Wisconsin Statewide fishing report 10.7.11With the colder temperatures last week, some northern lake had begun fall turnover, which had pretty much shut down bass fishing. Musky fishing continues to be the highlight with white a bit of success being reported, with action picking up on live baits. Some very good crappie action was also being reported. Bass fishing continued to be good on the Mississippi River pools along rip rap shorelines, main channel rock structure and backwater sloughs. A few walleyes and sauger have been caught along wing dams and rip rap shoreline but peak fall walleye fishing is yet a week or two away.
Rains last week raised water levels on Lake Michigan tributaries and kicked the fall salmon runs into high gear, with chinook being reported in good numbers on most tributaries. Lake Michigan spawning facilities are open and reporting good early success. There will be an open house this Saturday, Oct. 8 at the Root River Steelhead Facility in Racine with a wide variety of demonstrations and activities.
Burnett County Fishing activity on Yellow Lake has been very good including a good panfish bite and a walleye bite. Grouse and woodcock hunting have been in full swing for about a week now.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) The cooler weather last week and onset of fall turnover in many lakes seems to have put a crimp in a lot of the fish activity on northern waters in the past week. Most affected by this were the largemouth and smallmouth bass. On many lakes, the largemouth bass seem to have deserted the shallows and were quite tough to find. A few stragglers were found near the mid-depth cover, deep bog edges and around any green weed beds that were available. Soft plastics and slow presentations were the key to entice these late season bites. Smallmouth bass have also retreated to deeper water with the colder water temps and were even harder to entice than the largemouth. Seems that only the diehard bass anglers can find and catch the smallies at this time of year. Walleye fishing has continued to improve but has still been fairly erratic. The cooler water temperatures have gotten more fish moving up into the shallows and in/around the dying weed beds. Jig and minnow combinations and minnows on slip bobbers on the deep edges have been the most successful, with the best fishing occurring in the hour before dark. The most consistent fishing continues to be with musky and some excellent action has been experienced. Live suckers have gotten real productive in the last week, though large crank baits, plastic wim baits and bucktails have also produced a fair amount action on the warmer days. Panfish action has been fair to good, with some nice perch and crappie still being found in shallower water near cover and any weed edges.
Marinette County Salmon are showing up in the Peshtigo Dam area from the Municipal boat landing up river. Large gaudy flies and spoons have been the baits of choice. Panfish are still putting on a good show at the Peshtigo Dam proper. Little Rivers salmon run is in full swing although catch rates seem to be down from last year; mornings seem to be the time to fish. The salmon are in heavy at the Hattie Street Dam with Cleo's working the best. Some perch are being caught off the Menominee Lighthouse Pier fishing with minnows.
Oconto County Fishing for bluegills at the Stiles Dam remains productive using bobbers and worms fished from either side of the Dam. The salmon are now showing up above the Iron Bridge just below Stiles Dam, anglers are casting spoons and raps. Some browns are also being caught in the upper stretches of the Oconto River. The perch fishing has slowed in the Pensaukee area although some anglers are still reporting some nice fish being caught using crappie rigs and minnows. Oconto Breakwater anglers are catching salmon and browns castings spoons in the early morning hours off the end of the causeway. Walleye anglers are reporting goodly numbers of fish being caught adjacent to the weed beds in 8 to 12 feet of water. Bass fishing out of Oconto Park II has been slow.
Brown County Fox River anglers have been targeting the river with success the last week. The fall walleye bite has kicked in with anglers catching some real nice fish. Vertical jigging has been the hot tactic for most guys. Walleye anglers are also reporting catching some large smallmouth bass as well. Anglers were catching walleyes South of Wrightstown near the dam. Anglers fishing musky have had a phenomenal weekend with most boats not only catching fish but in good numbers as well. Trolling crank baits behind planer boards have been the best pattern. Most anglers have been targeting the lower bay to find fish. Suamico River shore anglers were finding fishing to be slow with a few small perch being caught here and there. Most anglers have been fishing with worms on a bottom rig or under a bobber. Anglers are also targeting musky as well and are having good success trolling and casting. Bay Shore Park anglers have been trying to get out perch fishing with little to show for it. Most anglers have been targeting perch in 10-20 feet of water. Minnows on a two hook bottom rig have been producing the best results for most anglers.
Manitowoc County Temperatures remained around 60 degrees throughout the week dropped to the lower 50s over the weekend. Light northeasterly winds at 5-10 mph early in the week switched to the northwest at 20-30 mph with gusts reaching 50 mph Thursday through Saturday. Winds settled down Sunday, with west/northwest winds at 10-15 mph. The heavy rain at times throughout the week and the strong northerly winds created very murky water in the tributaries and harbors over the weekend. Water temperatures remain around 52 degrees around the pier heads and out to 300 feet of water. Harbor and tributaries in the county range from 57-60 degree water temperatures. The hottest area along the lakeshore has been the Manitowoc marina, where anglers casting champs and using salmon spawn on bottom or on bobber near the shoreline have been catching a mix of small rainbow trout, brown trout, a few coho salmon, and several four year old salmon. Manitou Park on the Manitowoc River and upstream, the Shoto dam on the West Twin River, and downstream from the Mishicot dam on the East Twin River have all been successful up the tributaries for large chinook salmon and an occasional brown trout. At Manitou Park has been the hottest location this week, where anglers have been casting green/silver champs and spoons and landing large chinooks early in the morning and before dark. At the clarks mills dam on the Manitowoc River, Shoto dam, and the Mishicot dam, anglers have been using large sinkers/bell sinkers with spawn, ear plugs, cookie dough, yarn, etc. to legally hook into these salmon.
