Straight from the DNRNORTHERN REGION
Superior DNR Service Center area
Brule River State Forest - As of Aug. 24, the Bois Brule River was flowing at 100 Cubic Feet Per Second (CFS). The 60 year average is 148 CFS. The weather is expected to be partly cloudy and in the lower 70s over the weekend. Bucks should be shedding their velvet anytime now. Shorebirds from Hudson Bay Canada are starting to migrate south. They can be seen on big mudflats and shorelines. Night hawks have also been observed migrating. Canada geese have been gathering into large groups for the fall. Very few roughed grouse broods were sighted this summer, the hunting season may be slow for the grouse hunters this fall. In contrast, the rabbit population (both cottontail and snowshoe) seems to be doing very well. This year has had more sightings than in the past decade. Chokecherries are fully ripe while the black cherries probably have another week to go. Acorns on the oaks are ripening and some have started falling to the ground. Many animals, especially bears, squirrels and chipmunks are feasting on this new food crop. There are a lot of American hazelnuts on the bushes this year. They are just starting to ripen. Walkingsticks should be laying eggs now. The eggs will lay in the leaf litter for around 2 years before the nymphs emerge. They are difficult to find since they will "freeze" and blend in with twigs when frightened. The Brule River State Forest will be hosting its annual fall meeting Saturday Sept. 3 at 9 a.m. at the Brule Town Hall. The agenda is to review how property operations went over the summer and listen to suggestions how to improve next season. Ranger Kevin Feind will be available to answer questions about property operations.
Park Falls DNR Service Center area
Cooler weather has arrived in the Park Falls area with much cooler temperatures in the evenings. Rain is badly needed and some vegetation is showing signs of stress due to the dry conditions. Water levels in area rivers remain low and some difficulties can be expected for paddlers. Fishing success is improving and anglers are reporting some nice catches of panfish and smallmouth bass. Walleye action is also improving with the cooler water temperatures. Raspberries are still available and some blackberries can also be found. Whitetail bucks are beginning to lose there velvet and some large antlered bucks are being seen. As fall creeps around the corner cooler temperatures will quickly lower water temperatures and late season boaters should make sure personal flotation devices are worn while on the water enjoying the outdoors. Waterfowl hunters should inspect their watercraft and all safety equipment before the season. Early goose season runs from Sept. 1 15. Sturgeon hook and line season opens Sept. 3rd. The pollen index is high and allergies are troubling some people. Wild birds are enjoying the developing sunflower seeds and are feeding heavily before the cooler evening temperatures. Goldenrod is in bloom along with coneflowers and Joe-pye weed.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - The pleasant late-summer weather made for some continued good fishing success across many Northwoods lakes. Musky have been generating quite a bit of interest of late and action has been pretty consistent. Most anglers are reporting quite a few follows and many catches of 28 to 38-inch fish have been made. With some cooling water temperatures, some nicer musky have been beginning to show up as a few 42- to 45-inch fish have been boated. The bigger fish have been found suspended over deeper water and slow moving, diving crank baits have been used to entice these fish. The weed edges and less-dense weed beds have been producing consistent action but this is where the small and medium size fish have been active. Slow-moving surface baits and jerk baits seemed to be the most productive in the last week. Bass action has also been consistent in the last week with both largemouth and smallmouth providing some decent catches. Largemouth continue to relate to the thickest cover in 3 to 5 feet of water, with bass jigs and plastic craws providing the best success. Smallmouth bass were still very active on the local rivers and flowages, but have been tough to find on many of the clear, natural lakes. The flowages have been especially productive for smallmouth and they're been feasting on tube baits fished near woody cover around old river channel areas. Walleye activity has been showing a slow and steady increase with more anglers finding some active fish along the deeper weed lines. Live bait such as crawlers and leeches continue to be the most productive baits, though some decent fish have been caught on artificials cast into and over the weed beds. Panfish action has been fair, with some nice catches of perch, crappie and rock bass being made. Sturgeon season opens on Sept. 3 and a lot of the river and flowage anglers having reported seeing quite a few sturgeon jumping/surfacing over the deep-water areas.
