(
Straight from the DNR )
NORTHERN REGION
Superior DNR Service Center area
Brule River State Forest - The Brule area finally got some precipitation last weekend. The Brule DNR weather station received 1.03 inches of rain. Some of the surrounding area measured up to 4 inches of rain. The rest of the week is expected to be mostly sunny and in the 70s. The weekend is expected to be in the 80s with a slight chance of thunderstorms. The rain helped raise the flow of the Bois Brule River for a short time. The Bois Brule River raised up to just over 130 Cubic Feet per second (CFS) near the DNR office after the rain. It was reported that the river was flowing considerably faster down stream since most of the rain fell closer to the lake. The flow has now lowered to 112 CFS. The 60 year average is 152 CFS. Steeplebush and native sunflowers are blooming. Common Terns which nest in the Lake Superior basin had a good year in terms of the number of young fledged. About one hundred pairs nested at the Ashland tern colony and about 200 pairs nested in the St. Louis River Estuary. Reproduction at both sites was above average this year. These are the only 2 common tern nesting colonies in the entire Lake Superior Basin
.The DNR will be out at the Head of the Lakes Fair again in Superior Wisconsin. Fire control, wildlife, and fisheries staff will be there from Wednesday to Sunday. Pictures with Smokey, and Smokey button making will be available along with other free educational items for kids.
Park Falls DNR Service Center area
The Park Falls area finally has a break from the hot humid conditions that have persisted over the last couple of weeks. Cooler temperatures are forecast and water temperatures should cool slightly improving fishing conditions. Surface temperatures already have fallen back into the mid 70s. Recent rains should help to curb the falling water levels on rivers and flowages, which will help paddle sport enthusiasts. Panfish continued to be found in deeper water. Walleye fishing has been slow while a few fish were being caught after dark. Bass fishing remained fair and fish were being found in shady areas or near structure on sunny days. Anglers were catching some musky but mostly smaller fish are being caught. Boating and water recreation activity continued at a busy pace. Recent boating/drowning accidents demonstrate the importance of wearing life vests while on the water. Please be sure to have them available to all passengers on your boat and have all children wear them while on the water. Fields and wood edges are filled with various colors of wildflowers creating a colorful landscape. Choke cherries, service berries, pin cherries among others are ripening in the forest and wildlife is taking advantage of these food sources. Raspberries and blueberries are also available and some nice berries can be found along forest roads and openings. Take some time to enjoy what nature offers.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - The Upper Chippewa Basin received about an inch of some much-needed rain in the last several days. However, it all seems to have soaked into the ground as river and lake levels continue to be a mid-summer lows. Emergent vegetation such as wild rice, bulrush and water lily seem to be at typical densities, but submergent weed growth continues to be abnormally light for this time of year on many lakes and flowages. Initial observations indicate that there were good hatches of both largemouth and smallmouth bass this spring. Angling success continued to be slow with the hot weather of the past week -- but the rain and cold front of the past few days does seem to have spurred on some increased fish activity. Largemouth bass have been providing the most consistent action as the fish are showing much more of a typical summer pattern. The best success has been coming from the thick cover -- in the down wood, the thick lily pad beds and under mats of vegetation. Top-water baits and soft plastics have been the most productive lures and the key has been to work them slowly through the cover. Smallmouth bass also seem to have reappeared on many lakes and flowage in the area. Some nice fish have been caught on a slow presentation of plastic finesse baits -- worked near cover in the 4 to 8 foot depths. Musky action has also improved in the last week. The change in weather seems to have sparked an increase in activity and most anglers were reporting quite a few follows and sightings. Catches have mostly been of small fish in the 30 to 36-inch size and the bigger fish seemed to be holding off in deeper water yet. Slow top-water baits and smaller bucktails have been the favorite lures. Walleye success continued to be erratic. Some days have produced some good catches around mid-depth weed beds and structure and others days would find a person wondering if there's any fish in the lake! Weedless jigs fished with a leech or a piece of crawler have been the most productive bait. Panfish action has been fair. Larger bluegill have been tough to find but some decent catches of perch, crappie and rock bass continue to be reported.
