September 21, 2007
Wisconsin Outdoor Report from the DNR
NORTHERN REGION
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - Musky have been hitting on a variety of baits and at most any time of the day. Most of the fish have been in the 30 to 40 inch size, but a fair number of 40-plus-inch reported. A few anglers started to fish with live suckers. Sturgeon anglers continue to enjoy some real good action with most anglers catching fish. Quite a few sub-legal fish have been caught but the number of legal fish >60 inches relatively low. Cut bait or a plain old gob of night crawlers fished in the deepest holes on the river he most successful method. Largemouth found in and near the thick cover in 4 to 8 feet of water, with soft plastics and crankbaits most productive lures. Smallmouth continue to be active near cover in the 5 to 10-foot depths, small finesse plastics producing the most success. Walleye anglers report weedless jigs and minnows starting to produce fish in and along weed beds. Panfish consistent with nice catches of crappie reported on small twister-tail jigs fished over mid-depth cover or near deep weed edges.
NORTHEAST REGION
Marinette County - Chinook being caught in 70 feet of water near the green can near Green Island on various lures, such as the stingers. A few were caught on flies. Size ranged from 24 to 30 inch fish. Chinook caught off the Michigan side of the pier along Menominee River.
Oconto County - A few nice walleye coming from Green Island area. A few salmon and browns in the Menominee River and below the Peshtigo Dam. Some bucks are still in velvet with very nice racks forming.
Brown County - Perch bite seemed to be hit or miss. Water temperatures continue to drop and many anglers report great luck one day and then none the next. Fish that are found seem to be in deeper water around 30 feet at Bay Shore and Chaudoir’s launches although many mornings can be found in shallower water. Many walleye anglers concentrated on the reefs up north although high winds made them difficult to reach come Sunday. Geano reef has produced all summer and continues steady.
Manitowoc County - In Two Rivers, anglers were out in high numbers this past week in anticipation of the fall salmon run. Fishing from the piers was good for salmon anglers early in the week but as the week progressed, fishing success declined. Pier anglers caught good sized chinook salmon and some nice coho salmon. Another angler that fished the north pier was able to pick-up a nice smallmouth bass. Anglers trolling out on Lake Michigan via the Two Rivers launch had success landing large catches of chinook salmon and a few brown trout and coho salmon. Anglers picking up salmon in 35 to 80 feet of water with bright colored spoons. In Manitowoc, anglers had a good week of fishing for salmon and trout. Anglers fishing from the piers had success. Those who landed chinook salmon were using green and silver spoons casting halfway down the far segment of the south pier inside toward the harbor. Anglers trolling on Lake Michigan via the Manitowoc launch also had a good week with most boats returning with fair sized catches of chinook salmon and a few rainbow trout and coho salmon. Manitowoc River had little fishing pressure this past week. A couple of anglers fishing at Lower Cato Falls County Park fair, catching smallmouth bass using a twister and spinner combination in the current. On the Branch River, a couple of anglers fishing near Danmar Road caught smallmouth and pike casting floating stick baits.
Door County - Lake Michigan fishing the Bank Reef brought in some fish trolling from the surface to 60 feet of water with fly and dodger combinations and spoons. Fish seem to have moved into shallower water and anglers trolling in the Sturgeon Bay ship canal, and out to the mile and a quarter buoy reporting success. Some nice fish taken off of the piers on the Lake Michigan end of the canal on stick baits and spoons. Conditions were much the same in the areas off of Baileys Harbor. Washington Island, Ellison Bay and Rowley’s Bay reporting fish. Little Sturgeon, Riley’s Bay and the Sturgeon Bay flats all producing smallmouth, as did the deeper structure off of Sherwood and Henderson points. Tube jigs and goby imitating baits continue to produce. Smallmouth being taken from Anderson’s dock in Ephraim and from the old ferry dock in Rowley’s Bay and Stone Quarry County Park. Walleyes taken from Larsen’s Reef, Monument Shoals and the areas around Hat, Strawberry and Chambers Islands. Crank baits and crawler harnesses fished in 10 to 25 feet of water the key. Waters off of Chaudoir’s dock, as well as Little Sturgeon and Sand Bay producing some perch, along with weed edges between the bridges in Sturgeon Bay and along the buoy line from the Bay View Bridge to the Sturgeon Bay ship canal. Crank baits along with jerk baits fished along the weed beds in front of the marines and along the channel in Sturgeon Bay, as well as from Little Sturgeon, Riley’s and Sand Bays produced northerns, as did the points and steeper shorelines.
Peninsula State Park - Water levels in Green Bay and Lake Michigan are still very low, 18 inches below long-term average.