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NORTHEAST REGION
Peshtigo DNR Service Center area
Marinette County - - The recent rainfall has helped keep water levels from dipping lower on inland rivers and streams. Fish biologist are still requesting inland trout fishers not to stress out the native brook trout. Out in the bay, trout and salmon continue to bite near Green Island. Turkey broods are being observed along roadways. Early apple varieties are beginning to fall from the trees. A Sturgeon survey by the USFWS, Michigan DNR, and Green Bay, Shawano and Peshtigo Wis. DNR fisheries crew and program staff was recently conducted on the mid-section of the Menominee River. They caught, tagged and released 318 sturgeon during the three-day survey. The smallest was 14.75 inches and the largest was 60.25 inches. The average size was 33.2 inches. Only 11 fish were greater than 50 inches. This data will be used to track the population growth and fishing pressure of the Sturgeon in the Menominee River. Cool overnight temps and warm days are leading into the fall season. Whitetail deer hunters are eagerly awaiting their Hunter Choice picks in the mail. The Bonus tags will go on sale noon Saturday, August 27 at license vendors throughout the state.
Oconto County - The perch fishing out from Oconto County has slowly but surely been getting better as fall approaches. Anglers were getting good numbers of perch while fishing out from Oconto County Park ll in 10-12 feet of water while using larger fathead minnows. Most fish are running small but larger fish are mixed in and appear to be hungry. Early mornings from sun up to around 10 a.m. have produced the best catches of fish. Some anglers were also getting limits of perch in the deeper water out from the Oconto River in 35-42 feet of water also on larger fathead minnows but were dealing with many more gobies than the shallow water anglers. Scattered catches of perch were also caught on the Oconto Harbor Breakwater Pier on wolf-river rigs on the bottom with fathead minnows or small night crawlers. Most fish were also running small but larger fish have been taken. Walleye anglers trolling from County Park II down the west shore were having trouble locating fish on both crawler harnesses and crank baits. Mixed bag catches of sheepshead, channel catfish, and white perch were common with most anglers.
Shawano County - The cool night temps are bound to trigger some good fishing on Shawano Lake. There will be several Hunter Safety Courses available in the county. The Public Safety Building in Bowler will be the site for a course beginning September 16 through the 18th, contact the instructor to pre-register (715) 793-4809. The Shawano Community Middle School will be the site for a course beginning on September 8th and finishing October 6th, call (715) 524-2441. Gresham School will host a Hunter Safety course on September 8th and finishing October 17th, the contact person can be reached at (715) 787-3518.
Green Bay DNR Service Center area
Brown County Action on the Fox River has been pretty slow in the last month or so. Voyager Park has been quite a ghost town since there just isn't anything going on there. There hasn't been much seen except a few of sheepshead and catfish. However, there has been some walleye activity stirring up very recently around the railroad bridge at early evening hours. Bass action has been zero for the last couple of weeks at Voyager Park. Some channel catfish continued to be caught once in a while but they weren't the lunkers caught during July. There were still a lot of white bass caught at the river mouth at the right time of day, but sheepshead were there as well. The Suamico River shoreline has been very slow. Not many anglers have been fishing from shore except a few trying for panfish mostly in the afternoon and early evening. Perch action was virtually nil on the river, but action was still strong out on the west shore of the bay. Some larger ones are being found in 15-20 feet along both Little Tail and Long Tail in the early morning hours, and the lighthouse area seems to be a popular spot as well. Minnows continued to be the hot bait, but crawlers were a close second. Duck Creek has been very slow. Mostly sheepshead and bullheads have been caught during the day on crawlers. There has been some tremendous walleye action in the Geano Beach area in anywhere from 6 to 12 feet of water on crawler harnesses, dipseys and shadraps. There has also been a little success along the east shore south of Bayshore Park, with some 22- to 26-inchers caught in recent weeks, mostly in the evening hours. Bay Shore Park was still producing perch, with early morning anglers getting limits in just a few hours. They were averaging 9 to 9.5 inches, along with a lot of small ones.
