NORTHERN REGION
Superior DNR Service Center area
Amnicon Falls State Park - It has been a very dry summer. The flow in the river is as about as low as it can get. For the last few weeks the Snake Pit Falls has not had water running over it. That channel is reduced to just pools and a very interesting view of the river bed. Hiking trails along the river and the Thimbleberry Nature trail are in good condition for the summer and provide wonderful views of the river and falls. Wasps and hornets have become pesky because of the dry conditions. Summer is coming to an end. Labor Day weekend is pretty well booked with just the first come first serve sites available.
Brule River State Forest - The Bois Brule River is flowing at 105 cubic feet per second (cfs) as of 8/31/06. The 61 year average is 137 cfs. There have been reports of a few steelhead beginning to come into the Bois Brule River. Bucks should start shedding their velvet on their antlers soon. The red coats on deer are starting to turn to the darker winter color. Fawns are also changing, their coats are starting to turn dark and they are beginning to lose their spots. The extended weather forecast calls for high temperatures in the low 70s and low temperatures in the low 50s. Slight chances of rain and thunderstorms are expected through the Labor Day weekend. The Brule Archery Club will be hosting an open house and fun shoot on Sept. 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be a novelty shoot with prizes and free food. The open house will be located at the Afterhours Trail which is off of the Afterhours Road. For more information contact Cathy Khalar at (715) 372-5678
Park Falls DNR Service Center area
Cooler weather has arrived in the Park Falls area with much cooler temperatures in the evenings. Weather forecasts call for nice weather for the upcoming holiday weekend. For many it will be the last hurrah for boating and skiing activity as summer winds down. However, many outdoor enthusiasts look forward to fall arriving with the number of outdoor activities to be involved in. Early goose and dove season open. Lake Sturgeon season opens Sept. 2 and bear season opens on Sept. 6. Fishing success has been improving with anglers reporting some nice catches of panfish and smallmouth bass. Walleye action has also been 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 is opened from Sept. 2 – Oct. 15. 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) – Seasonal weather and periodic rain storms have cooled water temperatures to the low 70s in most lakes across the Northwoods. This seems to have spurred on fish activity and angling for most species has improved. Largemouth and smallmouth bass have been providing some real good action, especially near the mid-day hours after the water has warmed up a bit. Largemouth continue to be associated with thick weeds and woody cover, with soft plastics and crayfish imitations providing the best success. Smallmouth have provided some fantastic action in the last week, with seeming to be active at all times of the day. The best baits have been small finesse plastics and worked near cover along mid-depth breaks. Musky and northern pike have both become more active with the cooler water, with both species keying on the deeper weed lines. Spinner baits and shallow-diving crank baits have produced some good action. Walleye success has also improved a bit as the fish are starting to put on the fall feed bag. River fishing has been the most productive, with leaches and crawlers dragged thru the deep runs giving the best catches. Panfish action has also been improving, with many angling find some nice crappie and bluegill suspended in about 12 to 15 feet of water. Some nice catches of perch have also been reported, with many of them coming from around and within the wild rice beds.
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NORTHEAST REGION
Peshtigo DNR Service Center area
Marinette County - Fishing on the Menominee, Little and Peshtigo rivers continued to produce steady action for anglers hitting the water over the past week and weekend. Salmon and trout action continued to be hot from the Peshtigo Light north to Chambers Island in 50 to 100-plus feet of water. Most fish were hitting dodger and fly combinations, with some fish also hitting spoons in all color variations. The bulk of the catch brought in by anglers was chinook salmon with some brown trout also mixed in. Walleye fishing on the Menominee River was starting to pick up with anglers reporting good catches of legal 15- to 18-inch fish off of the Hattie Street bridge in evening with leeches and crawlers fished off of plain hooks and jig heads being the most effective. Anglers trolling crawler harnesses from the mouth to Marinette Marine also had some success in the early morning and later evenings. The first salmon of the season were reported from Little River over the past week with anglers catching a few fish near the Highway BB bridge on spawn sacs fished off the bottom. Perch fishing out from Little River was also producing some nice fish, with anglers catching 12-inch fish on small minnows and night crawlers in 6 to 10 feet of water. The Peshtigo River remained steady for smallmouth bass, with anglers reporting good numbers of 14- to 18-inch fish caught on shallow running crank baits and spinner baits around shoreline structure and drop-off edges. A mixed bag of walleye, channel catfish and sheepshead were hitting near the mouth of the river from shore in the evening on night crawlers and leeches fished on the bottom. Anglers in boats also had luck drifting or anchoring with leeches or night crawlers tipped on jig heads near the mouth in the main channel.
