Wisconsin Statewide fishing report 5.27.10Due to a prolonged drought in northern Wisconsin many lakes and rivers are running very low, but there were some incorrect reports that the Chippewa and Turtle-Flambeau flowages are inaccessible. This is not true and both flowages can be accessed at nearly all landings. However, these and other flowages and lakes are low, and boaters should be alert for rocks and stumps that may be much nearer to the surface than in past years. Also, some smaller seepage lakes and the Rainbow and Willow flowages are extremely low, and access to those waters may be limited.
Some widely fluctuating temperatures and intermittent rain and thunder storms in the last week resulted in inconsistent fishing in the last week. Some unseasonably warm temperatures propelled water temperatures into the upper 60s to low 70-degree range. This spurred on bass and panfish spawning activity, with largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill and pumpkinseed all observed on their spawning beds in the past week. Walleye anglers reported some real erratic action in the last week, as the first hatches of mayflies have been observed on a few lakes across the north.
This northern zone musky season opens this Saturday, and biologists say fishing prospects look excellent. Musky are well past their spring spawning ritual and the fish should be very active with the warming temperatures.
Light winds and calmer conditions provided for better fishing conditions on Green Bay and Lake Michigan than have been seen for quite a while. Water temperatures ranged between 50-52 degrees along the lakeshore, with temps reaching the low 60s in the harbors. Smallmouth bass are on their beds on Green Bay and fishing has been very good. Perch fishing opened on Green Bay Thursday but not much success has been reported yet. Trollers had luck with rainbow trout and chinook and coho salmon in 160 to 250 feet of water. A few whitefish have also been caught.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - Fishing success in the last week was rather inconsistent due to the almost constantly changing weather, with some widely fluctuating temperatures and intermittent rain and thunder storms. Some unseasonably warm temperatures scattered throughout the last week have propelled water temperatures into the upper 60s to low 70-degree range. This has spurred on a slug of bass and panfish spawning activity, with largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill and pumpkinseed all observed on their spawning beds in the past week. This has made for some good angling success with many nice catches of crappie and bluegill being made. Catch and release bass anglers have also been having pretty good action, with smallmouth bass providing the bulk of the success. Largemouth bass are a bit tougher to catch during their nesting period, but a few post-spawn fish are beginning to show up. Anglers are reminded that the catch and release season remains in effect in the Northern Bass zone until June 19. Walleye anglers have reported some real erratic action in the last week, as the first hatches of mayflies have been observed on a few lakes across the north. This usually signals the switch from jig/minnow combinations to the crawlers and leeches as the preferred bait. There have been some reports of fair success, and the best luck has come by casting artificials along shore near dark, with most of the walleye being in the 12 to 16-inch size. This weekend is the musky opener in the Northern Zone and fishing prospects look excellent. Musky are well past their spring spawning ritual and the fish should be very active with the warming temperatures. Abundance is still high on many small waters in the Chequamegon National Forest and anglers looking for action should try Day Lake Flowage, English Lake, and Spider/Moquah Lakes in Ashland County; Ghost Lake, Lower Clam Lake, and Black Lake in Sawyer County; Others waters with good abundances of musky include Butternut Lake, the Phillips Chain, Solberg Lake, and the Pike/Round Chain in Price County.
Peshtigo State and federal fisheries staff released 36,000 brown trout Green Bay this week. The fish were stocked at a larger size and in deeper water than normal. Biologists hope this will boost the fishes? survival by decreasing the chance that natural predators such as birds did not prey on the fish during their release into the water and afterward.
http://dnr.wi.gov/news/BreakingNews_Lookup.asp?id=1710. The fish were raised at the DNR Brule River State Fish Hatchery in northern Wisconsin and transported by DNR crews to Marinette. There they were loaded onto a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service research vessel and stocked in water 50 to 100 feet deep at three off-shore locations between Marinette and Sturgeon Bay. About 12,000 fish were stocked at each of the sites.
Water temperatures at the landings in the low to mid 70s. The weather has turned hot and so has the fishing for some species. Fishing pressure has been light to moderate during the week and heavy on the weekends.
Marinette County - Peshtigo harbor anglers have been bagging some real nice nice catfish along with some huge carp and the occasional sheepshead fishing on bottom with crawlers. Smallmouth bass were also active, being drawn to stick and crank baits. The Menominee River walleye bite is alive and well with most of the best action taking place in the evening. Some musky were being caught on top water baits and large spinners.