Manitowoc County - Anglers out of Two Rivers had good action this past week for chinook. Most anglers were fishing in 65-120 feet of water. Fish had been close to shore early in the week, but moved out to deeper, cooler water. In Manitowoc, fishing has been good as well. Trollers have been targeting fish in 80-150 feet of water. Spoons and J-plugs were the baits of choice this past week. Anglers had good luck fishing for kings earlier in the week at the Manitowoc and Two Rivers piers when the fish were close to shore, but the action has slowed as fish moved offshore to cooler water. A day or two of west wind will bring them back inshore again. Try alewives on the bottom as well as casting cleos and champs. They were still dredging the channel in Two Rivers, which was a bit disrupting to the pier fishers, but the project should be wrapped up shortly. A few perch were being caught in the Manitowoc harbor, but the best perch fishing seems to be in Hika Bay (south of Manitowoc near Cleveland) with perch reported to be up to 16 inches in length! Smallmouth bass were still hitting in Manitowoc harbor.
Sturgeon Bay DNR Service Center area
Door County - The first part of the week was warm and sunny, with a little more much-need rain on Friday and Saturday. Warm water near shore moved the trout and salmon out deeper, and put a temporary damper on the pier fishing. Out on the lake fishing remained very good to excellent with lots of chinook salmon in the 5 to 15 pound range coming in, along with a few rainbows. The best times remained dawn and dusk, fishing near the surface at dawn and going deeper as the day progresses. White, green, silver, and blue flies behind white dodgers remain hot. Pro-Kings, Evil Eyes, spoons and J-Plugs were producing fish. Walleye action picked up a little, with reports of some nice fish being caught on crawler harnesses trolled in 20 to 40 feet of water, 10 to 18 feet down from Potawatomi Park to Little Sturgeon Bay and the deeper reefs. Bass action remained fair with a lot of small fish, along with an occasional keeper, being caught from shore. The best action for bigger fish remains on the deeper off shore reefs. Gulp's watermelon, white spinner baits and tube jigs continue to produce fish. Perch action was reported as fair to good on worms, minnows, crabs and jigs. The larger perch were still coming out of deep reefs and weed beds in 10 to 30 feet of water, and from 25 to 40 feet over mud flats. Good numbers of smaller perch and rock bass are coming out of most of the northern harbors. Chaudoirs Dock had pretty decent perch action during the last week. Little Sturgeon Bay has seen a lot of boat traffic this week, mostly due to the new boat launch. There has been some slight perch action off Squaw Island in 8-10 feet, but they were small. For those fishing bass, bait such as leeches and minnows have been working pretty well along the rock bars at 10-12 feet on the east shore where most of the bass action has always been. Some bigger ones have been showing up again, with quite a few at 18 to 20 inches. Sawyer Harbor bass action slowed last week. However, there were some caught in the 18 to 20 inch range. There has been some walleye action out on Larson's Reef. Northern pike activity was picking up with some 32 to 38 inch fish reported. Most have been caught right in the channel, 15-20 feet down trolling with deep cranks or flipping tubes.
Peninsula State Park - As of Aug. 25, all hiking and biking trails are in excellent condition. The waters of Nicolet Beach have received periodic accumulations of algae (Cladophora). Swimming has been less than ideal in areas immediately adjacent to shore, but overall conditions remain good. Tee times are readily available at Peninsula State Park golf course. Visit the golf course web site at
www.peninsulagolf.org. Eagle Bluff Lighthouse has guided tours seven days per week between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Whitefish Dunes State Park The beach is open for swimming. Algae has periodically accumulated along the shoreline, but has also been washed away again with a change in wind direction. Dry weather and a low mosquito population have made conditions ideal for hiking. Goldenrod, chicory (non-native) and Queen Annes lace (non-native) are in bloom. The federally threatened dune thistle is also in bloom. Dolls-eyes berries are out (not edible). Blackberries are ripe and ready for picking. Park staff continue to fight the spread of invasive species in the park. They pull dames rocket, hounds tongue, forget-me-nots, leafy spurge, spotted knapweed, and reed canary grass every week during the Weekly Weeders program on Wednesday from 9 to 11 a.m. The monarchs and birds are beginning to migrate south. Many visitors have reported seeing twin fawns during their visit. Pileated Woodpeckers are also seen frequently around the contact station and the parking lots. A red fox has been very active along the yellow trail, and was spotted by the park naturalist.
