches in the afternoon off the Manitowoc piers. There have been some very nice browns caught, though most are in the 23-25 inch range. There have been some browns and king salmon caught in the Manitowoc River but the salmon run has not begun. The water temperatures are in the upper 60s to low 70s on most of the larger rivers in Manitowoc County and salmon are not very comfortable in waters this warm. The best chances for river fishing success would be on the Manitowoc River near the harbor. There has been some salmon and browns caught near the library/museum area. Water levels are low upriver past Manitou Park. A fair amount of smallmouth and channel catfish have been caught in this area.
Sturgeon Bay There was mixed fishing pressure throughout the week with the weekend being very busy. Water temperatures stayed steady the whole week at about 71 degrees by Bayshore Park and Chaudoir's Dock, while in Sawyer Harbor and on Little Sturgeon Bay the water temperature was around 73 degrees.
Door County Anglers seeking trout and salmon have been focusing their efforts primarily on Lake Michigan. Most are in search of waters ranging from 100 to 130 feet and fishing the lower half of the water column. J-plugs, flasher/fly combos, and spoons of all colors are all reportedly catching fish. The perch bite has held steady over the past week, with some anglers doing better than others. Targeting a feeding school and being able to stay on top of them has produced the best results. Minnows or chunks of crawler on a slip-bobber are almost the exclusive bait. Weed beds in the shipping canal are still the main focus for perch anglers. Walleye action has increased over the past week. Anglers are having luck running crank baits near reefs and around the islands in Green Bay. Those that find the right depth and structures are able to come close to, if not obtain, a limit of fish. Some reports state that the hour before dusk is when the bite is the best. Smallmouth bass are still being caught throughout Door County. Both shore and off-shore anglers are having success with soft plastics, crank baits, and live bait rigs. Northern pike continue to appear sporadically for anglers. Weed edges and reefs are where most of the fish are being caught. Anglers have been catching them on crank baits and spinners, both while trolling and casting. In Sawyer Harbor, anglers were looking for perch, walleye, and pike. Perch numbers were low this week, but they were caught on worms. A few walleye were caught on crank baits (perch/silver in color) in about 13-20 feet of water. A few Pike were caught as well (on rapalas) in shallow water. Some sheepshead and gobies were also caught. On Little Sturgeon Bay, anglers were looking for perch, walleye, musky, pike, and smallmouth bass. Perch numbers were low this week, they were caught on worms in about 15 feet of water and averaged in size around 6 inches. No musky or walleye were caught, but a few pike were caught on stick baits. A few smallmouth bass were also caught on spinners (green and white in color) in about 8-12 feet of water. Anglers were also catching a few sheepshead and gobies. At Chaudoir's Dock, anglers were looking for perch and there were a handful of walleye anglers as well. Perch numbers were high this weekend most ranging in size of 6-8 inches. They used a mixture of minnow, night crawlers and leeches for bait and they were caught in about 21-24 feet of water with most anglers heading south out of the harbor. There were a few walleye that came in this weekend, they were caught on crank baits (perch in color) in about 17 feet of water. Anglers were also catching sheepshead, catfish, white perch.
Kewaunee County The first wave of brown trout and chinook salmon have been staging off the Algoma and Kewaunee harbors. A pair trollers caught two browns and five chinook-- three in the first hour and four over the next four hours -- fishing within a mile of shore at Algoma Wednesday morning. Included in the catch was the season's biggest king on a certified scale: a 38-1/2-inch, 26.45-pounder. While the skin on staging fish is already turning darker, the flesh is still colorful and good quality. Little more than a week earlier, a 35-inch, 18.99-pound coho salmon was caught by a 13-year-old trolling out of Algoma. It hit a home-tied fly behind a white flasher and 10-ounce weight off a board in 100 feet of water. Pier anglers have hooked an occasional trout or salmon using glow spoons or soaking spawn and marshmallow combos from dusk to dawn. Spawn and marshmallow combos floated off bottom can also produce, and a few anglers use stick baits, crank baits or spinners. Water has now warmed back up near shore, but anglers should watch for a day or two of sustained offshore or several days of strong southeast winds, which could cool it again and improve the bite. Any significant rain events will also lure more fish close. Chinook come in pulses until the peak run from mid-September to early October. Kewaunee will be a better bet for staging coho later this month, with tributary runs in October and lasting well into November. Some big Seeforellen-strain brown trout also run later than their domestic-strain counterparts, mirroring the coho for timing. Pier, shore and river anglers can have good opportunities now through ice-up. Trolling pressure has really dropped off during the week, but weekends have still been busy. Most anglers have been working either within a mile of the river mouths for staging brown trout and chinook, or 3 to 6 miles out for all other species and chinook that aren?t yet mature. Fish are hitting spoons, flies and plugs mainly 30 to 80 feet down; at times higher before sunrise.