Kewaunee County - Anglers fishing off of the piers in Algoma and Kewaunee have had another nice week of fishing off the piers. Kings being caught in some fairly good numbers and some browns and rainbows caught as well. Casting with spoons has still been the tackle of choice for these anglers, but crankbaits working as well. Anglers trolling out on the lake have been coming in with some fish, but it has been tough fishing out on the lake. Most boats coming in with kings, but there have been some browns, cohos, steelhead caught as well. Anglers found most of the fish out in water of depths between 60 and 120 feet with fish being caught anywhere from about 20 feet down all the way to 80 feet. The best choice for tackle has been fly and dodger combos as well as dipsies. Spoons have also been working well this week as well.
Upper Fox-Wolf basin fisheries report - Panfish in Lake Winnebago biting consistently with perch and bluegill biting best. Good walleye reports coming from the reefs in Lake Winnebago. Biting on crawlers. Reports about white bass but they are few and scattered in their numbers and locations. Fishing for catfish on suckers in the Fox River has been good. Bluegills were getting hooked off-shore. Reports on walleyes, 14- to 16-inch size class, casting with flies from the shore are good. Bluegill activity in Lake Butte des Morts has been reported, but they are running small. Crappie biting by the mouth of the Wolf River past Rat River. Some medium-sized white bass being hooked on the Wolf River. Northern and catfish being caught in the river.
SOUTHEAST REGION
Lake Michigan fisheries team report
Sheboygan County - Fishing in the Pigeon River slow, but on the Sheboygan River anglers taken a few chinooks and browns on spoons downstream near the Eighth Street launch and at the base of the south pier. Water levels remain low on both rivers. Lake side of the south pier has produced a few coho and browns on alewives fished on the bottom. Trolling off Sheboygan has been relatively slow, with boaters finding chinooks scattered from the harbor out to 110 feet of water.
Ozaukee County - Shore anglers in Port Washington catching good numbers of chinooks on spawn sacs in the power plant area. A few coho and brown trout caught off the pier. Spoons fished off the end of the pier have produced the coho, minnows on the lake side of the pier have produced the browns. Trolling off Port Washington has been hit-or-miss, with most chinooks caught in 30 to 40 feet of water on J-plugs or spoons.
Milwaukee County - Shore fishing in Milwaukee improving with colder water nearshore. Good numbers of coho caught on crankbaits off McKinley pier. Trolling action in Milwaukee slowed. Most boats have been able to catch a few chinooks, coho, browns in 40 to 55 feet of water or chinooks and browns in the harbor. Glow-in-the-dark and wonderbread spoons or blue & silver J-plugs have been producing fish.
Racine County - Shore anglers catching browns, chinooks, coho off piers. Spoons and crankbaits taking fish. Trollers working around the harbor mouth and in the Root River catching mostly chinooks, along with brown trout, on spoons and J-plugs in blue or green. On the Root River, water level remains low, but anglers catching chinooks and a few browns just below the Horlick dam, in Quarry Lake Park, in the Washington Park golf course area. Yarn flies and spawn sacs productive. DNR will not be collecting Skamania strain broodstock at the Root River Steelhead Facility this year, and therefore, the facility will not be running until later into the salmon run. The recent flooding has left large piles of debris on top of the stop logs at the weir. Once crews are able to remove the debris, they also plan to pull some of the stop logs to allow easier fish passage.
Kenosha County - Shore fishing productive before sunrise. Some chinooks caught on spoons fished off the beach near mouth of the Pike River, a few brown trout taken on white tube jigs in the harbor. Kenosha trollers catching chinooks in 30 to 50 feet of water. Fish hitting spoons and J-plugs in green or silver.
Inland fisheries team report - Smallmouth bass fishing along Milwaukee River in Milwaukee, Ozaukee and Washington counties improved greatly with the moderating stream flows and cooler water conditions.
Washington, eastern Fond du Lac, and inland Sheboygan counties - Bluegills and perch active on Big Cedar Lake. Larger panfish found in 15 to 18 feet of water. Some lakes producing northern pike action along with largemouth bass. Trout streams are in great shape in the Sheboygan County area.
Waukesha County - Bluegills moving into their fall patterns with nice catches being reported from Pewaukee, Oconomowoc and Beaver lakes. Walleye action good for the weary anglers willing to fish late. Best catches coming after midnight from Pine, Lac Labelle and Little Muskego lakes.
WEST CENTRAL REGION
La Crosse DNR Service Center area - Mississippi River bass, bluegill and catfish fishing fair since the flooding. Bluegill hanging in submerged dead trees along sloughs near Goose Island. Mississippi backwater boaters will find a number of changes due to the flooding. There are some new sand bars where local rivers and streams deposited their silt loads from the erosion caused by local flooding.
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