Water temperatures have remained in the upper 60s to low 70s on most Northwoods lakes and the pleasant weather has kept many anglers out on lakes and rivers, with fishing been generally good. Musky fishing continues to be a big draw and action has been generally good, with nearly all musky anglers seeing fish and having follows, and numerous catches of mid-size fish have been made. Artificials such as bucktails and top-water baits continue to the favorite lures. Walleye success continues to improve with some decent catches reported from on and around mid-depth structure and gravel bars.
With the lack of rainfall, Great Lakes tributaries continue to run very low and the mild weather has kept surface water temperatures relatively high. This has continued to delay any major fall trout and salmon runs. The sunny, warm weather and light winds have allowed for a large variety of boats to troll the Lake Michigan shoreline, with some boaters targeting chinook salmon in 25 to 35 feet of water, but others finding more salmon out farther this week due to warmer water. Perch and smallmouth bass action both continued to be good this week along the shores of Green Bay.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) -
With the continued pleasant and mild weather of the past week, fishing success has been generally good on most waters across the Northwoods. Water temperatures have remained in the upper 60s to low 70s and this has maintained some consistent feeding activity for most species. Musky fishing has been drawing quite a bit of attention and action has been generally good. Nearly all musky anglers are seeing fish and having follows, and numerous catches of mid-size fish have been made. The most successful baits continue to be artificials, with bucktails, top-water baits, and soft-bodies lures being the favorites of late. A few anglers have been trying suckers, but the warmer water makes it hard to keep the bait alive. However, look for the sucker bite to improve as water temperatures cool down into the 50s. Sturgeon season is into its second week and many anglers were having mediocre success catching these ancient fish. The local rivers have been most popular, with quite a few small fish being caught and just a few 60-inch-plus legal-size fish being reported. Cut bait and gobs of night crawlers, fished in the deep holes or river bends, have shown the best success. Bass fishing has started to become erratic on local waters, but some excellent action has been experienced on a couple of days. Largemouth have been a bit more consistent than smallmouth, with the larger lakes and flowages providing some decent action around mid-depth weeds and structure in 5 to 10 feet of water. Soft plastics such as 7-inch worms, craws and tube baits have been the more successful lures, especially when fished slowly along the weeds tops and weed lines. Smallmouth fishing has been an on-again, off-again experience - with some good days of fishing mixed in with some poor days. The most consistent action for smallmouth has been near mid-depth woody cover, near sharper drop-offs to deep water. Small finesse plastics have been the best bait. Northern pike fishing has been fair and casting spinner baits in or near any weeds has provided some good action. Walleye success continues to improve with some decent catches reported from on and around mid-depth structure and gravel bars. Small jigs tipped with leaches, crawlers or minnows have all provided some fair action. Panfish success has been generally good, with some nice perch, crappie, and bluegill showing up along the deeper weed edges.
Woodruff
Walleye reports are good with some very nice catches being taken on minnows. Musky action is picking up as they begin the fall feed. Bluegills and crappies continue to whip about in the water and are always nice catches, especially for the kids.
Marinette County -
Peshtigo Harbor smallmouth bass have been biting on spinner baits and plastics, with fish found close to structure. Some perch and catfish were being caught at the harbor on leaf worms and crawlers. The walleye bite in the Menominee River has been consistent even with the warm temperatures. Early morning and evenings were best times to fish; trolling and jigging have both been working well. The trout and salmon bite remains slow but with the coming weather changes, things should pick up. No sturgeon have been registered during the Hook and Line season on the Menominee River although quite a few have been caught and released.
Oconto County -
Water temperatures at the landings are in the low 70s with good water clarity. The weather has been great which has kept the landings full and the fish for the most part have been actively feeding. Perch are the main story on the bay this week. From the landing at Pensaukee to Oconto Park II most anglers were reporting nice catches of fish in 7 to 14 feet of water using minnows with crappie rigs or slip bobbering. Stiles Dam continues to produce nice catches of bluegills free floating leaf worms or crawlers.
