Wisconsin Statewide fishing report 6.5.10Very nice summer-like weather brought out many people over the Memorial Day weekend, and improved conditions for fishing. Water temperatures climbed into the low 70s on northern lakes. Crappie, largemouth and smallmouth bass have pretty much completed spawning; while bluegill, pumpkinseed and rock bass are still on nests. With the northern zone musky opener last weekend, musky anglers were out in good numbers but reported only mediocre action. Walleye fishing showed a little more consistency. Panfish action has been generally good, with bluegill providing most of the success.
Some early fish kills are being reported in northwestern and north central Wisconsin lakes due to outbreaks of a bacteria called Columnaris, which is known to only infect fish and is not a health risk to humans. The bacteria is most prevalent after water temperatures reach 65 to 70 degrees from late May to late June. Bluegill, crappies, and yellow perch and are most affected by the disease. Although Columnaris can appear to produce large scale fish losses in a matter of several days, it usually does not have a catastrophic impact on overall fish populations. People who suspect Columnaris outbreaks should report them to local DNR offices.
Along Green Bay and Lake Michigan, the nice weather brought out very heavy boat traffic on the bay and lake last weekend. Calm winds created good water clarity and water temperatures were in the mid-50s on Lake Michigan and in the mid-60s in harbors. Anglers were been finding good success for walleye and smallmouth bass and also reported decent numbers of musky. Trollers been catching a mixed bag of chinook, coho, rainbow, and lake trout. Shore fishing has been generally slow at most ports.
The Mississippi River has continued dropping and was down to 7.7 feet at Prairie du Chien. The Wisconsin River has been up and down a bit during the past week. Fishing activity has been pretty good, with anglers finding decent bluegill action in backwaters and walleye and sauger action was good especially near wing dams along the main channel. Trout anglers were finding Coulee region streams in good shape and action has been good.
June 5 there will be a family fun day at the Bois Brule Fish Hatchery and Bois Brule Canoe Landing. There will be catch and release fishing, fly tying and fish filleting demonstrations, gyotaku (fish printing) on t-shirts (bring your t-shirt or purchase one for $5), hatchery tours, canoe trips, turkey calling demonstrations turkey tail mounting demonstrations, and much more. Register at the Hatchery for raffle prizes and gift bags for children. The activities will take place at the hatchery and the Bois Brule Canoe Landing. For more information or to volunteer call 372-5678 or 372-4820. This coincides with Free Fishing Weekend Saturday and Sunday June 5-6, during with all the waters of the state are open, including state waters of the Great Lakes and rivers bordering Wisconsin for residents and nonresidents of all ages to fish without a fishing license (or trout or salmon stamps). Aall other fishing regulations (length limits, bag limits, etc.)
Hayward Some early fish kills are being reported on the Chetek Chain of lakes in northwestern Wisconsin due to outbreaks of a bacteria called Columnaris, which is known to only infect fish species and is not a health risk to humans. The bacteria is most prevalent in lakes after water temperatures reach 65-70 degrees from late May to late June. Bluegill, crappies, yellow perch and bullheads, already stressed from seasonal spawning activities, are most affected by the disease. Although Columnaris can appear to produce large scale fish losses in a matter of several days, it usually does not have a catastrophic impact on overall fish populations. People who suspect Columnaris outbreaks should report them to local fisheries managers.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - More summer-like weather in the last week made for improved fishing across many lakes in the Northwoods. Water temperatures have climbed into the low 70s on most lakes and this has spurred on quite a bit of fish activity. Crappie, largemouth and smallmouth bass have all pretty much completed their spring spawning rituals; while bluegill, pumpkinseed and rock bass are still in the midst of their nesting periods. With the northern zone musky opener over the Memorial Day weekend, musky fishing was the highlight of this past week. However, anglers reported only mediocre action, with many sightings and follows and a relatively low number of hook-ups. Jerk baits such as Suicks seemed to produce the most activity and medium bucktails also got some interest. With the stable weather, walleye fishing showed a little more consistency in the last few days and anglers were making some good catches of fish in the 14 to 18 inch size. The best success has been on leeches and crawlers - either on a slip bobber, a small lead-head jig or on a bare hook/split shot rig; and fished around structure in 8 to 12 feet of water. The mayfly hatch has just begun on many Northwoods lakes, so walleye action may get a little more erratic once the hatches get into full swing on these lakes. A few nicer walleye have also been caught on stick baits cast in the shallows in the hour before dark. With the spawning season completed for most largemouth and smallmouth bass, their feeding activity should greatly increase with the warming water temperatures. Male smallmouth may still be