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NORTHEAST REGION
Peshtigo DNR Service Center area
Marinette County - Much needed rains over the weekend offered minimal relief to everyone, but the area is still far behind on precipitation for this time of year. Bass anglers were still reporting nice catches off the Menominee and Peshtigo river flowages. Access to boat landings maybe difficult due to low water flows on the Menominee. Turkey broods are being observed along roadways in fair numbers with brood sizes decreasing slightly. Deer vehicle collisions remain constant. Stay watchful driving the early and dusk hours. Hunter Safety Courses are available at various locations in the county. Peshtigo is offering two. One beginning Aug. 1 and another beginning on Aug. 9 with a phone contact number of (715)582-3681. The Lake Noquebay Sports Club has a Hunter Safety Course scheduled to begin August 3 with a phone contact of (715) 856-5027. The Amberg Community Center will host a course beginning August 11; the phone contact number is (715)759-5920. Please pre-register with the instructors as the size of classes may be restrictive. The Coleman High School will host an ATV Safety Course on August 6 through 20. People must pre-register by calling (920)897-4831.
Oconto County - Continued dry conditions may have an impact on this years berry production. Wild raspberry and blueberry are fruiting in the county at this time. Backyard bird enthusiasts can provide water for their feeder friends as even a shallow tray of water near vegetation will provide some intake for birds and insects. Hikers, bikers and ATV enthusiasts do not forget to take along refillable water bottles for your travels in the outdoors, even for those short trips. The Oconto Falls Fire Department again will host an ATV Safety Course Saturday and Sunday, July 30 and 31. Check for opening by calling (920) 848-2960. A Hunter Safety Course will be held at the Little Creek Lodge in Little Suamico beginning Sept. 19; contact the instructor for an opening at (920) 826-5884.
Shawano County - Water levels remain low in the county with very little precipitation gained on the weekend. Some anglers are reporting panfish catches although muskie anglers are hitting more successfully on inland lakes. A Hunter Safety Course is being offered at the Wittenberg Townhall on August 8 through 13. Please register by calling (715) 454-6650.
Green Bay DNR Service Center area
Brown County - The Fox River continues to produce mostly sheepshead and catfish. The water temperatures have warmed significantly in the last few weeks, so it really is no surprise. The walleyes on the river itself are now a pretty rare catch, coming only to those who put in some time at early morning and late evening. Mid day seems to be pretty slow all around, except for small channel catfish, which can be caught all day long. Some pretty large cats (up to 36 inches) continue to be caught at the warm water discharges both at the sewage plant and the power plant. The mouth of the river has seen small spurts of walleye action, but is producing almost all catfish and sheepshead as well. The Suamico River has been a busy place, regardless of the fact that there isn't much more than some small perch and bluegill being caught. The perch action just has not been substantial on the Suamico itself, but out on the west shore of the bay is another story. Many have been limiting out on perch out near the lighthouse in 20-25 feet. The really large ones seen in recent weeks seemed to have moved out to find colder water, but there were still plenty of 8 to 9-inchers along the west shore all the way up to the Oconto breakwater. The Geano Beach area was still the best place to find some big walleye. It has not been too heavily fished in the last two weeks, but there have been larger walleye caught there than most everywhere else. They have been hitting crawler harnesses in 12-18 feet. Duck Creek has been very slow so far. Some catfish and sheepshead have been caught during the day on crawlers. There was a rumor of minimal action for rock bass and snake northern by the railroad bridge next to Rivers Bend. Otherwise the most popular places were the Howard boardwalks, where some spotty perch action has been reported. Bay Shore Park was in a lull for perch action this last week compared to how it has been the last two weeks. The action has been more spotty, and the large ones have been a little more difficult to locate. The high 80s temperatures and the blazing sun warmed the water too much and the larger ones especially moved out to find cooler water. That doesn't mean there is nothing out there, however; anglers can still catch a limit of perch averaging 8 inches in 4-5 hours. The problem is they can expect just as many gobies and quite a few sheepshead in between especially on the reefs. Two mile reef has not been producing much except a whole lot of gobies. Most of the action seems to be straight out on the flats in 25-30 feet. Many have been using minnows and leeches instead of crawlers, as that seems to help avoid gobies. Volks Reef has still been one of the better places for medium sized walleye. Crawler harnesses were the best bet, but oddly enough stick baits and shallow divers have been working well recently.
