( straight from the D.N.R. )NORTHERN REGION
Superior DNR Service Center area
Brule River State Forest - Conditions were starting to dry up again until Wednesday when the area got some much needed rain. Gordon DNR measured .23 inches of rain while the Brule DNR weather station measured 1.30 inches of rain. More rain is expected for Thursday and Friday. The temperatures are expected to be in the mid to upper 60's this weekend. The Bois Brule River is now flowing at 129 cubic feet per second (CFS) due to the rain last night. Before the rain the river was flowing at 104 CFS. The 60 year average is 149 CFS. The barrens have a golden glow due to the Goldenrods and native sunflowers blooming. The golden blooms of the goldenrods are not the only distinguishing feature of this plant
some goldenrods have large galls due to the parasitism from the golden rod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis). For more information on this interesting insect and goldenrods check out
http://www.naturenorth.com/winter/gallfly/Fgallfly.html. Blazing star is also blooming out in the barrens adding a purple splash of color.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - Fishing success was pretty good in the Northwoods in the past week with both the weather and the fish cooperating. Moderate temperatures and low humidity made for some pleasant angling conditions, with musky and bass becoming especially active. Musky success showed a nice little surge and most anglers reported some good action from small and medium-size fish (28 to 40 inches). The fish seemed to be active along the weed edges and in the shallower weed beds. Top water baits and slower moving stick baits were the most productive. Any time of day has produced action and was mostly dependent on local weather conditions. Action for both largemouth and smallmouth bass has been consistent and some very nice fish have been caught and released in the last week. Largemouth bass have pretty much settled in to their summer pattern and have been relating to the thick cover. Weedless top water baits and soft plastics have been the most productive and have to be fished in the weed pockets, in the wood or tight to the bog/marsh edges. Smallmouth bass have been a bit tough to find in the lakes but action continued to be good on the flowages and larger rivers. Soft plastics have been the favorite baits and the fish have been relating to wood near deeper water areas. Walleye action has also picked up a notch and a few anglers have been reporting some decent catches. Leeches and crawlers fished along the weed edges and in weed pockets have produced most of the fish. Panfish action continues to be fair. Larger bluegill have been a little tough to find but some decent catches of crappie and rock bass have been reported. Water levels in all of the area streams, rivers, flowages and lakes continue to be at very low levels. The smaller and medium-size flowages have had the most stable water levels but many of the larger flowages are 8 to 12 inches or more below normal.
Flambeau River State Forest - The north fork of the Flambeau River is at a normal summer low. Paddlers have still been enjoying it, although are experiencing a few low spots. The fee for both Lake of the Pines, and Connors Lake Campground went up on August 16; residents now pay $9 per night and non-residents $11 per night for camping. The vehicle admission fees remain the same. A lot of bucks are still being seen in velvet and people are encountering large swarms of "midges," tiny swarms of harmless insects.
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NORTHEAST REGION
Peshtigo DNR Service Center area
Marinette County - Cooler temperatures and calmer water had anglers chasing fish all over the past week. Trout and salmon were still the main target of anglers launching from the Menominee River. Most groups caught fish out near Green Island on dodgers and flies with a smaller portion of fish coming in on J-plugs and spoons. Anglers going out before day break had the best results with the bite slowing down as the day progressed. Chinooks made up most of the catch with a few larger browns showing up as well. Walleye anglers have started to catch small catches of small to mid-sized walleye from the mouth up to the upstream point of Stephenson Island. Trolling crawler harnesses with bottom bouncers along the docked ships have produced some fish as well as jigging leaches and minnows near the Island at dark. Some fish were also being taken on slender stick baits trolled along the Michigan side of the river. Pressure on the Peshtigo River is fairly light but smallmouth bass were being caught near the mouth of the river on deeper drop-offs with live bait & jig combinations. Channel catfish and sheepshead are also being caught at the mouth with night crawlers fished on the bottom.