Kewaunee County - Lake Michigan water temperatures stayed relatively the same as last week making fishing quite difficult. The current water temperatures are still between 66-70 degrees. Most anglers have had success in 100 to 350-plus feet of water and 60-150 feet down. Chinook salmon were still being taken in good numbers with the majority of fish in between the 10-15 pound range. Some of the four year old chinooks are starting to change color. Mixed bags of rainbow trout and lake trout have also been taken. Dodger / fly setups have seen a little bit more action lately; however, spoons and j-plugs have taken fish as well. Pier and shore fishing has remained descent with a few chinook and rainbow being caught on alewives and spoons. Anglers have reported that glow in the dark spoons have taken fish after sunset. Look for shore action to pick up soon in the coming weeks.
Oshkosh DNR Service Center area
Most area wetlands, feeder creeks and small rivers have very low water levels or are dry due to the moderate/severe drought this summer. Waterfowl brood production has been negatively impacted. In Fond du Lac County, both Eldorado and Mullet Creek Wildlife Area impoundments are dry. Ample precipitation would be needed soon to recharge these areas for the upcoming fall waterfowl season. Waterfowl hunters are encouraged to scout their hunting areas and plan accordingly. The early September goose season runs Sept. 1 through 15. Recently harvested oat, winter wheat and sweet corn fields with nearby water are good areas to scout. The mourning dove season opens Sept. 1. Local mourning dove production was excellent due to the warm, dry summer. Hunters should have ample opportunity. Prairie enthusiasts should be busy collecting seed. Some of the forb species ready for harvest are ox-eye sunflower, golden Alexander, Canada milk vetch, and yellow pimpernel to name a few. Prairie forb species in bloom are all of the silphiums, (prairie dock, rosinweed, compass plant and cup plant), along with New England aster, tall sawtooth sunflower, western sunflower and sneezeweed. The dry, warm summer has the seed maturing about 10 days earlier than usual. Also, time to begin brush control activities on your prairies. Trees such as cottonwoods, box elder, green ash and aspen, as well as shrubs such as buckthorn, prickly ash and dogwoods need to be removed with cut stumps treated with a herbicide to prevent resprouting. This will ensure longevity of your prairie planting. Migrating flocks of nighthawks were beginning to be observed in the evening, and kettles of broad-winged hawks were seen during the early afternoon as they travel southward to their wintering grounds. Adult male white-tailed deer are beginning to shed summer velvet from antlers. A few "rubbings" have been seen along forest-wetland edges. Wild turkey and pheasant broods are more observable with the harvest of small grain fields complete. Early indications showing good brood survival for these wildlife species. Much better production than the cool, wet year of 2004. It is time for hunters and their favorite companions to begin preparing for the upcoming hunting season. It is important for both the hunter and dog to be in good physical condition to avoid injuries during the hunting season. Gradually, begin taking longer walks both in the morning and evening including tall vegetation fields to increase your conditioning and stamina. Also, hone shooting skills at local sports clubs and trap/rifle/archery shooting ranges. The Ducks Unlimited Great Outdoor Festival is this weekend at the EAA grounds in Oshkosh. The event kicks off this Friday, August 26 at noon and ends Sunday, August 28 at 5 p.m. The DNR will have a tent in the Conservation Village.