Oconto County - Brown trout were still being caught in the Stiles Dam area on bead head nymphs and caddis, smallmouth bass were being caught on small Rap's and crank baits, and the bluegills were biting on slip bobbers and worms/crawlers. Pensaukee landing anglers were catching their share of walleye trolling crawler/harness in 8 to 12 feet of water; sheepshead were also part of this bite. Panfish and bass were being caught in the river proper. Bass were being caught in the Oconto River on crank baits and twister tails, while walleye are being caught in 18 to 22 feet of water off shore. Oconto Park II anglers were catching pike, bullheads, and panfish from shore using slip bobbers and fishing crappies rigs. The walleye bite is also in the deeper water
Green Bay
Manitowoc County - Light winds out of the southeast and temperatures in the high 60s to low 70s throughout the week created excellent fishing conditions. Water temperatures ranged between 50-52 degrees along the lakeshore, with temps reaching the low 60s in the harbors. Fog limited some boaters from fishing over the weekend, and those who made it out had to earn their catch. Anglers put in long hours with limited visibility, with average catch resulting in four to six fish per boat. Boaters who ventured south of Manitowoc had more success landing rainbow trout ranging anywhere from 160 to 250 feet using orange and green spoons on high lines and downriggers. Downriggers were down deep, usually 100-140 feet. A few 12 to 14 pound chinook salmon were mixed in with the rainbows also coming down deep on the downriggers using green flasher/green fly combos. Ranging just north of Manitowoc to the north Two Rivers water tower, chinook salmon were dominant in anglers? coolers along with a few coho salmon. Anglers had success starting outside the trap nets out to 180 feet using green and pearl dodgers with green and white flies down deep on the down riggers. If you aren?t having any luck on down riggers, try different colored dodgers and troll out deeper. The salmon appear to still be scattered due to the cold water temperatures. A few whitefish, up to 5 pounds, have been caught off of the north pier in Manitowoc on shad and smelt gulp on the bottom. If you don?t know the location of the trap nets off of Manitowoc and Two Rivers, Seagull Marina has maps of their location at the boat launch. For those fishing shallow south of Manitowoc, the Manitowoc Marina has forms with GPS coordinates of the large submerged rocks located at their fish cleaning station.
Door County - The nice weather during the Sturgeon Bay Bass Tournament last weekend stuck around for the week allowing anglers to hit the water. Calmer conditions provided for good fishing conditions on the Lake, something that had not been seen for quite a while. Next week looks to continue the trend with some very warm days predicted. Perch fishing opened on Green Bay Thursday. Not much success was had in Sturgeon Bay, however more action was had South towards Chaudoir?s Dock using minnows in about 25 feet of water. Smallmouth bass are on their beds and fishing has been very good. Fish can be found in many of the bays moving North on the West side of the county, and north of Baileys Harbor on the east side in spots like Rowleys Bay. Tube jigs and other plastics have been very productive, along with working crank baits and live bait in anywhere from 3-10 feet of water. Many lunkers have been reported, some fish venturing into the 7-pound range. Walleye have been active during the day throughout Sturgeon Bay and Green Bay around Fish Creek and the Strawberry Islands. Most anglers have had their success on crawlers harnesses; however, stick baits and crank baits have still landed some fish. Northern Pike fishing has slowed somewhat in Sturgeon Bay. Working the weed edges and marinas with spoons, stick baits and spinners have proven to be most productive. Exciting reports of Salmon and Trout have been the talk this week. Although a little early, Salmon and lake trout have been reported off the bank reef in 100-200 feet of water using flies and flashers, and working the 60 foot and above region has produced some nice Steelhead too.
Kewaunee County - The weather in Kewaunee County in the last week has been variable. The beginning of the week started with temperatures in the 50s but as the week grew on, the temperatures climbed into the upper 60s and lower 70s. The winds remained pretty calm for the beginning of the week but picked up Saturday and Sunday. Fog has been a problem in the area from Friday to Sunday with periods of time where visibility became very limited. A large number of rainbow trout and chinook salmon were being brought in off the lake from boats launching from Kewaunee?s city ramp. The fish being caught in the area have been found in depths of 180-260 feet of water. A few anglers were reporting large schools of baitfish at those depths. A few fish have been caught in the 100-140 feet of water but have been much less sporadic. The Kewaunee pier has seen a few anglers trying their luck with little success. The majority of the fish being caught off the pier have been carp with an occasion rainbow trout. The Algoma Pier has seen little to no fishing pressure as of late due to high winds and lack of fish being caught in the shallow waters. The Algoma ramp has seen an increase in use and fishing pressure due to the increasing amount of reports of rainbow trout and chinook salmon are being caught. Some of the boats are returning to the ramp with full limits or close to full limits of fish. The anglers have caught the salmon on fly and flashers combinations. There hasn?t been one specific color working the best but many fish are being caught silver flashers with green flies. Many of the fish being caught are reported in depths ranging from 180-240 feet.
Lake Michigan fisheries team report
Sheboygan County - In Sheboygan trollers have been catching a mixed bag of chinook and coho salmon and rainbow and lake trout from anywhere between 40 and 200 feet of water. The chinook and lake trout have been down as far as 100 feet, and the rainbows and coho have been in the top 25 feet of water. Both spoons and flies have been effective. Shore fishing in Sheboygan has been relatively slow, although a few chinook have been taken off the north pier on green spoons.