Oconto County - Perch fishing out of Oconto has been spotty with small catches of fish being caught. Most anglers were finding fish still in deeper water from 38-45 feet with larger minnows being the most effective at catching nicer sized fish as well as less gobies, which are still dominating the catch. A few scattered perch were also showing up in the shallower weedy areas from 9-11 feet of water but fish were generally smaller. Early mornings have proved to be the best bet for catching fish with bite usually dying off by 9-10 a.m. Larger walleye were starting to show up from County Park II down to the Pensaukee River for anglers trolling with larger stick baits in natural colors and crawlers harnesses in 10-15 feet of water. Some channel catfish were being caught on the Oconto River while fishing with night crawlers and minnows on the bottom off of the Breakwater pier and near the Municipal boat ramp in Oconto near Hi Seas Marina in the evenings with most fish running between 14-17 inches.
Green Bay DNR Service Center area
Brown Calumet & Outagamie counties - Many areas are now seeing the effects of the dry weather. Small wetlands have slowly lost their amounts of water over the summer with a replacement of vegetation of smart weed, bidens, (sticktights), water plantain and arrowhead. These are important plant species of the edge areas, bringing forth seed for the impending water to come either in the spring or fall when waterfowl can readily pick up the morsels left from their seed production. Time periods of dryness are important for they bring a time of renewal for the wetland by having its nutrients being recycled into plants and invertebrates. All are necessary for the wetland to remain at its peak of performance even when it is dry. Once water comes back to the wetland, production increases at a premium offering both plants and invertebrates to the wildlife dependent upon it. On Brillion Wildlife Area concentrations of sandhill cranes are appearing on the north end of the property near Conservation Road. On Killsnake Wildlife Area concentrations of cranes are seen within the interior of the property near Lemke Road. Ospreys are still utilizing the river systems on both of the Calumet County properties mentioned as they are hunting for carp and feeding upon adjoining trees. Ducks are concentrated on the few wetlands having water as well as a show of various shorebirds probing the moist soils along drying wetlands. Concentrations of swallows of various species were seen on the graveled portions of KillsnakeWildlife Area picking up grit. Areas near High Cliff State Park are showing large amounts of swallows near the marina, including tree swallows and purple martins. All are signs of the beginning of the fall migration. The restored prairie areas on the Wildlife Areas are showing colors of yellow along with the waving seed heads of the many grasses such as big bluestem, Indian grass, switch grass, Canada wild rye, side oats grama and little bluestem. Those tall plants showing a sunflower head have adapted to the rigors of dry periods with there extensive root system going down thirty feet. They are called rosinweed, cup plant, compass plant and prairie dock. Many species of song birds relish the seeds, especially finches. They will be vigorously tearing out the seeds by the time Labor Day is here. Mourning doves are gathering in large concentrations throughout the area. With the recent combining of winter wheat fields by farmers, the birds are seeking waste grain. Coopers hawks are quick to learn of these concentrations causing a great aerial display of predator versus prey. The Department has banded a number of doves throughout the state and will be expecting citizens to report bands. Other raptors are also beginning to slowly concentrate at various areas on public lands. American kestrels, red-tail hawks and harriers are readily seen as one travels the roads around the grasslands. The Brillion Nature Center recently completed an accessible trail loop. This completion along with a previous accessible trail to the marsh overlook has greatly added to the enjoyment for walking and viewing wildlife. The Brillion Nature Center is open monthly the first Tuesday 1-5 p.m. and third Thursday 9 a.m. to noon while the trails are open 7 a.m. to sunset daily. A map is available at .
Sturgeon Bay DNR Service Center area
Door County - It was mostly hot and humid this week. Its still very, very dry please be extra careful with fires. Salmon fishing in northern Green Bay and out on the big lake remains super. Lots of nice chinook salmon were coming in, along with a few rainbow and lake trout. The best time of the day remained dawn, with dusk also producing lots of fish. White, green, silver, and blue flies behind white dodgers remained hot. Pro-Kings, Evil Eyes, spoons and J-Plugs are all producing fish. Walleye action was heating up, 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. Bass action remained fair with a lot of small fish being caught from shore. The best action for bigger fish remains on the deeper, off shore, reefs. Watermelon and white spinner baits and tube jigs were producing fish. There were several reports of nice bass being taken by anglers trolling night crawler rigs for walleyes. Perch action was reported as fair to good on minnows, crabs and jigs in 10-15 feet of water near weed beds. Sturgeon Bay and Little Sturgeon Bay are good spots to try for perch; however some fish are being caught throughout the county.
