Wisconsin Statewide fishing report 4.24.10The unseasonably warm spring weather made for a very early and quick ice-out on all lakes across northern Wisconsin, with most breaking up during the first few days of April. Normally there is a gradual warm-up with the snow and ice slowly melting off of the lakes. With the early ice-out conditions and warm weather, northern pike and walleye have been done spawning for over a week, and musky are already on the downside of their spawning period. The warming water has brought many panfish and some bass into the shallows. Crappies have been showing up on the edges of the shallow bays and many males have even been sporting the darker coloration in anticipation of spawning when the temperatures reach the upper 50s. If warmer weather in the next few days pushes water temperatures to the upper 50s, it's possible that smallmouth bass and crappie may begin their spring nesting period -- which is almost unheard of for the late-April period in the Northwoods.
Strong south and northwest winds last week created waves 1 to 3 feet high on Lake Michigan and the lack of precipitation dropped water levels on tributaries. The sucker and steelhead runs on tributaries have slowed, but both were still being reported. On the Little Manitowoc River late arriving steelhead with great color were taken near the mouth of the river by floating spawn or orange yarn. It was a big weekend for many anglers fishing in the Lake Michigan and Green Bay waters brown trout tournament. A 20-pound brown trout took the tourney title, with many fish close behind in the high teens.
In the southeast, steelhead fishing has also tapered off on tributaries, but fishing off piers has been improving, with fair numbers of brown trout taken. Trollers working shallow water have been taking decent numbers of browns, along with a few lake trout, rainbows, and chinook. In Kenosha, trollers have started catching coho. Look for coho to start moving farther north as the spring progresses.
Water levels have been dropping on the Mississippi River after it crested around the 15 foot mark two weeks ago. Little to no rainfall has allowed the river to settle down to the 9.78 foot mark this week at Prairie du Chien. Now that the water levels have dropped fishing activity is picking up. Anglers have reported some crappie and bluegill action. Walleye and sauger action was also pretty good this week.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) -
The unseasonably warm spring weather made for a very early and quick ice-out on all lakes across northern Wisconsin (most broke up during the first few days of April). Normally there is a gradual warm-up with the snow and ice slowly melting off of the lakes. This usually results in the smaller lakes becoming ice-free first and ice-out graduating up to the larger lakes over a period of one to two weeks time. However, the warm weather of this spring caused most lakes to become ice free over the course of about three days in early April. This has made for some busy and hectic schedules for most of the DNR fish survey crews as they frantically worked to assess the early spawning species such as northern pike, walleye and musky. With the early ice-out conditions and warm weather, northern pike and walleye have been done with their spring spawning ritual for over a week, and musky are already on the downside of their spawning period (except for the larger lakes which are slower to warm up). Yellow perch are also an early spawning species and they are also completing their spawning at this time. The warming water temperatures have also brought many panfish and some bass into the shallows. Black crappie have been showing up on the edges of the shallow bays and many males have even been sporting the darker coloration in anticipation of spawning when the temperatures reach the upper 50s. Currently, water temperatures have been holding in the low to mid-50s on most lakes and this is providing for a bit of an extended spawning season for the musky. If warmer weather in the next few days pushes water temperatures to the upper 50s, it's possible that smallmouth bass and crappie may begin their spring nesting period - which is almost unheard of for the late-April period in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.
Marinette County -
In the Peshtigo Harbor area from the mouth up stream walleye are being caught on jig and minnow as well as zip lures, drifting slowly and vertical jigging. The Menominee River and the surrounding bay area is also producing some nice walleye trolling crawler/harness, and stick baits on the bay, and vertical jigging in the river mouth.
Oconto County -
Suckers up by the Stiles Dam are still the most numerous fish in the river although their numbers are declining. Pensaukee River, Oconto Breakwater Park, and Oconto Park II have all been producing northern pike, walleye and trout, with anglers trolling in 4 to 8 feet of water with crawler/harness and stick baits
Green Bay
Brown County -
Anglers have been catching a few walleye up by the dam at night. The best luck has been on crank baits fished in the shallow water. Anglers are also having some success in the main river channel as well but most fish are hard fought. Also some shore anglers and boat anglers are finding good success on channel catfish and drum. Anglers have also reported catching some white bass. Anglers trolling the Lower Bay for walleye have reported that fishing has been slow with more northern pike then walleye being caught.
