Wisconsin Statewide Fishing report 9.2.11Water levels on
most rivers and streams are near normal across most of the state, although after nearly two weeks with minimal rainfall, some trout streams are now running low. Northern flowages are at their normal summer levels. The Mississippi has returned to normal summer levels, and the lower Wisconsin River is slightly low, with abundant sandbars available for the holiday weekend.
Fishing activity has been good i
n the north, with bass and musky the highlight. Nearly all musky anglers are reporting sightings, follows and strikes. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass have also provided good action, and success on largemouth has been especially good. Walleye success has remained fair and panfish activity has been sporadic. Fishing on many southern lakes has been slow due to the recent warm weather, but should improve as water temperatures begin to drop.
On Green Bay, some very good perch fishing continues to be reported on both the west and east shores, though many of the perch have been on the small size. Some good walleye action was reported of Oconto this week, but walleye fishing was generally slower along Door County. Anglers have begun fishing the lower Fox River for musky with some success.
Lake Michigan trollers have begun working areas closer to harbors in search of older chinook salmon that are beginning to stage for fall runs, but many also continued to have success out in deeper water, with mixed bags of mostly chinook and coho salmon, along with some rainbow and lake trout reported. Pier fishing had picked up at Manitowoc and Two Rivers late last week, but slowed with a west wind bringing in cooler water over the weekend. Shore fishing at most southeastern ports has been slow.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) Pleasant late-summer weather has provide for some good recreational conditions in the last week and fishing activity has been pretty good in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Bass and musky fishing remain the highlight in the area and action continues to be very, very good. For musky, nearly all anglers are reporting sightings, follows and strikes -- with quite a few catches also being made. Most of the musky have been in the 30- to 38-inch size but a few in the 40- to 46-inch range have also been reported. Artificial baits have provided most of the action and some of the favorite lures have been large bucktail, rubber swim baits and top-waters. The musky have been found in a variety of locations, including the less-dense weed beds, the deeper weed edges, and some even suspended in the deeper water areas. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass have also provided some very good action, and success on largemouth has been especially good in the past week. Quite a few nice fish have been found up shallow and near cover in the 2- to 6-foot depths, with soft plastics, jig/craw combinations, and rubber frogs being the more productive baits. Smallmouth have also been very active on the local flowages and larger rivers, with most of the fish being found near cover around deeper water areas. The best baits have been small plastic finesse lures and crank baits. With the cooler water temperatures of late summer, northern pike action has been good and some very good action can be had on spinner baits along the mid-depth weed edges. Walleye success has remained fair, with quite a few anglers reporting some decent catches from the mid-depth rock bars with a small jig tipped with a leech or night crawler half. Panfish activity has been sporadic. Some decent crappie and bluegill have been found suspended around deeper water cover, and some nice perch have been showing up in and near wild rice beds to feast on the rice worms and other insects. Water levels in the local lakes, rivers and streams remain near normal, as there has been just enough rain to keep levels from dropping too low. Most flowages are at their normal summer levels and the periodic rain throughout the summer has kept flushing rates up and kept algae blooms down. Water temperatures have been hovering in the mid to upper 60s.
Peshtigo Fishing pressure this past week was slight to moderate due in part to the weather. Water temperatures at the landings were in the mid 70's with Bay anglers reporting temps in the upper 60s.
Marinette County Little River continues to provide excellent perch fishing around the weed beds in 8 to 10 feet of water using crawlers and minnows fished close to bottom. The Menominee River remains slow except during periods of low light (early morning, evenings). The walleye bite in the evening is best with stick baits being trolled from Stephenson Island down to the mouth. The salmon bite remains slow.
Oconto County The panfish bite at the Stiles Dam on the Oconto River has picked up with anglers reporting nice catches of bluegill in and around the pilings. Slip bobbers and garden tackle have worked well. Crappies were being caught near the dam itself on minnows drifted in the deeper water. Pensaukee landing anglers were reporting some nice catches of walleye in 5 to 15 feet of water, trolling crawler/harness and casting small spoons and stick baits. The perch bite is going strong with lots of small fish being caught. Crappie rigs and slip bobber tipped with minnows or crawlers have been the baits of choice. Oconto Breakwater Park and Oconto Park II anglers were reporting good catches of walleye in the 16- to 22-inch categories. Trolling remains the go-to method, although some anglers were doing very well casting stick baits and spoons. Some really nice catches of perch have been reported in 18 feet of water on crappie rigs.
Brown County Fox River anglers were starting to troll for musky in the last week with some success shown. A few walleye were also being caught in the river as well. Shore anglers were finding fishing to be good in the last week, with anglers catching catfish and drum in good numbers. Also there were a few perch and crappie being caught from the Metro Landing. Walleye fishing has slowed some at Bayshore Park, with anglers struggling most days with the wind. A few walleyes were being taken off Volk?s Reef, however. Most anglers have been drifting bait rigs. Anglers have been catching the majority of walleyes on crawler harnesses. Perch fishing has been slow as well with anglers catching a few perch, but most anglers are struggling to catch a meals worth. Most of this is due to the weather conditions, making bite detection almost impossible.