Oconto County - Perch fishing remained hot along the west shore from Oconto County Park II south to the Pensaukee River. Limits of fish were reported from the area between County Park II and the Oconto Breakwater in 8 to 12 feet of water in and on the edge of weeds. Most fish were hitting minnows fished on plain hooks but slip bobbers tipped with pieces of night crawlers also produced fish fairly well with the occasional goby to also contend with. Some anglers were reporting descent numbers of perch out from the Pensaukee River in 10 to 14 feet of water on minnows and night crawlers. Smallmouth bass action was good on offshore reefs north of the Oconto River and off of Geano beach on shad raps and tube jigs with many fish over 18 inches. Bass fishing was fair on the lower Oconto along the Oconto Breakwater with some fish hitting spinner baits and tube jigs along rocks on the south breakwall. Anglers reported a mixed bag of rock bass, smallmouth bass, sheepshead, carp and small panfish below the Stiles dam downstream to the Iron bridge. Most fish were hitting night crawlers fished below bobbers on the north side of the river from the spillway down approximately 75 yards.
Green Bay DNR Service Center area
Brown County - The Fox River has been a pretty slow spot in the last two months or so. There hasn't been much seen except a few sheepshead and catfish, and even those were difficult to find at Voyager Park. Walleyes were starting to show up in the Menominee River and along Larson’s Reef, so they will be on their way down in a few weeks. The most walleye activity in the lower bay has been in the deeper holes between the Highway 172 bridge and Mason Street. Bass action has been zero at Voyager Park since spring, and there have been virtually no perch except for small schools that zoom into the river mouth at random. The white bass that have been hanging around the river mouth have been calming down a bit lately. The Suamico River has seen a few anglers, mostly in the afternoon and early evening. Perch action has been showing a glimmer of hope on the river, as anglers were catching some 7-inchers or so, but it takes some time. Some larger ones were being found in the shallower water along both Little Tail and Long Tail in the morning hours. Duck Creek has been very slow so far. Mostly sheepshead and bullheads have been caught during the day on crawlers. However, some of the white bass action has spilled over into Duck Creek from time to time. Bay Shore Park has still had good perch action. The action has been getting faster, with most anglers reaching their limit in a few hours. The gobies are beginning to let up, but the white perch are beginning to show up again. Most of the action is still straight out on the flats in 25 feet. Since the gobies have been slowing, there has also been some action on the north reef as well. The best walleye action has been around the Geano Beach area and Volk Reef. Some 22 to 26-inchers were caught in recent weeks, pretty much all hours of the day.
Manitowoc County - Anglers fishing out of the port of Manitowoc had a very good week of fishing this past week. Trollers brought in large catches of chinook salmon and rainbow trout. Pier anglers had a fair week, with a few chinook salmon caught off the south pier. Anglers fishing inside the harbor had a successful week catching bass. Trolling on Lake Michigan off of Two Rivers was very successful this week. Anglers brought in good catches of chinook salmon, rainbow trout, and a few lake trout. Best catches were in 100 to 145 feet of water with the bait set anywhere between 70 to 120 feet down. Successful anglers used a variety of baits like green fly and flasher combinations, orange and green spoons, and squids. The piers have been slow for chinook, but a few nice rainbows were pulled off in the early mornings just after sunrise. The surface temperature recorded in Two Rivers and Manitowoc was at 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sturgeon Bay DNR Service Center area
Door County - The week opened with sunny skies and mild temperatures; however, cloudy skies and scattered showers moved in and put a damper on Friday and Saturday. Nice catches of chinook salmon and rainbow trout continue to come in from just about all of the Door County ports. The Bank Reef, out of Sturgeon Bay, along with Baileys Harbor, Ellison Bay, Rowley’s Bay and Washington Island were all good areas. Most of the successful anglers were using aqua or green flies with glow dodgers, as well as spoons and J-Plugs, while fishing 60 to 120 feet down over 100 to 300 feet of water. Northern pike were being reported from Sturgeon Bay, Little Sturgeon and most areas of the county. Most have been caught right in the channel, 15-20 feet down trolling with deep cranks. There have been quite a few 24 to 30-inchers caught, and some up to 40 inches. A nice 42-inch, 16.42-pound northern was taken near Horseshoe Island. Walleye fishing continued to improve throughout the county. Sturgeon Bay and Little Sturgeon, along with the areas around Adventure Island, Horseshoe Island and the Strawberry Channel all continued to produce nice catches of walleye. Anglers trolling night crawler harnesses and crank baits in 20 - 35 feet of water, near reefs, points and shoal areas were catching nice fish. Bass fishing was good through out the county. Egg Harbor, Rowley’s Bay and the Stone Quarry County Park were all producing lots of smaller bass from shore; the larger fish continued to be in the deeper waters. Tube jigs, crank baits and spinner baits along with night crawlers remained the baits of choice for smallmouth, but leeches and minnows have been working pretty well for bass along the rock bars at 8-10 feet on the east shore. The average size has been a solid 15-17 inches. Sawyer Harbor has been seeing a little tougher action for bass this last week. The good news is that the big ones are showing up again. Still the best spots were around Cabot Point near the lighthouse and the rocky shore of the state park. Perch action continued to be good all over the county. Egg Harbor, Fish Creek and Sister Bay, along with the Southern Door bays, were all producing perch. Little Sturgeon Bay has been a bit disappointing since the cooler weather has been moving through. Most of the perch being caught from shore remain on the small side. Bigger perch were being taken from 10 to 30 feet of water. Henderson Point, as well as the area around Snake Island, continued to produce some good size perch. Anglers at Chaudoir’s Dock were doing great with many finding limits most days, while other days they were coming up a bit short. Bay Shore was a bit slower but the average size was pretty decent. Night crawlers continued as the baits of choice for perch, but both minnows and leeches were working.
