Weather this past week was has been unseasonably cool for late summer, with most of the state receiving less than half an inch of rain. Trees have just started to show their promise of a colorful fall. The Wisconsin Department of Tourism?s Fall Color Report predicts peak colors are still four to eight weeks off in different pars of the state.
Anglers have been fishing Lake Superior tributaries for lake run browns that are in the river, along with an occasional steelhead. Last year the peak runs of Lake Superior salmon were from the last week of September to first week October.
The Lake Michigan chinook salmon that will be spawning this fall have started to turn dark. The females are getting plump and the eggs are developing quickly. Males are starting to develop the characteristic hooked jaw or "kype." Chinook salmon are starting to move into the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal and a few have been taken by shore and pier anglers and are expected to start entering Strawberry Creek within the next couple of weeks. Some have been spotted up the Kewaunee River.
Poor weather conditions and rough seas made for only fair action out on Lake Michigan. Anglers have been reporting some good success casting spoons for trout and salmon off of the piers in Algoma, Kewaunee, Sheboygan, Port Washington and Milwaukee. Boat anglers that ventured out of the more northern ports had some success trolling on Lake Michigan this week with a good mix of chinook salmon, rainbow trout and coho salmon reported.
The mouth of the Peshtigo River saw a flurry of activity this week for smallmouth bass. Anglers at Oconto were reporting some real quality catches of perch. Perch fishing was fair to good along the Door County side of the bay. Smallmouth bass fishing was fair throughout Door County. Bass action has been great on Lake Winnebago, where the walleye bite has also been picking up.
Water levels have been good on the Kickapoo River for canoeing. The Mississippi River ?spiked? last week at 7.7 feet but slowly settled down and was at 7.1 feet Monday at Prairie du Chien. Walleye and sauger action was fair and bass action remained good.
Marinette County -
The Peshtigo River mouth is seeing a flurry of activity for smallmouth bass on small spoons and spinners. The salmon have been biting in the Little River area around dusk. Anglers have been fishing on the bottom with spawn sacks and casting cleo's. The Menominee River is giving up a mixed bag of walleye and smallmouth bass from the dam to the turn basin with live bait and lures both working well. Anglers have been fishing the Lighthouse Pier and the Government Pier for salmon and trout. Spoons are the preferred lures.
Oconto County -
Water temperatures at the landings are at the 70 degree mark with excellent water clarity. Fishing pressure has been moderate to heavy due to the fact the perch bite has started. The bluegill bite at Stiles Dam remains good with some nice fish being taken on leaf worms and crawlers. Slip bobbering or free floating is the technique that has been working the best. Anglers at the Pensaukee Landing, Oconto Breakwater, and Oconto Park II were all reporting some real quality catches of perch. Suspending minnows near bottom in 9 to 12 feet of water has been working well at this time. Oconto Breakwater Park has been producing some nice chinook salmon and brown trout with anglers fishing with spoons, early morning and evenings.
Manitowoc County -
Fishing in the Manitowoc and Two Rivers area this week was a little slower than during previous weeks because of unfavorable weather conditions that included rainy and windy days. Pier anglers in Manitowoc had some success early in the week but by the weekend fishing slowed sharply. Most anglers were casting 3/4 or 1 oz. reflective spoons with green, blue, yellow, or white tape to add a splash of color. By Sunday afternoon many anglers moved to just inside the mouth of the Manitowoc River (downstream of the first bridge); however, fishing was slow with very few trout or salmon harvested. Boat anglers had some success trolling on Lake Michigan this week. Anglers were trolling in 20 to 100 feet of water looking for fish but fishing success was only fair. Harvest numbers varied from two to eight fish per boat. In Two Rivers, pier anglers had a fair week of fishing with some good days and some very slow days. On Sunday afternoon most anglers were fishing on the south pier. Anglers were using a variety of baits including fishing alewife off the bottom, casting spoons or diving stick baits. A few nice chinook salmon were caught that weighed between 14 and 18 pounds. Boat anglers trolling Lake Michigan had some productive trips this week. Boat anglers covered a wide range of water depths with some trolling around the piers in 20 to 60 feet of water while others trolled in 150 to 300 feet of water. Boat anglers harvested a good mix of chinook salmon, rainbow trout and coho salmon.