Manitowoc County - Fishing for trout and salmon continued to be good out of Manitowoc and Two Rivers this past week. Anglers have been finding fish in 65-120 feet of water with lots of fish being caught at the 85 foot depth range. Chinooks were the majority of the bag, with cohos, rainbows and lakers also being taken. J-plugs and spoons were effective in a variety of colors. Find a school of fish and stay on them, theyre hungry. Fishing has slowed a bit lately at the Manitowoc and Two Rivers piers, but intermittent west winds has brought cooler water nearshore periodically and fish have followed. Kings and rainbows were being caught on spoons in green/silver or blue/silver colors. Hot and humid weather has warmed up the Manitowoc and Two Rivers harbor waters significantly and little fishing pressure has been noticed. A few anglers were targeting smallmouth bass in Manitowoc River with some success on small jigs or wacky worms.
Sturgeon Bay DNR Service Center area
Door County - The weather in Door County remained hot, humid and very dry. There were a few scattered showers on Saturday; however, its still very dry. Please be extra careful with fire. Not a lot to change in this weeks fishing report. The action remained very good to excellent throughout the county. The Bank Reef continued to produce a mixed bag of fish in 80 to 200 feet of water. Elsewhere in the county, chinook salmon and rainbow trout were being caught in large numbers, with lake trout, browns and coho adding to the excitement. White, green and blue flies behind white dodgers continued to produce large numbers of fish along with Green Crocodiles, Pro-Kings, Evil eyes and silver spoons. Baileys Harbor, Rowleys Bay and points north were also producing excellent catches of fish. Around Washington Island its reported that the hot colors were greens and blues for the early morning bite, and purple/black and raspberry in the evening. Smallmouth action continued to be good with fish coming in all over the county. The majority of the fish being caught near shore were on the small size, 10 to 14 inches, with live bait producing the action. For larger smallmouth try the off shore reefs in deeper water. Out on the reefs, plastics, crank baits and spinner baits were producing the larger fish. Perch fishing continued to be good on minnows, worms, crabs and jigs in 10 to 15 feet of water near weeds and on the reefs in 12 to 25 feet of water. Northern pike action has been steady in weedy areas of Sturgeon Bay. Small sucker minnows and Rapalas continue to be hot. Walleye action was fair at night for anglers bouncing a night crawler in a harness off the bottom around Potawatomi State Park, Sherwood Point and Larsons reef. In the Little Sturgeon area northern pike action was heating up again, with bigger fish being caught on small sucker minnow's and Rapalas. Perch action has been good on minnows, worms, crabs and jigs in 10-15 feet of water. Soft-shell crabs were producing in the area of Chaudoirs dock, in 25-35 feet of water. Smallmouth were being caught on Gulp's watermelon and white spinners. Some anglers reported good action on muskies. Little Sturgeon Bay has seen some pretty heavy fishing pressure. There has been some slight perch action off Squaw Island. The only drawback is that they have been extremely small, and many have been throwing them back. The perch were larger in the deeper water, and the gobies were thinner, unless you park on top of rocks which is goby central. Bait such as leeches and minnows have been working pretty well for bass along the rock bars at 10 feet on the east shore where most of the bass action has always been. Look to deeper water to hook the big ones (14-18"), as those in the shallower water have been smaller (10-14"). Sawyer Harbor has been about the same. The bass action has been steady on the rocky slopes along the shipping canal. The rock pile off Cabot Point and the quarry has been producing the best action. Perch fishing was best around the corner out in the flats instead of on the rocky areas; it seems to be the best place to avoid catching so many gobies. The reef to the east of the islands in Sawyer Harbor was producing nothing but very small perch and gobies. Both crawlers and leeches are working for perch. There has been some starting the search for walleye again, but nothing solid yet.