Door County The weather the last week on Green Bay made fishing very tough with very few anglers having the ability to get on the water. The waves most days averaged in the 3-4 foot range. There are sections of the east shore that have been pounded by bad weather for two weeks now and have caused the fishing to be very slow. Sturgeon Bay- Anglers that have gotten out have found a few small perch. Most have been fishing the protected areas around Sawyer Harbor. Minnows or worms under a bobber fished along weed lines have been the best. A few pike have been caught as well with anglers trolling large stick baits along the shoreline. Some perch were being caught at Little Sturgeon Bay but anglers were finding the weather to be a hindrance. Most have been finding perch in 15-20 feet of water. Bass fishing has been slow; most bass anglers that are getting out are having to stay inside the protected bay.
Strawberry Creek Spawning Facility http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/hatchery/strawberrycreek.htmlThere has been a very good start to the 2011 chinook egg harvest. Nearly 850 salmon were processed Oct. 3 netting approximately 400,000 eggs toward next year's stocking efforts. There were at least as many fish left in the pond at the end of the day so an impressive start to say the least. It's too early to determine if this year is simply an early run or a strong one; time will tell. As expected, the size of the fish returning this year is very good and the improved body condition is also evidenced by preliminary indications that the average egg size has gone up considerably from recent years. The next projected harvest date is Thursday, Oct. 6.
Kewaunee County Salmon fishing on the Lake Michigan tributaries is very good. Rain throughout the week raised the river levels substantially much to delight of anglers. Increased fish in the Kewuanee River corresponded to increased catches by anglers. Imitation egg and pink yarn lures showed the best results. Large numbers of salmon are being caught on the Kewaunee near Bruemmer Park. Fishing downriver has also been very good. At Algoma, the Ahnapee River level rose substantially. North pier anglers and anglers at Olsen Park were seeing good results on green and silver spoons. Anglers fishing near Forestville Dam were also having very good results with spawn sacs. Boat anglers were also showing some good results with a mix of rainbows and chinook. Fishing 200 feet of water, 70 feet down with a mix of spoons was productive. The surface water temp was reported at 58 degrees. Fishing in the harbors and off the piers has slowed down.
Lake Michigan fisheries team report
Sheboygan County In Sheboygan trollers have had moderate success in 250 to 350 feet of water, with a mix of chinook and rainbows taken on spoons. Any depths less than 250 feet have been spotty. Some chinook have been taken off the Sheboygan piers, but fishing has been generally slow. Most fish have been hitting spawn off the bottom, with a few taking spoons. The water temperature off the piers was around 62 F. Chinook are in the Sheboygan River as far up as the Kohler dam, and numbers have been increasing this week. The water level is still up after last week's rains, but it is dropping steadily. Anglers have been catching chinook on crank baits, and woolly buggers have produced for the fly anglers. Some brown trout have also been reported in the lower stretches of the river. The water temperature in the Sheboygan is 58 degrees. The Pigeon River is also at 58 degrees, but the flows have dropped back down. Fishing pressure on the Pigeon has been minimal.
Ozaukee County In Port Washington a few trollers have ventured offshore and have been catching decent numbers of immature chinook in 280 to 325 feet of water. Fishing pressure in the Port harbor and near the power plant has been high, and anglers have been catching mostly chinook with a few browns, rainbows, and coho mixed in. Spawn has been the most productive, followed by spoons. The water temperature has been between 56 and 58 degrees. Fishing off the pier has been slow. Sauk Creek is about 56 degrees, and flows have been decreasing this week. Chinook, browns, and some steelhead have moved upriver, and anglers have been catching decent numbers on both flies and spawn.
Milwaukee County In Milwaukee, the majority of fishing action has been in the rivers this week, however, shore anglers have taken a few chinook behind the Summerfest grounds on crank baits. Water levels are good on the Milwaukee and Menomonee Rivers, but have dropped down considerably in Oak Creek. In the Milwaukee River, chinook have been taken in Kletzsch Park. Fly fishing has been the most productive, and more fish have been taken from the east side of the river than from the west side. In Oak Creek fishing remains slow, although fish can be seen rolling downstream near the pedestrian bridge.
Racine County Trolling near the harbor mouth in Racine has slowed, but when trollers have been able to get offshore, fishing has been good in 70 to 150 feet of water. Spoons and flashers and flies have taken coho and immature chinook, and blues, greens, and whites continue to produce. Shore anglers have been able to catch a few chinook on fresh skein, and the area inside the harbor near the Root River has had the most action. Water levels on the Root have dropped back down, and chinook have been caught throughout the river. The Root River Steelhead Facility is running for the fall season. An Open House will be held at the facility this Saturday, Oct. 8, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Guided tours will be held with spawning demonstrations, and local fishing clubs will sponsor kids casting, knot tying, fly tying, fly fishing techniques, and more. Be sure to bring your family and friends to the facility on Saturday, Oct. 8.
Kenosha County Shore fishing in Kenosha has slowed, but occasional chinook and brown trout have been taken in the harbor and off the south pier. Most fish were caught on fresh skein. The mouth of the Pike River is still open, but it is narrower than it was last week. Although chinook can be seen in the river near the mouth, fishing remains slow and flows are dropping.
Minocqua area fishing reporthttp://www.wisconsinoutdoor.com/minocquafishingreport.htmLake Michigan Fishing Report and tipshttp://www.wisconsinoutdoor.com/lmfishingtips.htm
Wausau Area fishing reporthttp://www.wisconsinoutdoor.com/wisconsinriverfishingreport.htm
Chippewa Flowage fishing reporthttp://www.wisconsinoutdoor.com/chippewaflowagefishingreport.htm
Information compiled from the WDNR Outdoor report and private sources