Peninsula State Park - 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. All hiking and biking trails are dry and in excellent condition. Although recent rains have been beneficial, a Campfire Advisory is still in effect. Conditions remain very dry. Please use extreme caution when using fire, and keep all campfires small and attended at all times!
Kewaunee County - The changing water temperatures over the weekend slowed fishing down quite a bit. On Saturday, anglers enjoyed an excellent day with many double digit catches being reported. Overnight the water temperature rose 10 degrees slowing the bite down. Lake Michigan water temperatures were between 66-70 degrees. Hopefully the southern wind that is forecast will bring with it cooler water temperatures. Chinook salmon were still being taken in good numbers with the majority of fish in between the 10-15 pound range. Mixed bags of rainbow trout, lake trout, and coho salmon have also been taken. Anglers have had the best success fishing in 40-150 feet of water from the surface to 80 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 was good again this week with a fair amount of chinook and rainbow caught, as well as the occasional brown. The majority of fish taken off the piers were caught on alewives and a few were taken on various spoons. The Algoma Shanty Days Fishing Tournament wrapped up over the weekend with a 20.45 pound chinook taking top prize.
Oshkosh DNR Service Center area
Water levels are very low on both the Fox and Wolf rivers, due to the low water not much fishing activity has been reported. Perch fishing has been fair on Lake Winnebago, the east shore seems to be the best bet. Walleye fishing has been good on the reefs, but anglers may have to move until they find active fish. There were lots of sheepshead and quite a few smallmouth bass mixed in when fishing the reefs with jigs and night crawlers. Bluegill fishing has been okay on Green Lake in weed edges and cribs. DNR fisheries crews have been surveying trout streams in Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara and Marquette counties. Most streams are lower than normal, but still plenty of trout have been sampled, mainly browns.
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SOUTHEAST REGION
Lake surface water temperatures reached into the high-80s last week and most anglers focused on deeper waters and suspended panfish. With cool nights, surface water temperatures are heading downward and larger game fish should start moving into the shallows to feed. Despite warm surface water temperatures, smaller largemouth bass were active on surface baits fished in the evening. For experienced bass anglers, action was good with a catch rate of about three bass per hour fished. Since few bass caught reached the standard 14-inch minimum size limit, larger, older bass likely remained in deep water. Expect that to change as surface waters cool. Lack of rain continues to lower water levels on both lakes and streams. Without groundwater recharge, trout streams are down to about three-fourths to two-thirds their normal flow. No trout mortality has been reported yet. Since flow is dominated by remaining groundwater, trout streams are running cold; but quantity of flow is lacking. Lower flows are robbing trout of their normal hiding places under stream banks. Thus, adult trout are more exposed to predators such as mink, otters and wading birds. Trout stream water that normally is knee-deep is now just over ankle-deep. Hikers and bikers were enjoying near perfect conditions. Biting bugs are almost non-existent. Bike trails were getting heavy use by cyclists, and where paved, use by roller-bladers is heavy .
Sheboygan County - In Sheboygan good numbers of chinooks have been taken on alewives fished off the piers. Trollers off Sheboygan have also been catching chinooks 15 to 25 feet down in 35 to 60 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. All of them have been taken on alewives. Trollers off of Port have been catching chinooks as well. Fish have been found from 20 to 25 feet down in 60 to 70 feet of water. J-plugs 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 hours. Good numbers of chinooks and a few 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. The best bite has been early in the morning, and fish have been caught north of the harbor 40 to 50 feet down in 60 to 90 feet of water. Green and silver spoons have been productive.
Racine County - Shore anglers in Racine have been catching some early morning chinooks on blue & silver spoons. Trollers have been catching limits of chinooks 60 feet down in 100 feet of water. Spoons have been effective most consistently, and a wide variety of colors have been working well.
Kenosha County - In Kenosha, a fair number of perch have been caught off the south pier at daybreak. Both crab tails and spinners have been producing. Shore anglers have also been catching good numbers of brown trout behind the Holiday Inn. Most browns have been taken on white tube jigs as well as small or medium shallow crank baits. Trollers off Kenosha have been catching chinooks in 40 to 60 feet of water. Spoons in chartreuse, white, and silver have been effective.