Manitowoc County Southwest winds at 10-15 mph switched straight out of the west to west/northwest at 10-15 mph through Friday creating colder water temperatures along the lakeshore. Water temperatures dropped to the lower 50s in the harbors and around the pier heads, but increased to 69 degrees by Sunday night due to north/northeast winds at 10-15 mph Saturday and Sunday. Air temperatures remained in the low to mid-70s with another week of little to no precipitation. Angler success picked up at piers through the week, but diminished with the warm water that came in over the weekend. Pier fishing picked up throughout the week thanks to the westerly winds that brought in cold water. On average in Two Rivers and Manitowoc, each pier averaged six to eight fish per day during the week. Over the weekend, the average dropped to four to six fish off each pier per day due to the warming water temperatures and strong north/northeast winds. The fish consisted mostly of chinook salmon 15-plus pounds, and an occasional brown trout less than five pounds. Green and silver champs have been the most successful this week, with a small number of trout and salmon coming on spoons. Using alewife on bottom also resulted in a small number of fish this week. Besides using green champs, no other colors have been hot. Several of the chinook have been very dark and can be seen jumping in the harbors, so don?t be afraid to move around and start trying up the rivers if fishing gets too crowded. The story is the same for boaters targeting chinook salmon this week. During the week, many boats landed two to three 4-year-old chinook either around sunrise or at dusk along with an occasional brown trout trolling the pier heads. Although boaters were landing only two to three fish, that number shrunk by Sunday night with the warm water temperatures. Boaters have been using a variety of spoons on boards up high in the water column while trolling the pier heads for chinook. But Sunday night, boats began pushing deeper, working 50-60 or in the 140-160 foot range with only a few small chinook (jacks) and a few rainbow trout under 10 pounds being landed. Dragonflies and nighthawks were seen migrating nearby Lake Michigan this week, a sign that fall is on the way.
Door County Yellow perch have been the main target for most Sturgeon Bay anglers in the last week. Anglers were finding fish in 5 to 15 feet of water, with the bigger perch being caught in deeper water. Most anglers were still having to do a lot of sorting to catch a meal with most fish averaging 5 inches. Walleye fishing has been spotty inside the channel with anglers trolling at night. Smallmouth bass were being caught but anglers are having to put in time to find fish. Most are using spinner baits or jigs to catch fish. A few bass are also being caught on live bait. Limits of perch were being caught inside Little Sturgeon Bay. Most, however, have been averaging around 6 inches. Small minnows have been used to catch most of the larger perch. Anglers fishing perch have also reported catching a few bluegill as well. Musky anglers are starting to fish around Little Sturgeon, but were reporting little success. Walleye fishing has been slow due to the strong west winds this last week causing most anglers to not venture out. The few that did, however, caught some fish. Trolling crank baits have been the best tactic for walleye. Anglers fishing from the pier or shore have been catching a few perch and bluegill. The wind and the waves the last week also put a damper on a lot of the fishing activity out of Chaudoir?s Dock. Anglers have been catching good numbers of perch. Anglers have been targeting varying depths from as little as 10 feet to around 30 feet to find catchable numbers of perch. Most anglers are finding the perch on bottom with a minnow. Walleye fishing has been good with most anglers trolling for them. Crank baits or crawler harnesses have been working the best. A few walleye are also being caught by anglers jigging or drifting live bait rigs.
Waushara County After nearly two weeks without rain the trout streams have gotten very low, making for more challenging fishing conditions
Lake Michigan fisheries team report
Sheboygan County In Sheboygan most trollers have been concentrating around the harbor, and they have been able to catch a few chinook and brown trout. Spoons and J-plugs have been the most productive. Fishing pressure has increased on the Sheboygan piers, but the fish have been hit-or-miss. A few brown trout and chinook have been taken on spoons, but no consistent color or pattern has worked better than another. The water temperature off the piers was about 61 degrees.
Ozaukee County Most trollers in Port Washington have been working 200 to 400 feet of water, and chinook and rainbow trout have both been caught. Purple or green glow spoons fished 70 feet down have been the most productive, but action has been generally slow. Shore anglers have been fishing in the Port Washington harbor, but success has been spotty. Most anglers have been casting spoons, drifting spawn, or using worms off the bottom. Spawn and worms have been the most effective, and anglers have taken a few kings and rainbows. The water temperature in the harbor is around 68 degrees. Fishing off the pier has been slow, although many chinook have been spotted surfacing.
Milwaukee County Trollers fishing off Milwaukee have been catching a mix of chinook, coho and some rainbow and lake trout. Most fish have been 75 feet down in about 200 feet of water. Spoons and flashers and flies have both taken fish. Shore fishing remains slow around most of the Milwaukee area, although a few small brown trout have been reported caught.
Racine County In Racine decent numbers of mature chinook salmon have been caught by trollers working in 60 to 100 feet of water. Others fishing farther offshore have been catching good numbers of coho, rainbows, and immature chinook in 170 to 250 feet of water. Most fish have been 50 to 100 feet down. White, green, or blue flies have produced, as have green or blue spoons. The water in front of the Racine harbor is warm, and shore fishing has been generally slow. A few chinook, however, have been caught between dusk and sunrise.
Kenosha County In Kenosha trollers have had success catching coho, rainbow trout, and chinook offshore in 160 to 200 feet of water. Both flashers and flies as well as spoons have taken fish. A few brown trout in the five to seven pound range have been caught in the harbor, but those have been spotty. Most browns have been taken on small white tubes jigged vertically along the wall. A few chinook have also been reported taken after dark near the end of the south pier.
Minocqua area fishing reporthttp://www.wisconsinoutdoor.com/minocquafishingreport.htm
Lake Michigan Fishing Report and tipshttp://www.wisconsinoutdoor.com/lmfishingtips.htm
Wausau 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