seen guarding nests and schools of their fry, but most other smallies have retreated to deeper water. After a short recovery period following the rigors of spawning, they will soon start their summer feeding binge and begin to relate to shallow and mid-depth structure. Largemouth bass also seem to be in their post-spawn recovery period, but some decent fish have been found cruising the shallow and mid-depth weed beds. The largemouth haven't been relating to woody structure too much yet, but lily pad beds have produced some good action on top-water and soft-plastic baits. Panfish action has been generally good, with bluegill providing most of the success in the last week. Anglers just need to find an active spawning colony, where a bobber and a piece of nightcrawler can provide some fast and furious action. Catches of crappie have been a bit tougher to come by and it seems that the quick warm-up after their spawning period has put a lot of stress on many crappie populations. As such, there have been many reports of fish kills coming in and most have been for dead/dying crappie, bluegill and pumpkinseed in these waters. The culprit is usually Columnaris disease and this is a common occurrence at this time of year on many panfish waters. While hundreds of dead panfish may be observed, anglers and lake users should not be overly alarmed and just report the fish kills to a local DNR office.
Peshtigo Hot and humid were the call words for this past week driving up the water temperatures at the landings to near 80 degrees. Although fishing pressure was light to moderate, the number of pleasure boaters increased.
Marinette County - Peshtigo harbor anglers were catching some big cats, smallmouth bass and sheepshead at the mouth of the river fishing dead stick with crawlers or casting small cranks and spinners around drops and structure. The smallmouth bite by the Peshtigo Dam area is in full swing with everything from live bait drifted in the current seams to streamers and crank baits. One fisherman reported success for walleye out of the landing at Little River. Walleye anglers on the Menominee River were catching fish by the Hattie Street, Mystery Ship and Government Pier areas early morning and evenings. There are reports of a few salmon and splake being caught in the bay in 50 feet of water fishing 40 feet down in the predawn hours.
Oconto County - Smallmouth bass and brown trout were hitting in the Stiles Dam area with the smallmouth actively engaging small crank baits and the browns reacting well to nymphs. Pensaukee anglers were enjoying the walleye bite by fishing 9 to 15 feet using crawler/harness, some smallmouth and largemouth bass were being caught in the Pensaukee River using crank and spinner baits. Carp and smallmouth were putting on a good show at the mouth of the Oconto River. Some carp are over 20 pounds and put up a terrific fight. Walleye, northern, catfish and sheepshead were being caught by anglers trolling the bay out of Oconto Breakwater and Oconto Park II with crawler/harness in 9 to 22 feet of water.
Brown County - Fox River shore anglers have been landing drum and catfish off Voyageur Park. Anglers have also been finding success on smallmouth bass as well. Those fishing from boats have been finding some luck with jigging for walleye. Also white bass have been biting well, with most anglers using jigs or spinners to catch them. Anglers have also reported catching decant numbers of musky. Anglers have been trolling crawler harnesses and crank baits to find walleyes on lower Green Bay. Anglers have been finding good success out of Suamico and Geano Beach. The best bite has been in the mornings.
Manitowoc County -Calm winds picked up at times out of the southeast at 5-10 mph with perfect temperatures ranging between the mid-60 to mid-70s. Heavy fog continued on Monday but gave way to sunny skies the rest of the week. The lack of rain in the last few weeks and calm winds created good water clarity with water temperatures in the mid-50s on Lake Michigan, with temperatures in the mid-60s in the harbors. Anglers spent several hours on the water with the great weather for the holiday weekend, with an average of three to five fish per boat. Boaters who ventured straight out and north of Manitowoc had success landing rainbow from a wide range of 150-250 feet using a variety of spoons on surface lines. Orange, green, blue/silver, and watermelon spoons had the most success. More chinook salmon were taken from 80-150 feet with a few taken out deep at the above depths. These 11-14 pound salmon weren?t picky, coming on high lines, downriggers, and on the dypsy both on spoons and dodger fly combos. A green dodger with a green or mirage fly and blue dodger with blue fly worked throughout the water column on the downriggers or dypsies. Working straight out of Two Rivers and north to the lighthouse saw the same action over the weekend. North of the trap nets, boaters had success as shallow as 60 feet. Outside the trap nets, 140-200 feet was the hot location for rainbows and chinook salmon, with some boaters having success as far out as 300 feet. The same colored spoons and dodgers listed above also worked out of Two Rivers. Many boaters had a few lake trout and coho salmon mixed in while fishing for chinook and rainbow trout out of both ports. Manitowoc pier anglers had some success landing a few rainbows over the weekend on both piers. Silver and orange or gold and orange champs and cleos are reported to be the bait of choice.
