Lake Michigan fisheries team report
Sheboygan County -
In Sheboygan trolling has been slow, with most boats working the area in front of the harbor. A few chinook have been taken farther offshore in water out to 175 feet deep. Shore anglers in Sheboygan have been catching fair numbers of chinook, coho, and browns off both the north and south piers. Spoons, alewives, and crank baits have produced.
Ozaukee County -
Trollers in Port Washington have found some chinook, coho, and browns scattered in 30 to 125 feet of water. Fishing has been slow overall, but spoons J-plugs have taken the most fish. Shore anglers in Port Washington have been catching chinook and coho both off the pier and at the power plant. Spawn sacs have produced the most fish near the power plant, and spoons and alewives have been effective off the pier.
Milwaukee County -
In Milwaukee fishing has been relatively slow for trollers. There are some mature salmon in and around the harbor, but they have not been hitting. Trollers out in 150 to 200 feet of water have had some limited success on glow spoons and J-plugs for chinook, coho, and rainbows. Shore fishing has also been slow, although the near-shore waters have now cooled off. The rivers around Milwaukee have shown very little evidence of upstream salmon movement, but 14 to 18 inch smallmouth bass have been hitting twister tails below Estabrook falls.
Racine County -
Fishing effort in Racine has been low, but those venturing out have had some occasional success. Off and on trollers have been catching some chinook in 50 to 60 feet of water, but when the fish are not biting in close, chinook and rainbows have been found in 220 to 240 feet of water. Shore fishing remains relatively slow.
Kenosha County -
In Kenosha trollers have been catching some chinook in 60 to 80 feet of water, but fishing there has been hit-or-miss. Rainbows have been hitting somewhat consistently out deeper, around 250 to 270 feet of water. Shore anglers in Kenosha continue to catch occasional browns in the harbor. Fresh skein has taken the most fish, with white tube jigs also producing some. There have been a few chinook taken on spoons near the mouth of the Pike River as well.