Manitowoc County -
Strong south and northwest winds combined with cool temperatures dominated last week's weather. The winds created waves 1-3 feet high on Lake Michigan and the lack of precipitation dropped water levels 4 inches in area rivers by the end of the week. Fishing pressure became relatively low throughout the week on the East and West Twin Rivers, the piers and Lake Michigan due to cold temperatures, strong winds, and little angling success. Anglers fishing for steelhead on the East Twin had little success this past week. The sucker and steelhead run slowed by the weekend, but both are still present in quantities worthy of a fishing trip. Use night crawlers to catch several suckers near the Mishicot dam or spawn sacs for steelhead. West Twin River steelhead fishing slowed down as water levels dropped as the water temperature rose from 46F to 54F. Anglers had the greatest success early in the week using flies or an orange jig head/tail. A few anglers tried their luck catfishing, but the fishing was fairly slow. Manitowoc River fishing was relatively quiet this week due to high, murky, fast flowing waters. A few anglers ventured out for catfish, landing a few small fish. Anglers used a variety of bait from night crawlers to even spawn sacs on bottom. The water temperature at 56F. A few fly fishers on the Branch River, near the golf course landed nearly a half dozen steelhead during the week. Orange and brown or black flies received the most action. The Branch river had very good water clarity with water temperatures at 52F. On the Little Manitowoc River late arriving steelhead with great color were taken near the mouth of the river by floating spawn or orange yarn. Silver Creek water levels have dropped and so have the amount of steelhead and suckers swimming in the creek. A few anglers have been observed but there has been very little fishing pressure. Winds calmed long enough during the early morning hours to get some good fishing in at the Two Rivers and Manitowoc harbor and piers. Using orange casting spoons, a small number of brown trout were landed. A few catfish have been taken on spawn while brown trout fishing. Anglers fishing on Lake Michigan in 7 to 13 feet of water south of the Manitowoc Harbor were landing brown trout this week. Spoons with any white combination on the dypsies are hot, with crank baits and high lines relatively slow.
Door County ?
There were high winds and rough conditions throughout the last week; however, anglers were not deterred from angling. The week started with strong winds from the east but switched to strong winds from the west for the weekend brown trout fishing tournament. The unique shape of Door County allowed for fishing on whichever side of the peninsula that was more protected. It was a big weekend for many anglers fishing in the Lake Michigan and Green Bay waters brown trout tournament. Pressure definitely increased over the weekend with most anglers having success on both the bay and the lake. A 20-pound brown trout took the tourney title, with many fish close behind in the high teens. Overall anglers reported good numbers of fish taken in the single digit pound range, mostly using stick baits and spoons. Heavy winds were cause for some turbid waters, a factor that benefited the fishing. Walleye spawn should be right around the corner. Fish were still being reported with consistency off the train bridge in Sturgeon Bay, and along the shorelines moving west towards Potawatomi State Park and Green Bay. Many northern pike have been seen in the local marinas looking to begin their spawn too. One angler reported a 25 lb northern pike taken while fishing for brown?s out of Fish Creek during the weekend, a very nice catch. Stream fishing has been picking up a little with some steelhead being taken out of Heins and Whitefish Bay creeks. Many anglers reported seeing a good number of steelhead; however, the fish are very skittish and spook easily. Spawn sacks have been the popular choice for results.
Rock Island State Park -
All trails open and in good condition. Campsites are open and the water is turned on. At this time of the year the only way to access Rock Island is by private boat. Fishing has been poor. Spring flowers are just starting to bloom
Kewaunee County -
High winds for the majority of the week limited the amount of fishing pressure on Lake Michigan from boats. The higher temperatures have also raised the water temperatures in the streams to an average of 49 degrees. The Algoma ramp started to see an increase in use toward the end of the week when the winds began to calm down. The fishing itself seems to be very hit and miss for brown and lake trout. The majority of the fish have been caught on spoons this week. The Algoma pier has seen moderate pressure with very few fish to show for it. The northern pier has seen a few catfish pulled in with the use of sucker chunks. All of the surrounding streams in Algoma have seen diminished fishing pressure due to few fish being caught and the warmer temperatures in the water. The most active streams are still Stony Creek and just below the Forrestville dam. The Kewaunee ramp is also seeing increased use as reports of brown and lake trout being caught begin to come in. As with Algoma, the streams in the area have seen decreased fishing pressure as fewer rainbow trout are being caught. The majority of the fish being caught have been near Footbridge and behind the Brummer Zoo on spawn sacs.