Door County - Beautiful weather and warm temperatures this week may be an indication that the dog days of summer are approaching. Temperatures reached into the 80s this week and winds stayed relatively calm allowing for great fishing conditions. The lake side of the county provided some relief to the warm weather with slightly cooler temperatures than the bay side, but county wide there was generally great weather. Salmon, steelhead, and lake trout fishing has remained productive for this time of year. Nice catches have been reported off the bank reef out of Sturgeon Bay, as well as some good numbers starting to come from Baileys Harbor. Working flasher and fly combinations down deep has produced some nice salmon, where as working the upper 60 feet of the water column has produced some nice steelhead. Walleye fishing has also remained consistent both in Sturgeon Bay and toward the tip of the county on the Green Bay side. Most anglers have had success using crawler harnesses, however some fish are still being caught with crank baits and stick baits. Areas like Fish Creek, Sister Bay, and out toward the Strawberry Islands have been some lucrative areas recently. Smallmouth bass remain on their beds as they will likely do for some while. Fishing in 2-10 feet of water with plastics has been the popular choice for anglers. Fishing has been pretty heavy along the bay side in Fish Creek and Ephraim, but fish can still being caught on the lake side in some of the northern bays. Some anglers have reported substantial rock bass fishing too, an interesting idea for anglers to try. Northern pike fishing has been slow, but working the weed edges with stick baits, in-line spinners, and spoons would likely be the best bet. Musky anglers hit the water after the season opened on Saturday May 29. There have been reports of fish being seen along the weed beds and in the shallows along the shorelines towards the Sturgeon Bay shipping canal, but no takers. Heavy boat traffic in the bay during the Memorial Day weekend may also have had a factor causing skittish fish. There have been minimal reports in regards to perch fishing in the bay, but hopefully it will begin picking up in the next few weeks. Sturgeon Bay anglers have been fishing for smallmouth and walleye off the state park with some good catches of walleye reported. Most anglers have been trolling for walleye in 10 feet of water. Little Sturgeon Bay bass fishing continues to be good on the bay, when the weather permits. Anglers have been finding good numbers of walleyes in 15-25 feet of water off Henderson?s point. Most have been trolling crawler harness. Walleye anglers have been catching a few perch as well on harnesses.
Kewaunee County - The week started off a little rocky with dense fog in both Kewaunee and Algoma areas but gave way to sunny conditions for the rest of the week. The average temperature for the area was in the upper 60s to lower 70s with very few clouds in the sky. The Memorial Day weekend weather couldn?t have been better for vacationers with mostly sunny days and an average temperature in the low 70s. The combination of low winds and sunny skies helped keep the water crystal clear. Anglers have been very successful fishing out of Kewaunee for trout and salmon this week. As the week began the majority of the fish were taken in waters ranging from 180 to 250 feet but as the week passed, more fish were being caught in depths of 90-130 feet. Similarly to Algoma the majority of the steelheads were caught within 20 feet of the surface. The main lures being used to target the fish have been either green or blue spoons. A few boats have been successful with green flasher/flies. Boats are bringing in about an average of 2-3 fish with some of the boats being more successful and hauling in 6-7 fish. The Kewaunee pier has seen an increase in anglers this week with a few steelheads being caught out by the lighthouse on green or blue spoons. The action on the south pier in Algoma is starting to pick up with a few steelheads being caught by anglers using green or purple spoons. There is lots of baitfish along the rocks of the pier and an occasional steelhead can be seen swimming in the area. There was an increase in fishing pressure as the week grew on into the Memorial Day weekend. The majority of anglers were catching three to four fish out on the water. The catch seemed to be a mixed bag with combinations of steelhead, chinook, and lake trout being the most abundant catches. The majority of the fish caught were in depths of 400-450 feet of water with some anglers catching them around 130-160 range. The steelhead caught were most commonly found only 8-15 feet below the surface and the salmon averaged to be around 90-140 feet down. The most successful lures being used were spoons that were green with silver and a little bit of black on the lure. Some fish were being caught of purple spoons as well.