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SOUTHEAST REGION
Conditions for most forms of outdoor recreation remain excellent; though drought conditions remain severe. Most marshes are dry or almost so. On the positive side, biting bugs remain few and far between. What rain fell last week was quickly absorbed producing little run-off with no discernible affect on lake or stream water levels. Mast bearing trees such as oak and hickory are producing excellent crops and acorns have started to fall. This Fall, there should be plenty of feed for turkeys and deer to be found among mature oaks. Wild cherry trees are bursting with their small but sour fruit. Can jams and jellies be made from wild cherry? If so, the Kettle Moraine is full of mature wild cherry trees; many of which can be found on public lands in the Southern and Northern Units of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. Puff ball mushrooms are just starting; other species will require moisture and frost to really get going. Most young wild turkeys are just a little smaller than a smaller adult turkey hen. Sightings of broods remain fairly common, indicating a significant hatch. However, very few sandhill crane chicks have been observed despite adults being very common and visible in many crop fields toward evening. Camping is starting to wind-down for the season. Although still busy, DNR campgrounds will probably have sites available on a first-come, first-served basis until about noon on Saturdays. Calling ahead for reservations is still recommended though (1-888-wiparks). Let the hunt begin! Hunting seasons are here! Early September Canada goose and Dove seasons start Sept. 1; followed closely by the annual youth waterfowl hunt on Sept. 17 and 18. Doves should be easy to locate because water supplies are few and far between. Local Canada geese remain very abundant; but seem to be spread-out. If you can find a field of winter wheat, you will have great goose shooting! Angling is just starting to change from summer to a fall patterns. Cool evenings are helping lake surface water temperatures cool which will eventually bring larger game fish in shallower. Most fishing remains fairly deep, at or below the thermocline.
Sheboygan County - In Sheboygan a few chinooks have been taken on alewives fished off the piers. Trollers off Sheboygan have been catching decent numbers of chinooks near the bottom in 60 to 90 feet of water. Spoons and j-plugs in blue, green, wonderbread, and glow-in-the-dark have produced the most.
Ozaukee County - In Port Washington shore anglers fishing off the pier have been catching a few chinooks and browns on alewives. Shore anglers in the harbor have been catching good numbers of browns on both alewives and spawn sacs. Trollers off of Port have been catching chinooks 30 to 50 feet down in 50 to 90 feet of water. J-plugs, spoons, and flies in green & silver, blue, and glow-in-the-dark have been effective.
Milwaukee County - In Milwaukee most shore fishing action has been off McKinley pier in the early morning or late evening hours. Both chinooks and rainbows have been taken on glow-in-the-dark spoons or alewives, and a few perch have been caught on minnows. Trollers off Milwaukee have been catching good numbers of chinooks north of the harbor and off the main gap. A variety of baits have been productive in 50 to 80 feet of water.
Racine County Shore anglers fishing off the Racine piers have been catching good numbers of chinooks and a few browns on both spoons and crankbaits. Shore anglers using spinner baits in the harbor have caught a few northerns as well. Trollers fishing just outside the Racine harbor have been catching good numbers of chinooks on almost any lure. Most fish have been caught in water less than 50 feet deep.
Kenosha County - In Kenosha shore anglers have been catching chinooks and brown trout behind the Holiday Inn at daybreak. Both spoons and crank baits have been effective. Kenosha trollers working the mouth of the Pike River have been catching good numbers of chinooks. Those in front of the harbor have been catching coho and browns in addition to chinooks. Spoons, flies, and J-plugs in almost any color have all been effective.
Walworth and inland Racine and Kenosha counties - Fishing has been best in 18 to 30 feet of water. Panfish were biting on night crawler pieces and waxworms. Largemouth and smallmouth bass were striking minnow imitation lures, night crawlers, and leeches. Northern pike have been going after suckers or chubs. Shiners and leeches were working for walleyes. Inland anglers were reporting mixed bags of bluegill, crappie, and largemouth bass on Wind, Tichigan, and Eagle lakes. Kenosha County anglers were catching perch, bluegills, and bass on the Twin Lakes, Silver Lake, and Powers Lake. Delavan, Geneva, and Beulah lakes were producing some nice catches of crappie, bass, and walleye. Northern pike fishing was best on Delavan and Geneva lakes.
