Lake Michigan fisheries team report 4.3.11
Sheboygan County
In Sheboygan, there has been no recent activity on the north pier due to icy conditions, and fishing has been slow off the south pier. The water temperature in the harbor is still in the low 30s. Some anglers have been trying the open areas in the marina with no success. On the Pigeon and Sheboygan rivers, water levels have dropped, but steelhead fishing remains slow.
Ozaukee County
In Port Washington the ramps are still on dry ground, and the word is they will be set in the water on April 1. Boaters can launch, and the marina is free of ice. Several boaters have been out fishing, with limited success for browns. In the Port Washington harbor, angler activity has been spread out along the inner harbor. A few rainbows and browns have been taken near the gazebo area on golden shiners under a bobber. Sauk Creek has returned to fishable levels, but very little action has been reported.
Milwaukee County
In Milwaukee, McKinley Marina is open and the boat launch piers are in the water. The Bender Park launch is currently closed, with dredging slated to take place in April. Shore fishing in Milwaukee has been slow at the lakefront, but anglers fishing steelhead on the Menomonee River and Oak Creek have had some success. Skein has been the most consistently productive bait.
Racine County
Over this past weekend, the Root River was still flowing high, fast, and cold. Precipitation from earlier in the week caused the river to really spike during midweek. This spike carried through Friday but was gradually falling over Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday the flow was still fast and high, but much more manageable. These conditions allowed for the best fishing to be found on Sunday. The water temperatures over the weekend were holding around 38 degrees Fahrenheit. The water turbidity has improved slightly but is still stained with relatively low visibility. At the Horlick dam, fishing was hit-or-miss. Pressure was spread out from the dam and downstream over the first 100-200 yards of river. Anglers reported hooking up at least a couple of times but the fast and high flowing water made landing the fish much more difficult. The steelhead that were harvested ranged from 3-6 pounds. Fin clips indicated mostly Ganaraska strain steelhead with a few Chambers Creek. One nice spawning female Ganaraska caught was 6 pounds and 27.25 inches. It was taken tight to the dam on an orange fly. Fishing pressure farther downstream on the Root was pretty minimal. A few anglers were fishing around Lincoln Park, both upstream and downstream from the weir. Steelhead catches were sparse but a few incidental suckers were caught. The Root River Steelhead Facility is up and running for the spring season. DNR crews processed fish for the first time on Wednesday, March 30. Some Chambers Creek strain steelhead were spawned, and an additional 72 steelhead were released upstream. Fish will probably be processed again on Tuesday, April 5. Racine boaters launching at Pershing Park and making the run to the Oak Creek Power Plant have been catching decent numbers of brown trout while jigging. Please use caution if you choose to venture there, as conditions on the lake can change very quickly.
Kenosha County
In Kenosha, shore fishing has been slow near the boat launch, but anglers fishing near the Best Western have been catching a few brown trout on small spoons. Flows on the Pike River have dropped since last week, and a few steelhead have been seen.