Lake Michigan fisheries team report
Sheboygan County -
In Sheboygan, steelhead fishing has tapered off on both the Pigeon and Sheboygan rivers, although some northern pike have been caught in the Sheboygan near the Kohler dam. Fishing off the piers has been improving, with fair numbers of browns taken off the lake side of the south pier. Minnows have produced the most fish. Sheboygan trollers working shallow water have been taking decent numbers of browns, along with a few lake trout, rainbows, and chinooks. A variety of baits have been productive, including spoons, plugs, and stick baits.
Ozaukee County -
Fishing effort in Port Washington was relatively light this past week. Shore anglers near the power plant discharge have been catching mostly suckers, but a few browns have been reported off the pier. Minnows fished on the harbor side of the pier have produced the most. Fishing on Sauk Creek has been slow.
Milwaukee County -
In Milwaukee anglers fishing the Milwaukee River along the wall under the Hoan bridge have been catching a few browns on spawn and shiners, but overall fishing has been slow. In the Milwaukee River anglers have been catching a few steelhead on yarn flies at Kletzsch Park, but numbers of fish have dropped here in the past week. Steelhead fishing on Oak Creek and the Menomonee River has been slow. Boaters working in and around the gaps in the Milwaukee harbor continue to catch browns and lake trout. Both jigging and trolling small crank baits have been effective.
Racine County -
In Racine the Root River is still holding steelhead. Fish were processed at the Root River Steelhead Facility on Wednesday, April 14, and the facility has been shut down. A total of 363 steelhead were passed upstream this season. Most of the steelhead left in the river have been actively spawning on gravel beds with good current flow. There have been a few fish holding in the deeper pools as well, and most of these fish have completed spawning. Flies have been best when fishing for spawning fish, and small natural flies as well as egg imitators have been working best. For the fish holding in the deeper areas, spinners and drifted spawn have been producing a few fish. Sucker numbers are also beginning to drop slowly.
Kenosha County -
In Kenosha, trollers have started catching coho. Look for coho to start moving farther north as the spring progresses. In the Kenosha harbor steelhead and brown trout fishing has been slow, but anglers have been catching a few crappies on small fatheads near the boat launch. Steelhead fishing on the Pike River has been slow.
Crawford County -
For the past two weeks the water level on the Mississippi River has been dropping rapidly. Two weeks ago the Mississippi River crested out around the 15 foot mark. Little to no rainfall has allowed the river to settle down to the 9.78 foot mark. The forecast is for it to continue is gradual fall throughout the upcoming week. The boat landings along the Mississippi River and its back waters are open and in good shape. The Kickapoo and Wisconsin Rivers are in good shape for this time of year. The Kickapoo River in Steuben is at 7 feet while the Wisconsin River at Muscoda is at 1.86 feet. Now that the water levels have dropped fishing activity is picking up. Anglers are trying some panfishing the lower bottoms south of Prairie du Chien. Some crappie and bluegill action has been reported. Anglers fishing in the Ambro Slough Complex have taken some perch, crappie and a few bluegills. Crappies have been caught using small minnows. Overall action has been spotty. The Cold Spring area remains very slow. Most anglers are venturing under the train bridge to the Mississippi River where small mouth bass and walleyes are being taken. Walleye and sauger action was pretty good this week, however windy conditions were a problem. The Lynxville dam area was producing some walleye and sauger along with a few perch and northern pike. Some anglers are targeting wing dams now that the walleyes are done spawning. Walleye tactics include dead lining, drifting with jig and minnow, trolling crank baits, or anchoring above a wing dam and working live or artificial baits. Another place to check for walleyes is the ?S? curve by Harpers Ferry. Walleye activity has been decent there. Anglers fishing at the mouth of the Wisconsin River have had some success.
Minocqua Area Fishing Report 4.21.10
http://wisconsinoutdoor.com/smf/index.php?topic=3675.0 Chippewa Flowage fishing report 4.16.10
http://wisconsinoutdoor.com/smf/index.php?topic=3671.0Information compiled from the WDNR outdoor report and private sources