Walworth and inland Racine and Kenosha counties - Bluegills were biting on Wind Lake along weedlines in 4 to 12 feet of water. Anglers using night crawler pieces and waxworms were doing well. Tichigan lake anglers were catching largemouth bass over structure in 20 to 25 feet of water. Bluegills were biting on night crawler pieces, waxworms, and small jigs in 20 to 40 feet of water on Delavan, Geneva, and Lauderdale Lakes. Geneva Lake was producing crappies on jigs in 17 to 30 feet of water. Largemouth bass anglers were having success fishing with minnow imitation lures and plastics along weedlines in 12 to 25 feet of water in Delavan, Beulah, and Whitewater Lakes. Anglers using chubs and suckers were doing well on northern pike 25 to 40 feet of water in Delavan and Geneva Lakes. Lake trout are hitting trolled spoons in 65 to 100 feet of water in Geneva Lake.
Washington, eastern Fond du Lac, and inland Sheboygan counties - Bass fishing was still very good in area lakes and rivers. Improving temperatures and stable weather should keep fishing action hot on area lakes. Pike Lake near Hartford was providing good bluegill and bass action at times. Walleye action there has been very slow. Big Cedar Lake was also providing good panfish action.
Waukesha County - Musky action has been good for trollers on Pewaukee but the fish caught have been on the smaller side--nothing over 46 inches since early July. The bluegill bite has been excellent on all lakes including Pewaukee, Beaver and Nagawicka. Surprisingly good musky action was reported on Okauchee on bucktails and casting. On Pewaukee, bigger bluegills were on the bottom in weedy areas; on most other lakes they were found suspended 13-15 feet down. Good walleye action was reported on Oconomowoc and lots of small walleyes, just under the size limit, were reported from Lac La Belle and Pewaukee.
Kettle Moraine State Park - Pike Lake Unit - All trails are open for hiking. Summer is a great time to view wildflowers while walking the forest trails. Queen Ann's lace, false cone flower and butter-and-eggs are blooming in the park. The swimming beach area is marked and is open for the season. There are no lifeguards on duty in the state forest. Water quality remains good in the beach area.
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SOUTH CENTRAL REGION
Dodgeville DNR Service Center area
Grant County
Wyalusing State Park - According to local anglers, fishing activity has been good. Nice catches of bluegills have been reported. Fishing off the pier at the Wyalusing State Park boat landing has also been good. The Mississippi River continues to drop. River level on August 16 at Prairie du Chien was 6.5 feet. Trails were in good condition. Many trails have been brushed recently to remove encroaching vegetation. . Some members of the park staff were treated to a special bird sighting -- a hummingbird fledgling. On this past Saturday, a camper reported that there was an injured bird at their campsite. A ranger went to the site to check on the bird and discovered it was a hummingbird fledgling. It was on the clothes line at the site. The mother bird was feeding it. As of August 14, all second brood bluebird nestlings had fledged, bringing the total so far this year to 44. The bluebird house across from the ball field remains active with a third brood nest containing four eggs. A successful nesting season is slowly drawing to a close. Prairie dock, Joe Pyeweed, Culver's root, wild quinine, rosinweed, grey-headed coneflower, purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan are blooming. Fall webworm nests are appearing in the trees. The fall webworm is most often discovered when the unsightly, light gray, silken webs on the trees in late summer and early fall are observed. Webworms enclose leaves and small branches in their nests, unlike the tent caterpillars which make a smaller nest in the crotch of branches. The pest is native to North America and is common from Canada into Mexico. It is one of the few American insect pests that has been introduced into Europe and Asia. This pest usually eats leaves late in the season and the nests are generally concentrated to limited areas. Because of this, little real damage is done to most trees. However, the nests can look very unsightly and multiple generations in long summers can lead to significant defoliation.
Fitchburg DNR Service Center area
Sauk County
Devil's Lake State Park - Swimmers have been enjoying the warm lake water and broad sandy beaches with the lake level just a little bit low. No cases of swimmers itch have been reported all summer. Its probably too early to make any scientific conclusions (only 4 years into the 15-year project), but perhaps one of the many benefits of the phosphorus reduction project is showing up. Its estimated that at least a ton of phosphorus has been removed from the lake in the past 3-4 years. Campgrounds have been filling, even on weeknights.
