Northern Lake Michigan Fishing Report: September 13, 2010
Manitowoc Co.
Watch out for the orange flags and buoys that mark commercial fishing trap nets set in Lake Michigan. Steer clear and give these markers a wide berth to avoid getting tangled and capsizing. Learn where the nets are set on our Trap Net page.
Water temperatures up the Manitowoc, East, and West Twin rivers have dropped under 60 degrees which has brought in the first sight of salmon near the dams. Harbor and near shore temperatures have been inconsistent with the extreme winds and changes in air temperature, with water temps ranging from the upper 40s to upper 50s. Temperatures early in the week were in the upper 50s, but rose to the upper 60s late in the weekend. The cold weather, strong swirling winds, and little angler success slowed angler activity throughout the week. Boats out of both ports have been averaging 2-3 fish per boat. Salmon fishing throughout the past week has been hit and miss. Boats remain in around the pier heads, having success on both J-Plugs and on crank baits. With boats picking up a fish here and there and averaging small amounts of landed fish, no specific colors have been hot. Recently, white plugs and any green crank bait have landed fish. A few boats have wandered out to 80-100 feet with little success. A few 6-8 pound salmon is all that resulted in the trips out to deeper water. Since the beginning of the month, boating activity has slowed significantly. Pier fishing off of Manitowoc and Two Rivers also has been hit and miss this last week. One afternoon along a 30 yard stretch will bring seven or eight fish in an hour. The next morning, one or two will be caught off both piers and throughout the harbor. The salmon appear to be moving up river in schools, resulting in several still silver salmon being landed in the harbors. A few coho salmon and brown trout have been mixed in with the chinooks off the piers and in both harbors. Green crank baits and green champs have worked the best with spawn taking a few fish off the bottom. Salmon have been caught as far up as the hospital on the Manitowoc River and the first couple salmon were caught by the Shoto dam over the weekend. With the fall run starting up, there are several regulations to keep in mind. Hook and line fishing is prohibited from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise in all Manitowoc County tributaries starting September 15 to the first Saturday in May. Starting September 15, you may not use hooks that have a gape size larger than one-half inch from point to shank in tributaries. Also remember that it is illegal to take fish by any means other than hook and line and it is illegal to keep any foul hook fish that was not hooked in the mouth. Keep in mind that if you give away a fish you caught to another fisherman, that fish counts towards your bag limit and the fisherman you gave it to. Good luck and have fun.
Kewaunee Co.
This week was marred by consistent high winds in both Algoma and Kewaunee areas. This did not stop anglers from trying their luck both on the piers and out on the lake. The water temperatures this week ranged from 50-54 degrees at the surface near the shores with the water remaining very murky. Algoma: The fishing on the Algoma pier was very inconsistent this week with a few days very little action to days where the action was hot. Both the north and the south piers have seen very similar results but because of the wind the northern pier has seen more fishing pressure than the southern pier. The majority of the fish being caught have been king salmon or brown trout with the king salmon just starting to change to their darker colors. A few Coho salmon have been caught this week with the majority of the Coho being caught on the northern pier. This week there were no best colors and the best strategy seemed to be casting 20-25 times and then switching to a different color. The only place along the Ahnapee River seeing any fishing pressure is near the Washington Bridge but there is little to no fishing pressure elsewhere. The fishing on the lake continues to remain slow out of Algoma. The majority of the boats are trolling right along the piers and the shores for the Chinook salmon. A few boats continue to have success for rainbow trout out in 300 feet of water on spoons. Kewaunee: The fishing on the Kewaunee pier has been pretty slow this week with a day or two where anglers reported higher success. The majority of the fish being caught down near the lighthouse and are striking on spoons. There has not been one better color but the majority of anglers seem to be using green/silver cleos or green/silver cast masters. The majority of the fish being caught are Chinook salmon with only a few brown trout being caught. The best times to be fishing seem to be from 5:00 AM to about 8:00 AM. The fishing pressure is increasing in the footbridge area as more and more reports of salmon being caught in the area begin to trickle in. The fish seem to be biting mostly on spawn sacs in the area. The fishing should continue to get better in the next few weeks. The fishing remains slow for the boats trying their luck out on the waters near Kewaunee. Once again the most success has been reported by boats trolling near the piers but fish are being caught out in depths on 150-200 on j-plugs.
Door Co. (Lake and Bay sides)
Boaters and anglers: Watch out for the orange flags and buoys that mark commercial fishing trap nets set in Lake Michigan. Steer clear and give these markers a wide berth to avoid getting tangled in the nets. Learn more on our Trap Net page.
The second week of September continued with some blustery conditions and some inclement days of rain making fishing difficult during the week. Pier and shore anglers were the most prevalent fisherman seen during the week with little offshore action in the northern part of the county. Steady rain dampened the Sturgeon Bay Fall Open Bass Tournament on Saturday in which 53 boats competed. Bad weather during the Fall Open Bass Tournament produced some poor fishing for many anglers. Of the 53 boats taking part in the catch and release competition, only 26 recorded a fish. One smallmouth over seven pounds was taken and the winners came in with a weight of 25 pounds and six fish. Most boats were seen around the Sturgeon Bay area and north towards Egg Harbor working the west shoreline of the county. Traveling further north was difficult due to the rough waters and steady rain. The turbulent winds have stirred up some cooler water which has been beneficial for pier fisherman for a consecutive week. Working green spoons and champs of the canal piers has been a popular choice for picking up a few salmon and browns, minimal live bait action has been reported. Boats have moved in closer to the pier heads following the soon to be spawning salmon, however few reports were gathered in regards to how many fish were being taken. Action in the canal will start to pick up soon as salmon make their way towards their spawning grounds at Strawberry Creek and other spots in Sturgeon Bay. Action for salmon in the Northern part of the county has been very minimal with only a few boats fishing in closer to shore out of Baileys Harbor. Fishing has been hit or miss with a few boats averaging 1-2 fish. Walleye fishing remains productive out of Sturgeon Bay and north near Fish Creek and Sister Bay. Working stick baits in the dawn and dusk hours has been the popular choice near the Strawberry Islands and the reefs out of Sister Bay. Northern pike fishing has been slow; however, more boats have been seen out targeting big fall monsters. Trolling spoons between the bridges and canal in Sturgeon Bay has produced some fish as well as casting up over weed beds in some of the shallower areas around the bay. Perch fishing was slower this week as some of the poor weather detracted fisherman from hitting the water. Fishing with minnows along the edges of the shipping channel in Sturgeon Bay was still the general consensus, as well as in around the moored sailboats in the weed beds.