Ozaukee County - Trollers in Port Washington have found a mixed bag of fish scattered from 70 to 170 feet of water. Chinooks, coho, rainbows, and lake trout have all been taken from the surface to 70 feet down. Shore anglers in Port Washington have been catching a few browns and rainbows on spawn and night crawlers fished near the power plant.
Milwaukee County - In Milwaukee trollers have been catching decent numbers of chinook and coho, along with a few rainbows and lake trout. Blue peanut flies or spoons fished up to 110 feet down have taken the most fish. Overall, Milwaukee shore fishing remains slow.
Racine County - In Racine trollers fishing offshore continue to catch limits of coho, along with a few chinook and rainbow trout, in water around 200 feet deep. The coho and rainbows have been hitting in the top 50 feet of water, and the chinook have been 80 to 120 feet down. The coho have been hitting orange or white dodgers with green peanut flies, and the chinook have been spoons in green or cracked ice. Boats fishing in close to shore have been catching a few coho, but numbers have been inconsistent. Shore anglers in Racine have been catching an occasional coho or brown trout, but fishing has been generally slow. Good numbers of alewives can be seen off both piers, and water clarity is good.
Kenosha County - In Kenosha trollers fishing in 50 feet of water or less have been catching coho, but not consistently. Fishing has been better in deeper water, but the coho action has slowed somewhat. A fair number of 15-pound chinook have also been taken in the 200 foot range. Dodgers with green or white flies have produced best. Shore fishing in Kenosha remains slow overall, but a few coho have been taken early mornings in the harbor on small silver spoons.
Willow River State Park - Panfish action on the lake has picked up. The water has been quite clear in the lake. The campground is full for the Memorial Day weekend.
Crawford County - Very warm temperatures settled in at the end of the week. Outdoor users will notice a large hatch of gnats. Also, a substantial hatch of mosquitoes is out. Locally and state wide many wild animals are now tending their young. The local river systems have settled down for the most part after a 3 inch rain fall a week and a half ago. The Mississippi River crested last week near the 10 foot mark but is now slowly falling. As of Monday, the Mississippi River stage was 9.38 feet and is expected to fall 6 to 8 more inches by the Memorial Day Holiday weekend. The Kickapoo River in the Gays Mills and Steuben areas rose rapidly after the rains but have settled down. The river stage in Gays Mills was at 7.29 feet while Steuben is at 7.24 feet. The Wisconsin River has been up and down a bit during the past week, but recently started to drop. The river stage at Muscoda was at 1.47 feet. Fishing activity has been spotty to good in most areas. Prairie du Chien Area?s Lower bottoms and Ambro Slough Complex: Now that the water levels have begun to drop panfish action is improving. Anglers have been looking for bluegills in Horseshoe Lake, Garnet Lake, the Upper and Lower Doubles, Big and Little Missouri, and Fish Lake. Success have been spotty, but with warm temperatures action should get better. Most anglers are trying small ice fishing jigs tipped with a worm fished under a bobber. Perch action was reported in Dillman?s pit. Walleye anglers are starting to target the wing dams on the main channel in the Prairie du Chien area. Also look for walleyes on the Roseau Slough. Large and small mouth bass have been active throughout the area. Cold Spring: The Cold Spring area remains very spotty. Most anglers are venturing under the train bridge to the Mississippi River where small mouth and large mouth bass and walleyes are more active. There has been some bluegill, perch, and crappie action in Cold Spring, but generally it?s been very slow. Boat operators are reminded that the Cold Spring area is a slow-no-wake area. Also, Cold Spring (east of the railroad tracks) is considered inland waters. Mississippi River: Walleye and sauger action was pretty good this week. The Lynxville dam area and the McDonald cut were producing some walleye and sauger. Wing dams along the main channel have been pretty good. 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 limited success. Trout anglers are finding that local streams are in good shape. Trout anglers will find insect pests and shoreline vegetation might cause some problems. Even so, trout fishing conditions are very good and action has been good. Turkey hunters ended the sixth and final hunting period with many gobblers still actively searching for hens. Many hens are feeding early then going to nest. The DNR advises that if you come across a baby wild animal to just leave it alone. Pets are problematic for the young animals so control your pets. Whitetail deer have having their fawns now and numerous reports of fawn sightings are coming in. Whitetail mothers are notorious for leaving their fawns unattended for long periods of time. If you locate a fawn don?t pick it up, just move away as the mother will return eventually.
Chippewa Flowage fishing report 5.27.10http://wisconsinoutdoor.com/smf/index.php?topic=3789.0Minocqua Area Fishing Report 5.24.10 http://wisconsinoutdoor.com/smf/index.php?topic=3774.0Wausau Area Fishing Report 5.17.10http://wisconsinoutdoor.com/smf/index.php?topic=3759.0
Lake Michigan Milwaukee Fishing Tips and Reportshttp://www.wisconsinoutdoor.com/lmfishingtips.htmInformation compiled from the WDNR outdoor report and private sources