Potawatomi State Park -The park has experienced very dry weather this summer. Campers area asked to keep camp fires small and within the fire rings. Be sure fire are out before leaving the area. All areas of the park are open. The boat launch and fish cleaning station are busy with bass anglers going out to Sawyer Harbor and beyond. Canoes and kayaks (rentals available at the camp store) are also using the harbor. All the sites in the campground have filled on the weekends since mid-June. Sites are generally available from Sunday through Thursday nights.
Kewaunee County - The weather this week has been mostly sunny with a few rain showers. The majority of fish taken have been chinook salmon; however, a few mixed rainbow trout, lake trout, and coho salmon have also been caught. Number wise, a lot of salmon have been caught, however, the greater part of the salmon taken has been between 5-12 pound ranges, with a few bigger fish mixed in as well. The early morning and dusk bite has been the most productive times fishing in 60-150 feet of water from the surface to 80 feet down. As the sun comes up anglers follow the fish into deeper waters fishing up to 200-300 feet of water and 125 feet down. Dodger/fly combinations, spoons, and j-plugs have all equally taken fish. Some hot colors used were aqua, pearl, and green flies as well as green, orange, and sliver spoons. Pier fishing has slowed down a bit in both Kewaunee and Algoma. A few chinook and rainbow have been taken, but anglers had to put in a lot of hours while using alewives and spoons. The 23rd annual Door/Kewaunee County Salmon Tournament is in full swing and lasts until July 31. So far a 25.1-pound chinook is in the lead with very few 20-pound fish being registered.
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SOUTHEAST REGION
Near shore waters remain warm, and fishing on shore has been slow in most areas. Several days of west winds are needed to cool down the water close to shore.
Sheboygan County - In Sheboygan fishing off the piers and in the harbor has been slow. Trollers off Sheboygan have been catching a mixed bag of chinooks, rainbows, coho, and lake trout. Fish have been taken 35 to 60 feet down in 70 to 140 feet of water. Spoons in blue, watermelon, orange, and glow-in-the-dark have produced the most.
Ozaukee County - In Port Washington fishing off the pier and in the harbor has been slow. Trollers off Port have been catching mostly chinooks, along with a few rainbows and coho. Fish have been found from 20 to 80 feet down in 80 to 145 feet of water. Both spoons and flies in green, blue, and pearl have been effective.
Milwaukee County - In Milwaukee shore fishing for perch as well as trout and salmon remains non-existent. Trollers off Milwaukee have been catching good numbers of chinooks and a few rainbows. The best bite has been before sunrise, and fish have been caught north of the harbor 50 to 75 feet down in 120 to 150 feet of water. Green, blue, and pearl spoons have all been productive.
Racine County - Shore fishing in Racine has also been slow, but trollers have been having some success in 100 to 120 feet of water. Good numbers of chinooks have been hitting spoons and j-plugs.
Kenosha County - In Kenosha a few perch have been caught from shore at daybreak. Fish have been found off the end of the south pier as well as on the lake side of the Southport Marina breakwall. Both jigs and minnows have been producing. Trolling off Kenosha has been difficult lately, and fish have been scattered. Trollers have caught only a few chinooks, with the majority taken before sunrise.