Kewaunee County - It has been a slow week for anglers trolling Lake Michigan for both salmon and trout. Water temperatures remain quite high throughout the water column. Surface water temperatures are currently 69-70 degrees Fahrenheit. Anglers have also reported 60 degree temperatures as far down as 100 feet. Due to the warm water temperatures, anglers have had to move into deeper water (150-300 feet) to find active fish. Dodger / fly combinations in shades of aqua and green have worked well all summer. Wonder bread, watermelon, and blue berry muffin spoons have also been productive. Shore fishing action has improved drastically from last week. Staging chinook salmon, have been hitting green, blue, and silver spoons in the early morning and late evening. A few brown and rainbow trout have also found their way onto angler’s stringers. A small number of chinook salmon have made it into Kewaunee County tributaries; however, it is still a bit too early to actively fish. Anglers would have better success concentrating in the harbors and piers.
Oshkosh DNR Service Center area
On Lake Winnebago white bass appear to be concentrated in the northeastern section of the lake with anglers having good success when the bass are found. Night crawlers seemed to be the bait of choice. Perch were biting on red worms along the shore on the rocks through the sand transitional zones. Walleyes appear to be outside the mud and were being caught in the rocks on leeches and night crawlers. Walleyes were also being caught outside of the Oshkosh area. On Lake Winneconne, white bass were being hooked off of the Winneconne bridge. Bluegills have been biting on Lake Butte des Morts, producing some nice pan-sized catches for anglers. Wolf River anglers were catching some nice flatheads in the upper sections of the river; while white bass were being found around the Fremont area.
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SOUTHEAST REGION
Inland Fishing action has been fair to good; with most anglers still going deep to catch suspended panfish; or fishing at night for walleyes. With the exception of streams, bass anglers are also turning to the deep weed line to find fish. With cooling nights, this pattern is expected to change shortly. It won’t be long before both panfish and game fish move back to the shallow weed line and start feeding heavily. Northern pike have slowed down considerably, probably due to warm surface waters. Try using natural baits while fish are primarily in deeper waters.
Sheboygan County - In Sheboygan fishing off the piers remains slow, but a couple of brown trout have been caught in the early morning hours. Sheboygan trollers have been catching decent numbers of chinooks, with a few lake trout and browns mixed in. The majority of fish have been 70 to 90 feet down in 100 to 200 feet of water.
Ozaukee County - In Port Washington shore fishing has been slow. Trollers out of Port Washington have been catching good numbers of chinooks, along with a few rainbows and coho. Most fish have been caught 70 feet down in 100 to 120 feet of water.
Milwaukee County - At the Milwaukee lakefront shore anglers have not had much success since the water warmed up. Milwaukee trollers have been catching chinooks and a few lake trout in 60 to 100 feet of water. Spoons and aqua colored flies have been effective.
Havenwoods State Forest - Pied-bill grebe, magnolia warbler, redstarts, Wilson's warbler, black Bohemian warbler, and Swainson's thrush have been seen or heard. Prairie plants blooming include obedient plant, swamp milkweed, nodding but marigold, ironweed, Culver's root, and blue vervain.