Washington, eastern Fond du Lac, and inland Sheboygan counties - Fishing actions seems to have slowed a bit lately. Few catch reports have been coming in. The trout streams are holding up fairly well considering the dry summer. The final month of the trout season is coming up. Clear water conditions make it tough fishing for trout. Rain is needed soon to produce better trout fishing conditions.
Waukesha County - Fishing picked up last week with recent cooling trends. Excellent catches of crappies have been reported from area lakes in weed flats in 6 to 17 feet of water. Bluegills have also been providing action in 15-25 feet of water. Waxies and spikes were producing best. Bass fishing has been excellent during low light periods. Deep weed flats fished with stick baits before sunset and after sunrise have been providing excellent action. Also top water baits fished near cover have been working well.
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SOUTH CENTRAL REGION
Dodgeville DNR Service Center area
Grant County The Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers are on the rise once again due to the recent heavy rainfalls. However, water levels remain below normal with many shallow areas impassable. Caution is advised when boating near wing dams and rock rip-rap. Late summer fishing has been slow with a few bluegills and crappies biting in scattered areas in Mississippi River pool #11. Smallmouth and largemouth bass anglers have reported catches of sub-legal fish, which have provided for good fishing opportunities on artificial lures especially tube worm baits.
Wyalusing State Park Anglers report fishing activity has been good. Nice catches of bluegills have been reported. The Mississippi River level at Prairie du Chien was 6.8 feet as of Aug. 25. Trails are in good condition. Prairie dock, Joe pye-weed, Culver's root, wild quinine, rosinweed, grey-headed coneflower, purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan, chicory, woodland sunflower, and evening primrose are blooming.
Iowa County - With nice weekend weather again, many people were out enjoying Wisconsin's natural resources. Even with recent rainfall, the Wisconsin River is still a little low and water temperatures are warm. Governor Dodge State Park's prairies are in abundance with late summer wild flowers/vegetation such as brown-eyed Susans, queen Anne's lace and mustard seed. The parks wild parsnip is starting to die off as summer comes to an end. Water temperatures at the park's two lake was also on the rise. The rising water temperatures was bringing musky and bass anglers some action at Twin Valley Lake in the park. Top water baits have been their method of choice. Largemouth have also been biting on the southern half of the Mississippi River above lock and dam # 11 by rock banks on night crawlers. Fire warning levels are moderate but still be careful.
Horicon DNR Service Center area
Columbia County - Temperatures have started to cool in Columbia County and as a result fishing has picked up slightly. Anglers were experiencing success with crappies on Lake Wisconsin, and bluegill anglers were doing well on Crystal Lake near Lodi. Walleye and northern pike activity has been slow but fish were still caught regularly on the Wisconsin River between Lake Wisconsin and Wisconsin Dells. Smallmouth anglers were still having great success on the Wisconsin River. Whitetail deer are being noticed regularly in the fields, as have wild turkeys.
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WEST CENTRAL REGION
La Crosse DNR Service Center area
Large flocks of bluebirds and blackbirds are gathering. Bluebird concentrations tend to number about 10-20 birds, but blackbird flocks reach several hundred to more than one thousand birds. Roosting flocks of blackbirds can cause local nuisance problems with their droppings and odors. Fortunately these types of problems are temporary, as most blackbirds migrate south for the winter. Acorns are a major food source for many wildlife species. Acorns crops of bur oak have started dropping and it looks like it will be a bumper crop in Southwest Wisconsin. Some of the early spring frosts experienced this year made white and red oak acorn producing trees more scattered with good production on the trees that are producing acorns. Start watching to see how many different wildlife species utilize the acorns. Some may be collecting and storing them while others need to wait for them to fall and will move to areas where the trees have recently dropped them. Different wildlife species utilize different species of acorns.
Mississippi River - Canada geese are starting to feed extensively in fields. When the early goose hunt opens on Sept. 1, fields will provide the best hunting opportunities. Migrating shorebirds are passing through the La Crosse area. Look for them along bare or sparsely vegetated shorelines. Migrating nighthawks will be passing soon. They are not really hawks, they are in the goatsucker family, although insects are their prey.