Walworth and inland Racine and Kenosha counties - Bluegill action is very good throughout the three county area. Anglers on the shallower lakes are catching them in 4 to 9 feet of water at the breaks using leaf worms and waxworms. Fishing in 20 to 30 feet of water was producing nice gills on the deeper lakes. Anglers using plastics were catching nice crappies in 15 to 20 feet of water on Delavan Lake. Northern pike were hitting suckers fished in 25 to 35 feet of water on Geneva and Delavan Lakes. A few nice Geneva Lake walleyes were being caught in 15 to 20 feet of water on night crawlers.
Washington, eastern Fond du Lac, and inland Sheboygan counties - River fishing for smallmouth bass on the large rivers has been good to excellent this summer. The fish were pretty much confined to deeper spots with the low flows we're experiencing. Be careful not to harvest too many of the legal size fish as they can be wiped out quickly by a few anglers. Largemouth bass and bluegill fishing has also been very good on area lakes. It has been one of the better summers for fishing in recent memory. Fishing is best at dawn and dusk on the area lakes. That is a good time to beat the heat and avoid the many pleasure boaters trying to cool off.
Waukesha County - Fishing this past week has been very slow with recent warm temperatures and thunderstorms. Bluegills have been providing the best and most consistent action from area lakes. Best catches coming suspended in deep water 11-19 feet down. Also bass fishing has been good during low light conditions. Try deep weed cuts with plastics and small crank baits.
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SOUTH CENTRAL REGION
Horicon DNR Service Center area
Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area - Water levels are still low on Horicon Marsh due to an early summer drawdown for marsh surveys. The recent rains will help in beginning to return water levels to more normal levels. In spite of the low water, canoeists and kayakers will still be able to explore the state portion of Horicon Marsh in all but the shallowest backwaters. Mid-summer is the fledging season for most of our birds. This is a time when the nesting season is coming to an end and parent birds and mammals are out with their growing young. Flocks of tree swallows, red-winged blackbirds and others are beginning to form now that nesting is done and the numerous families begin to gather where food is abundant. Great egrets, great blue herons and black-crowned night herons are beginning to gather in large flocks as they feed on the abundant fish and frogs at Horicon Marsh and surrounding wetlands. This is also the time that the broods of ducks are becoming more visible on the open water areas and shallow bays. This is a great time of the year to see the growing flocks of birds as they move about the area with their young. However, due to the hot summer days, most of the wildlife activity is restricted to the early morning hours. In order to observe the greatest amount of activity, plan to be out in the woods or on the marsh in the early morning hours. While this provides the best chance to see wildlife, it should be kept in mind that animals are often shy when they are out with their young and they may not always reveal themselves, but the more time you spend in the outdoors the better the chances that you will be provided with a view of the abundant wildlife that is present at this time of year.
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WEST CENTRAL REGION
Baldwin DNR Service Center area
Willow River State Park - Weeknight camping will be a bit more crowded as the Kansas City Chiefs football team fans arrive. Chiefs training camp is located in River Falls, about 20 minutes from the park. Training camp runs from July 25 to August 19.. The Kid's Fishing Contest anglers reeled in a variety of fish last Saturday before the rain ended the event. Keeper size bluegills, a bullhead, a couple of shiners, some sub keeper size bass, small perch, and small bluegills were caught. The shiners did not win the small fish prize and the bullhead won the age group big fish prize. Forgot the fishing rod? Borrow one from the park. Loaner equipment is available at the park office. Mike Reiter's popular program "Animal Skulls and Bones" returns to the Nature Center Saturday, July 30 at 7 p.m. Come see Mike's skull collection from very small animals to a bear size. The program is free. Regular vehicle admission rates apply. The Stillwater bridge over the St. Croix River will be closed beginning August 1 into October. Drivers normally using the Stillwater bridge will need to cross the river at Hudson or Osceola. The additional vehicles crossing at Hudson will add to the traffic on County Road A, and at Exit # 4 off Interstate Hwy. 94. Visitors coming to the park will see heavier traffic, especially at commuter time.