Door County -
Mostly cloudy to partly cloudy days with cool temperatures and showers, along with moderate to strong winds, made for less than ideal weather conditions this week. Poor weather conditions and rough seas made for only fair action out on Lake Michigan. Most of the salmon action was to be found along the edges of the bank reef in 90 to 120 feet of water. Chinook salmon are starting to move into the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal and a few have been taken by shore anglers and anglers fishing from the piers at the Coast Guard station. A few northern pike were being taken along the channel in the area between the bridges in the Bay of Sturgeon Bay, as well as Little Sturgeon, Riley?s Bay, Sand Bay and Sawyer Harbor. Walleye action was slow to fair. Henderson Point, Sherwood Point, the Sturgeon Bay flats and Dunlap Reef, as well as well as the area around Horseshoe Island all produced a few fish. Crawler harnesses and crank baits seem to be the best for walleyes. Smallmouth bass fishing was fair throughout the county. Little Sturgeon, Riley?s Bay and Sand Bay produced a few fish. Plastics, spinner baits, crank baits along with some top waters all produced a few fish when fished along weed edges and over rock piles. Perch fishing was fair to good along weed edges and the can line in Sturgeon Bay as well as off of Chaudoir?s dock. Minnows and night crawlers are the baits of choice for perch.
Strawberry Creek Spawning Facility -
There is a lot of activity out at the Strawberry Creek Weir this month as DNR fisheries staff is preparing the facility for this fall's salmon harvest. Current work includes a major rebuild of the salmon processing infrastructure. The chinook salmon that will be spawning this fall have started to turn dark. The females are getting "plump" and the eggs are developing quickly. Males are starting to develop the characteristic hooked jaw or "kype." Chinook salmon are expected to start entering Strawberry Creek within the next couple of weeks. These early run fish are usually not ripe and crews typically don't capture fish ready for spawning until early October. The Lake Michigan water level is up approximately 8 inches over last year. At this time crews are planning to use the pump and pipeline to supplement the flow in Strawberry Creek but probably won't be turning the pump on until approximately October 1. Predicting the timing of the first chinook harvest at Strawberry Creek this far ahead is difficult because weather, especially rainfall events, play a big role in salmon spawning runs. However, it is very likely that by Monday, October 5, crews will be actively harvesting chinook at Strawberry Creek and collecting eggs for the Wisconsin hatchery program. Once spawning begins, Mondays are generally scheduled for harvest days at Strawberry Creek so October 12 and 19 are also likely harvest days.
Kewaunee County -
Weather this past week was seasonal for most of the week, but cooler temperatures and rain moved in for the end of the week. Winds were calm out of the south to start the week, but switched to the west and picked up towards the end of the week. Some salmon have already begun to get darker as the fall spawning run gets closer, and there have even been some fish being spotted up the Kewaunee River. Anglers have been reporting some good success casting spoons for trout and salmon off of the piers in Algoma and Kewaunee. Fish are starting to be taken at all times of the day, but more are being caught at sunrise and sunset. Anglers that have been going out on the lake had a slower week of fishing. Kings and steelhead still account for most of the catch with there being more kings than steelhead caught. Anglers were finding more salmon out farther this week due to warmer water. Most fish were being caught in water depths between 50 and 80 feet with most anglers fishing over water that is in the 80 to 120 feet range. Most anglers have been using a combination of dipsies and flashers and flies, but spoons and J-plugs have also been having success as well. The most common colors seem to be either a bright green or blue.
Oshkosh
Bass action has been great on Lake Winnebago. The walleye bite is also picking up. The deadline to purchase a sturgeon spearing license is Oct. 3.
Lake Michigan fisheries team report
Sheboygan County -
In Sheboygan anglers fishing on the piers have been catching a few chinooks, rainbows, and browns. Both green & silver spoons and alewives have been producing. Sheboygan trollers have been taking mostly chinooks along with a few coho and rainbows, and fish have been found in front of the harbor as well as in 100 to 125 feet of water.
Ozaukee County -
Pier anglers in Port Washington have been catching a few browns and rainbows on alewives and spoons, and shore anglers near the power plant have been taking browns and chinooks on spawn. Trollers out of Port have reported chinooks, coho, and browns taken 30 to 40 feet down in 80 to 100 feet of water. Green or orange spoons have produced fish, as well as glow-in-the-dark J-plugs.
Milwaukee County -
In Milwaukee McKinley pier and the shoreline behind the Summerfest grounds have produced some chinooks and browns, and most fish have been taken on spoons. Shore anglers in South Shore Park have been catching decent numbers of perch on minnows and crab tails. Trollers out of Milwaukee have been catching chinooks, coho, rainbows, and browns 20 to 40 feet down in 40 to 70 feet of water; and browns have also been taken by boaters in the harbor and around the gaps.