Crawford County - The Mississippi River water rose slightly by the end of the week. After dropping below the 6.5 foot mark last week the Mississippi River stage is still around 6.8 feet. The Wisconsin River and the Kickapoo River are at normal summer levels. Now that the Mississippi Rivers is under the 7 foot mark many submerged dangers are being exposed. There have been a few incidents of boat damage due to the low water. Dead heads, wing dams, and slough closures all pose dangers to boaters. Some backwater areas and mud/sand flats could also cause problems. Barge and recreational boating traffic continued to be very heavy on the Mississippi, especially on weekends, so boaters should use caution and observe speed and distance laws. Walleye and sauger action was pretty good this week along rocky shorelines or wing dams or in deeper channels on live night crawlers, leeches, or willowcats. The Roseau Slough, the Black Slough and wing dams around the Prairie du Chien and Lynxville/Ferryville area were active. The islands along the main channel outside Lynxville and all the way up to Lansing have been producing some nice walleye. Bluegill action was also very good again this week. The upper and lower portions of the Ambro Slough, many areas of the East Channel along the flats, Hunters, Coon, and Catfish Sloughs, the flats along the main channel, and many wing dams have been producing bluegills. Even in the Main Channel along rocky shorelines and lower flow areas big bluegills have been taken. Most are using either a chunk of nightcrawlers or a wax worm. Perch and crappie action continued to be spotty. Catfish were being caught in Pool 9 outside of Ferryville and on the East Channel outside of Prairie du Chien. Spring Lake area, Garnet Lake, the main channels and most sloughs have produced bass. Largemouth bass have been taken along woody shorelines and weeds in the back sloughs on plastics, jig and pig, top water spoons, or spinner baits. Bass anglers fishing on Pool 9 have found bass along the weed edges along the small channels. Smallmouth bass have been active along the Main Channels especially along rocky shorelines and wing dams. Northern pike action was spotty this week. Inland trout anglers were reporting some very good success now that the water is coming down after last weeks rain. White Pelicans can still been seen on Pool 9. Large groups of mallards can be seen in the Pool 9 area, the Ambro Slough area and on the St. Feriole Slough in Prairie du Chien. As the month progresses outdoor users will notice that the cool weather grasses are starting to die back and should notice subtle changes in the trees as the lush green color of the leaves is very slowly changing.
Black River Falls DNR Service Center area
Monroe County - Temperatures and fishing activity have cooled off for the time being. Clear days and cool nights have made other outdoor activities very enjoyable especially in the absence of many summertime bugs. Bucks are still wearing good velvet headgear. There should be good opportunities for early goose season fans as more and more resident geese have been seen in the area. Now is the time to help out cranberry growers/farmers with agricultural deer damage permits. Helping to fill these tags offers a unique opportunity to hunt deer during warmer weather conditions and a great time to introduce youths to hunting. Many area cranberry growers are permit holders and in need of hunters.
Wisconsin Rapids DNR Service Center area
Buckhorn State Park - The hot weather has brought many visitors to the park to boat, swim, and canoe. Fishing has been slow but kids have been having some luck fishing the pond north of the park entrance. Park along County Road G and walk in to the pond. Campers and other park users have been catching catfish from shore at night. There has been some green algae moving around the lake. Some areas will be clear one day, then green the next. Three wells are being converted from hand pumps to pressurized systems (north and south shelters and beach). Water is available at the park office or group camp. Deer, turkeys, sandhill cranes and herons are seen all over in the park. The whippoorwills have been heard at night. Universe in the Park will be at the North picnic shelter Saturday, August 27 around 8:45 pm. Campsites are filling up on weekends and the park has been seeing increased camping during the week. Sept. 31 is the deadline for the photo contest and we have started getting entries.
Roche-A-Cri State Park - Trails are in good hiking condition, and the prairies are in bloom. The barred owls are hooting in the evening, and a wide variety of songbirds and turkey vultures have taken up annual residence in the park.
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