La Crosse DNR Service Center area
Skunks and raccoons are busy raiding gardens and lawns. Many homeowners are calling to report nuisance activities of these animals. Homeowners are especially annoyed when garden crops are destroyed. Lawns can also be targets of these two animals, as they search for grub in the turf. Effective control methods can be employed to deter these animals. Contact your local DNR wildlife management office for advice.
Crawford County - The Mississippi River water level remained fairly steady this week. By the end of this week the Mississippi River stage was 7.2 feet. The Wisconsin River rose a little but started to drop. There has been a lot of rain this past week so the Wisconsin River should rise again within a few days. The Kickapoo Rivers water level came up a bit with the rain but by the end of the week was down near normal. Now that the Mississippi Rivers is around that 7 foot mark many submerged dangers are being exposed. Dead heads, wing dams, and slough closures all pose dangers to boaters. Some backwater areas and mud/sand flats could also cause problems. Those who are unfamiliar with the Mississippi River or Wisconsin River should seek out a river map, use a depth/fish finder and slow down. Walleye and sauger action was pretty good for the most part this week. Receding water levels have improved success. Most anglers found that fishing on the weekend is tough because of all the boat traffic. The best times to fish have been early in the morning or early in the evening. Anglers using live bait have been mainly using night crawlers or willow cats. Most walleye anglers were casting or trolling crank baits along rocky shorelines or wing dams or in deeper channels attempting to locate walleyes. Some were vertical jigging while drifting while others are long lining or trolling. The Roseau Slough and the Black Slough and wing dams around the Prairie du Chien area were some places where fish have been active. There has been pretty good walleye action in the Lynxville area. The islands along the main channel outside Lynxville and all the way up to Lansing have been producing some nice walleye. Bluegill action was pretty good this week. The receding water was making bluegills more accessible. The upper and lower portions of the Ambro Slough, many areas of the East Channel, Hunters and Catfish Sloughs, and even some of the flats along the main channel have been producing bluegills. The Cold Springs remains very slow. Most anglers were using small pieces of night crawlers and fishing right on the bottom. There has also been some action in the snags along the sloughs. Some anglers were finding average sized bluegills; however, the real big ones have been hard to find thus far. Perch and crappie action has been very spotty. Some stripers (white bass) were starting to show up near the Lynxville dam, the St. Feriole Slough, and the barge loading area outside Prairie du Chien. Catfish have started to bite a little better now that the water is warming up. Both channel and flathead catfish were beginning to bite. Sheepshead were becoming very active and were biting on night crawlers. Bass anglers found action to be similar to walleye fishing. Some good days followed by some slow days. Spring Lake area, Garnet Lake, the main channels and most sloughs have produced bass. Some largemouth bass have been taken along woody shorelines and weeds in the back sloughs. Most bass anglers were using plastics, jig and pig, top water spoons, or spinner baits. Northern pike action was spotty this week. Areas to try for northern pike would be the Ambro Slough area around Big Lake and Fish Lake, the top end of Hunters Slough near the waste water treatment plant, and any back water area along the weed edges next to deeper water. White Pelicans have returned to the Mississippi River. Most are staying in Pool 9 above the Lynxville dam. Queen Anns Lace is in full bloom along the roadsides. Large groups of mallards can be seen on the St. Feriole Slough in Prairie du Chien. Turkeys, ruffed grouse, and pheasants are now tending to their young ones. Many snake species have been very active with the unusually warm weather. Numerous turkey vultures still can be seen in the area soaring on the thermals. Outdoor users should be aware that ticks, mosquitoes, and deer flies are out in force. Poison ivy, stinging nettle, and parsnip are also out so be cautious. Several species of bats can be seen feeding heavily on insects. The best time to view bats is around sunset or shortly there after. Watch for bats in open areas. With all the hot weather outdoor users will see that the cool weather grasses are starting to die back. A lot of the parsnip is starting to get brown.
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