Manitowoc County -
This past week anglers in the Two Rivers and Manitowoc area had a fair week of fishing. The weather was sunny and warm with light winds that allowed for a large variety of boats to troll the Lake Michigan shoreline. Some boaters targeting chinook salmon were trolling around the piers and along the adjacent shoreline in 25 to 35 feet of water. Some good catches this past week came near sunrise using glow in the dark spoons or brightly colored J-plugs. Other boaters voyaged out to 200 to 300 feet of water targeting younger chinook salmon. These anglers had some success, but fishing was slow. On the West Twin River, chinook anglers had fair success this past week. By late in the week, a couple of anglers were able to land a few chinook salmon by Shoto Dam but fish were scarce. In the Manitowoc harbor anglers were landing a few chinook salmon this week. Anglers were fishing from the mouth of the Manitowoc River up to and around the first bridge. Most anglers were casting spoons or crank baits while others were using spawn with a bobber. On the piers, anglers had slow fishing. Although fishing was slow at times, the chinook salmon that were harvested were large in size. Anglers that had the most success were casting spoons. Smallmouth bass anglers had a good week fishing around the north pier and along the break water of the marina. Bass anglers were using tube-jigs, spinners, crank baits, and worms on a bobber.
Kewaunee County -
Weather this past week continued to have above average temperatures with lots of sun and no rain. Winds were calm out of the south and the east for most 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 Ahnapee and Kewaunee rivers. Anglers have been reporting some success casting spoons for trout and salmon off of the piers in Algoma and Kewaunee. Most of the fish were being caught at sunrise and sunset, as well as in the middle of the night. Anglers that have been going out on the lake had a tough week of fishing this week. Kings accounted for most of the catch this week, but a few steelheads were also caught as well. Anglers are finding more salmon out farther this week due to warmer water. Water temperatures have risen on the surface this week to the upper 60s and even 70 degrees by the end of the weekend. Most fish are being caught in water depths between 75 and 125 feet with most anglers fishing over water that is in the 125 to 200 feet range. Some anglers have been going out to even deeper water up to 500 feet to try to locate fish, but not many fish were caught this last week. Anglers have been using a combination of J-plugs, spoons, dipsies, flashers, and flies in various color patterns.
Lake Michigan fisheries team report
Sheboygan County -
In Sheboygan anglers fishing on the piers have been catching a few chinooks and rainbows in the late night and early morning hours. Blue or silver spoons have been producing the most. Sheboygan trollers have been taking mostly chinooks along with a few coho and rainbows, and most fish have been found in 100 to 150 feet of water. Water levels are low on the Sheboygan and Pigeon rivers, and there has been no sign of fish movement upriver.
Ozaukee County -
Shore fishing in Port Washington has been slow, but trollers out of Port have reported mostly chinooks and coho taken 100 feet down in 125 to 160 feet of water. Green or orange spoons have produced fish, as well as glow-in-the-dark J-plugs.
Milwaukee County -
In Milwaukee near-shore waters are warm, and shore fishing has been slow. Trollers out of Milwaukee have been catching a few chinooks, coho, and lake trout 60 to 80 feet down in 100 to 160 feet of water; and a few browns have also been taken by boaters in the harbor and around the gaps. Fishing on the Milwaukee and Menomonee rivers and Oak Creek has been slow, and water levels are low in all area tributaries.
Racine County -
Shore anglers fishing off the Racine piers and shoreline have been catching a few chinooks. Most fish have been taken before dawn on spoons. Trollers out of Racine have been finding mature chinooks and a few coho in front of the harbor, and J-plugs and crank baits have produced the most fish. Trollers working offshore have been taking chinooks and lake trout in 100 to 140 feet of water as well as chinooks and rainbows in 275 to 325 feet of water. Cracked ice spoons or flasher & fly combinations have taken the most fish. Water levels on the Root River are very low, and there have been no signs of fish in upstream stretches.
Kenosha County -
In Kenosha shore fishing and trolling have both been generally slow. A few browns and coho have been taken in the harbor on spawn sacs and white tube jigs. A few chinooks have been caught on by trollers off the mouth of the Pike River.
information compiled from the WDNR outdoor report and private sources