Dane County - Summer seems to be winding down in the Madison area. Boating traffic has been very light weeknights and boaters enjoying the beautiful weather over the weekend were mostly just anchored and soaking up the sun or swimming. Bluegill fishing was slow in the area with the exception of the Monona Terrace where a few anglers were still catching some fish off of the wall with waxworms. Lake Kegonsa bluegill fishing has slowed down considerably and the locks at Babcock Park have slowed down also. Turkey broods can be seen feeding on bugs in hayfields. There is a great crop of grasshoppers available. Dove hunting should be good again this year -- hunters should scout areas they had luck with last year as crops have changed and a lot of corn fields are now planted in soybeans. Doves can be seen roosting on telephone wires adjacent to their feeding areas. The acorn crop appears to be very good as the nuts have begun to drop from the trees. Pot holes are very dry and some have disappeared. Lake and river water levels remain very low. Cicadas are very active during the day and can be heard at night also, sounding somewhat like tree frogs. Coyotes have been howling at the full moon.
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WEST CENTRAL REGION
Baldwin DNR Service Center area
St. Croix County
Willow River State Park - Shore fishing action for panfish is reported as good, sometimes even at mid day. The Willow River is running at normal flow and clarity. Reservable campsites are full for the weekend of Aug.19. Sunday through Thursday nights have sites open as the month progresses. The Stillwater, Minn. bridge over the St. Croix River is closed into October 2005. 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
Late summer and early fall are good times to do some bird watching. Oftentimes fall migrants do not move through an area as rapidly as they do during the spring migration. Therefore, birdwatchers may have a little more time to actually "watch" the birds. Fall warblers can challenge even the most observant birdwatcher, making for difficult but rewarding identification lessons. Remember that most birds do not sing in the fall to the extent that they do in the spring. That means birdwatchers need to rely more on keen eyesight and less on their hearing to locate and identify birds.
Mississippi River - The first migrating blue-winged teal have arrived. Blackbirds are flocking in ever larger numbers. It must be almost fall.
Crawford County - The Mississippi River water level remained fairly constant this week. The Mississippi River stage is still around 6.7 feet. The Wisconsin River and the Kickapoo River saw a little rise with the rain last week but started to drop at the end of the week. Now that the Mississippi Rivers is under the 7 foot mark many submerged dangers are being exposed. Dead heads, wing dams, and slough closures all pose dangers to boaters. Most anglers found that fishing on the weekend is tough because of all the boat traffic. Walleye and sauger action remained good on night crawlers, leeches, or willow cats along rocky shorelines, wing dams or in deeper channels. The Roseau Slough, the Black Slough and wing dams around the Prairie du Chien and Lynxville/Ferryville area have all been active. Bluegill action was 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 night crawlers or a wax worm. There has also been some action in the snags along the sloughs. The Cold Springs area remains very slow. Perch and crappie action remained very spotty. Striper (white bass) action was pretty slow this week. Both channel and flathead catfish remained good with the warm water. Sheepshead were very active and are biting on night crawlers. Bass action was mixed. 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. 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. Trout have been active. White Pelicans can still been seen on Pool 9. Large groups of mallards can be seen in the Ambro Slough area and on the St. Feriole Slough in Prairie du Chien. Ticks, mosquitoes, hornets and deer flies are still out in force.
Black River Falls DNR Service Center area
Monroe County Bluegills were biting on Monroe County ponds. Bass have been active and have biting well on surface lures like white mice, buzz baits, and Moss Bosses. The deer flies and mosquitoes have dropped off and the nights have offered calm conditions good for fishing once again after much summer heat. Most ponds area still below average water levels. Trees are just starting to show some signs of the approaching fall.
Wisconsin Rapids DNR Service Center area
Roche-A-Cri State Park - The park prairies are blooming in abundance. Butterfly weed, brown-eyed Susan, prairie cone flowers, wild bergamot, lesser daisy fleabane, and whorled milkweed will be easily found by a short hike on our prairie trails. The park trails are in good condition. Wood violets are blooming along the trails.
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/news/or/index.htm