Racine County -
Shore fishing off the Racine piers has been relatively slow, but in the harbor browns have been hitting silver spoons fished high in the water column. Trollers out of Racine have been finding chinooks in front of the harbor, as well as chinooks, rainbows, and browns east of the reef marker in 60 to 80 feet of water. Glow-in-the-dark or green spoons and pearl J-plugs have been producing.
Kenosha County -
In Kenosha shore fishing in the harbor for browns has been hit-or-miss. When the browns are biting, spawn sacs and white tube jigs have been taking the most fish. Chinooks have been taken near the mouth of the Pike River and in upstream locations. Kenosha trollers have also been catching chinooks in shallow water near the mouth of the Pike.
Janesville
DNR fish crews in south central Wisconsin last week and this week sampled Turtle Creek, which runs through downtown Beloit in Rock County. They found a high-quality, warm-water fishery, bringing in some quality smallmouth bass up to 18 inches, along with redhorse, carp suckers and rock bass. Indicators of a healthy fishery were abundant, including gravel chubs, darters and northern hognose suckers. The sampling is part of annual efforts in which fish crews in waders use stream shockers to capture fish so they can be counted, identified by species, and measured before being released. Starting in June and going through August, fish crews rotate through assigned waters to collect fish and assess trends, regulations, habitat, and the potential for fisheries management activities. A slideshow of fish crews in action is available on the Fish Wisconsin Flicker Web site
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fishwisconsin/sets/72157622197754190/show/Crawford County -
The Mississippi River ?spiked? last week at 7.7 feet. During this past week the river has slowly settled down and was at 7.1 feet Monday. The forecast for the Mississippi River is to remain steady. Water clarity is very good. The Wisconsin and Kickapoo Rivers have settled down and are in good shape. The sand bars on the Wisconsin River are in great shape for camping. All trout streams in the area are in good shape with normal flow and water clarity is good. Bluegill action was spotty this week. Even so, some nice-sized bluegill were taken in the shallower portions of wing dams closest to the main channel. The Ambro Slough complex has produced some fish in deeper water snags or weed beds. The most popular bait has been a chunk of night crawler or garden worms. Fishing at Cold Spring continues to be slow. Perch fishing was slow again this week. Walleye and sauger action was fair. Generally the early morning hours and later in the day has been the best for walleye action especially during the weekends when recreational boating traffic is the heaviest. Trolling and casting crank baits or drifting with live bait is the primary method of taking walleyes. Night crawlers and leeches have worked well, but some live bait anglers are switching to minnows. Smallmouth and largemouth bass action remains good. Smallmouth were found on closing dams and wing dams or rock shorelines on the Main Channel. Largemouth bass were found in a variety of habitats to include the ?slop?, weed edges, wing dams, and in the timber. Plastics, spinner baits, and crank baits have worked well. Channel cat action remains good, but flathead action for some is slow. A variety of live baits have produced cats. Move around until active fish are located. Sheepshead are very active. All you need is a chunk of night crawler fished off the bottom. White bass and northern pike action was spotty. Watch for surface feeding white bass and work those areas. Northern pike have been taken near the sewer treatment plant on the Ambro Slough in the Prairie du Chien area. Many popular bass baits have worked well for northerns including spinner baits and plastic top water baits. Trout fishing has been very good. Some of the vegetation is starting to die back along the streams. Many local streams produced some very nice brown and brook trout. The past couple days have been very cool, especially in the evening. Deer flies and wasps are out in large numbers during the day. Mosquitoes are really a problem in the river bottoms while the deer flies are in the wooded areas all day and night, even with the cool weather. The wasp or yellow jackets are very aggressive and can be a disruption to out door activities. Lightning bug numbers are starting to diminish, but still many can be see dark. Stinging nettle and poison ivy still pose a problem for outdoor enthusiasts. Some tree species like elm and sumac are starting to show slight color changes. Otherwise most tree species are still lush green. Many early season grassed have seeded out. Some bird species have started to flock up already. Large flocks of starlings and to a lesser degree red-winged blackbirds are starting to show up. Most of the upland game bird broods, like pheasant, grouse and turkey can fly. Some whitetail deer fawns are beginning to loose their spots. Many archery deer hunter have been actively scouting their hunting grounds and checking trail cameras.
compiled from the WDNR outdoor report and private sources