Wild Rose Fish Hatchery - Beginning the week of June 7, the hatchery will be open to visitors from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, except open on summer holidays including July 4th and Labor Day. Guided public tours for walk-in visitors are at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Please call ahead to schedule Group Tours for 10-30 people. Phone: (920) 622-3527, Ext. 209 The hatchery is located at N5871 State Road 22, on the West side of Hwy 22, just 1/2 mile north of Wild Rose.
Lake Michigan fisheries team report
Sheboygan County - In Sheboygan trollers have been catching a mixed bag of chinook, coho, rainbow, and lake trout. The fish have been caught between 100 to 200 feet of water, from the surface to 70 feet down with flashers and flies or spoons on planer boards, dipsy divers and downriggers. Green has been the most commonly reported color. Shore fishing in Sheboygan has been relatively slow.
Ozaukee County - Trollers in Port Washington have found a mixed bag of fish between 90 to 125 feet of water, from 15 to 90 feet down. Decent numbers of chinook, coho, rainbow, and a few lake trout have been hitting flashers and flies or spoons. Shore fishing in Port Washington has been generally slow, but a few browns have been caught on spoons fished near the power plant.
Milwaukee County - In Milwaukee trollers have been catching decent numbers of coho and chinook, along with a few rainbows and lake trout. Orange dodgers coupled with blue or blue & green flies have taken the majority of fish. The most consistent depths have been 75 to 150 feet of water. Overall, Milwaukee shore fishing remains slow but some coho and brown trout have been taken off McKinley pier. Alewives fished on the bottom have produced the most.
Racine County - In Racine trollers have been catching good numbers of coho near shore, just off the piers and inside the green can. Small orange dodgers and white flies have taken the most fish. For shore anglers, both the north and south piers have finally started to produce good numbers of coho. Early mornings have been best, but good catches have been made in the evening hours as well. Silver spoons have taken a few fish, but the majority of action has come using live alewives fished on or near the bottom. Along with the coho, there have also been an occasional brown and rainbow caught as well.
Kenosha County - In Kenosha trollers have been finding fish in a variety of depth ranges. The breakwall areas have been producing early, but have not been consistent throughout the day. Those venturing out deeper to 100 to 150 feet of water or more have been catching good numbers of coho as well as chinook and rainbow. Dodger and fly combinations have been productive, but spoons have been catching a fair number of fish as well. Colors have been all over the place with little consistency; run many colors and let the fish tell you what it is that they want on that particular day. Fishing from shore in Kenosha has been slow, with only a coho or so caught in the early morning hours. In the past week there have been very few anglers even out fishing the harbors.
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 finding pretty decent bluegill action in the backwaters. Look for bluegills in shallow water. Horseshoe Lake, the Upper and Lower Doubles, Big and Little Missouri, and Fish Lake have all been producing bluegills. Most anglers are using a chunk of night crawler for bait. Perch action has been spotty throughout the area. Some are finding decent sized perch in the 10 to 12 inch range. 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. Walleyes have been hitting crank baits and nightcrawlers. Large and small mouth bass have been active throughout the area. Some angler have been looking for crappies in the snags in backwater sloughs. Crappie action has been spotty so far.
Cold Spring: The Cold Spring area continues to be slow. There has been some action in the shallows, but there are better spots to try for bluegills. Better fishing exists on the other size (west side) of the railroad tracks on the Mississippi River. Walleye and small mouth and large mouth bass are being taken on live bait and crank baits. 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. Very warm temperatures settled in at the end of the week once again. Outdoor users will still see a large hatch of gnats and a fair amount of mosquitoes. Poison ivy is also out in force so beware. Locally and state wide many wild animals are now tending their young. 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.
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http://wisconsinoutdoor.com/smf/index.phpInformation complied from the WDNR outdoor report and private sources