Lake Michigan fisheries team reportSheboygan County - Trollers in Sheboygan have been catching mostly chinook, along with a few coho. The majority of fish have been taken on spoons in 30 to 70 feet of water. Anglers fishing off the Sheboygan piers continue to catch some fish. Those on the north pier have reported chinook and brown trout taken on spoons. On the south pier anglers have been catching chinook, browns, and a few coho on spoons and alewives. Sheboygan area rivers have low water levels and temperatures in the 70s. No salmonid activity has been reported yet; however, some smallmouth bass have been caught on spoons in the Sheboygan River. Boating, canoeing, and kayaking are discouraged on the Sheboygan River from Esslingen Park to the Sheboygan Harbor due to the high volume of dredging and habitat restoration projects. Dredging is being conducted from the harbor to Wildwood Island and habitat restoration projects are being conducted at Kiwanis Park, Wildwood Park, and Esslingen Park. Anglers should be aware that these projects will limit, and may sometimes prevent, access to those areas of the river.
Ozaukee County - In Port Washington trollers have been taking good numbers of chinook, along with a few coho and rainbow and lake trout. Some limit catches were reported over the weekend. Fish have been found anywhere between 65 and 175 feet of water, with the most commonly fished area in 90 to 130 feet. Spoons and J-plugs as well as flasher and fly combinations have all taken fish. Shore fishing in Port Washington has been generally slow. Water levels are very low in Sauk Creek, with temperatures about 71 degrees.
Milwaukee County - In Milwaukee trollers have been catching chinook, along with a few rainbow and lake trout in 70 to 130 feet of water. Spoons and flashers & flies fished 60 to 100 feet down have been productive. When the lake has been rough, a few chinook have been caught by boats trolling the gaps and the river channel. Fishing off McKinley pier has improved, with a few brown trout and chinook taken. The browns were caught on alewives, spoons, and crank baits, but the chinook were taken in the pre-dawn hours on glow spoons. Anglers at Jones Island have reported a few browns taken on spoons or alewives fished on the bottom. Perch fishing has been slow throughout the Milwaukee area. Tributaries in Milwaukee County have low flows and high temperatures, and no trout or salmon fishing activity has been seen.
Racine County - In Racine trollers have been catching mainly chinook with occasional rainbow mixed in. Fish have been taken 60 to 100 feet down in 90 to 130 feet of water. Those fishing from shore in Racine have had some spotty success for brown trout off of both the north and south piers during low light times of day. Perch fishing remains slow both from shore and for boaters.
Sauk County The water level on the Wisconsin River is very low and boaters are cautioned to be careful when boating south of the Prairie du Sac dam. These low conditions can contribute to boat and motor damage while navigating the river. Trout are biting on Devil?s Lake in the deeper water.
Pierce County Panfish are biting on the Mississippi River with good sized bluegills being caught from Red Wing down to Pepin. The St. Croix River is also producing good panfishing in the Kinni and Afton areas. The Mississippi River is very low so be careful if it is your first time on the river.
Trempealeau County Water levels continue to be low on the Mississippi River. Caution is advised as wing dams and other obstructions are more exposed than usual. Bass and walleye have been hard to find in large numbers. A few have been picked up off wing dams and below the Trempealeau Dam. Panfishing has been good. Bluegills have been biting in the backwaters near cover and off wing dams. Panfishing has been good on inland lakes from boats with several near limits observed over the past week. Bass fishing is still slow. Fishing has been slow on Marinuka Lake. A few walleyes and bass have been caught in deeper water near the fish cribs. Fishing has been good below the dam with several nice sized northern pike caught in the past week.
Chippewa County Boating activity was busy over the Labor Day weekend on Lake Holcombe. Wardens continue to find safety violations on the water so remember to double check equipment such as life jackets and fire extinguishers before you hit the water. Late August brought higher temperatures, leaving the fish activity slower than usual. The hotter weather has brought the smallmouth into a frenzy on the Chippewa River, with anglers reporting excellent results using floating poppers or crank baits during the evening. Smallmouth bass activity on Long Lake is also good to excellent using lizards or creature baits. Walleye activity is on the rise below the dam at Holcombe, with some anglers using rattling crank baits and minnows and jigs. Panfish action was still sluggish on Otter and Marshmiller lakes, with anglers trying deeper water for bigger bluegills. Sturgeon season opened on Sept. 1. The 60-inch harvest length limit helps protect the female sturgeon and allows greater spawning opportunity. A female sturgeon does not reach sexual maturity until about 25 years of age and reaches about 55 inches long. Try not to overplay shorter sturgeon and release those back to the water immediately.
Eau Claire County Lake sturgeon anglers have been catching and releasing dozens of 40-plus-inch fish below the Dells Hydro Dam in the City of Eau Claire. Bear hunters report frequent activity at Eau Claire County bait stations.
Minocqua area fishing reporthttp://www.wisconsinoutdoor.com/minocquafishingreport.htmLake 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