Racine County - In Racine a couple of chinooks have been caught off the piers just before sunrise, but action has been very slow. In the harbor shore anglers continue to catch large and smallmouth bass, as well as northern pike. Fish have been hitting tube jigs, spinners, and spoons. Trollers out of Racine have been finding good numbers of chinooks in the 80 to 100 foot range. Glow-in-the-dark spoons and J-plugs have been producing. Fish were processed at the Root River Steelhead Facility on Monday, August 28. Throughout the summer crews were able to capture 197 steelhead, of which 187 were being held at the Kettle Moraine Springs Hatchery for later spawning. On Monday 15 chinooks, four steelhead, and two browns were passed upstream. The river temperature was still about 70 degrees. When the river temperatures are this warm, steelhead that are caught and released do not recover well. Anglers should wait until the river cools off more to target steelhead for catch and release. Cooler temperatures and a significant rainfall will also be needed to bring the first big push of chinooks into the river.
Kenosha County - Despite the warm water, shore anglers in Kenosha have been catching fair numbers of chinooks near the mouth of the Pike River. Action has been best late at night or early in the morning. Trollers out of Kenosha have been catching good numbers of chinooks on green or glow spoons in 70 to 150 feet of water.
Milwaukee and Ozaukee counties - Anglers are having good success for smallmouth bass along the Milwaukee River in Washington, Ozaukee and Milwaukee Counties. Fish are running small. Milwaukee R. flows are typically low this time of year. Some wading anglers are trying for bass with fly rods and having a ball at catch and release bass fishing.
Walworth and inland Racine and Kenosha counties - Northern pike fishing has slowed. But bass and panfish are providing good action. Anglers using plastic worms were catching largemouth bass in 20 to 35 feet of water. Black crappies were biting on minnows and jigs. Anglers after bluegills were doing well with night crawler pieces and leeches. Trollers on Geneva Lake were catching lake trout on spoons in 115 feet of water.
Washington, eastern Fond du Lac, and inland Sheboygan counties - Cooler temperatures at night should stimulate better fishing on inland lakes over the next few weeks. A few muskies have been caught recently on Big Elkhart Lake. Bass were also providing some action. Fishing pressure has been down even though fishing success has improved. Recent trout surveys on the Onion River system have been very encouraging. Trout numbers have more than doubled in the section of the watershed with special trout fishing regulations (15-inch size limit, 1 bag, artificials only). The number of naturally reproduced brown trout has increased dramatically as well. Trout are making good use of the habitat improvement areas. Habitat improvement work is taking place on the Ben Nutt Creek branch of the watershed this summer.
Waukesha County - Bluegill fishing has been excellent this past week, with some limits taken from Pewaukee, North and Beaver lakes, with anglers concentrating efforts on suspended fish over deep water. Best bites were coming on small jigs and twisters tipped with smaller crappie minnows and leaf worms. Walleye action has also been decent. Trolling crank baits at night has been an excellent method of landing nice catches from Lac Labelle, Okauchee, and Little Muskego lakes.
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SOUTH CENTRAL REGION
Horicon DNR Service Center area
Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area - The fall migration is already underway. Shorebirds have been moving out of their arctic breeding grounds for several weeks now, but are beginning to peak in numbers where shallow water and mudflats provide suitable feeding grounds. The Redhead impoundment along Highway 49 has been in good condition for shorebirds and attracting both these long-distance migrants as well as birdwatchers who enjoy the challenge of identifying these birds. Great egrets have been concentrating on Horicon Marsh following the nesting season and early preparations for their eventual migration. A recent count of 345 egrets was recorded on the marsh, which is a wonderful concentration of this state threatened species. Among the woodlands the first songbirds are migrating. Tennessee warblers are moving out of the north woods on their way to the tropics, while the yellow warblers have already departed. The first nighthawks have been sighted on their migration, which usually peaks during the last week of August. While birds are beginning to flock and concentrate in high quality habitat areas, others are already on the move signaling the beginning of the fall migration. This is a great time of year to get out following the heat of summer and view the first stages of the fall season during the late summer month of August. The Horicon Marsh Fall Naturalist Programs begin Sept. 16. Information is available on the DNR Web site at . Waterfowl hunters planning to hunt at Horicon Marsh should note that waterfowl hunting is now prohibited within 75 yards of the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge. The prohibition applies only to waterfowl hunting, ducks and geese, not other species such as small game and deer. The new law stems from the elimination this year of the Horicon Intensive Management subzone, an area surrounding the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge where landowners were restricted to the number of blinds and the number of hunters who could hunt on their land. Historically, this special zone was established to address issues of high hunter density, intense harvest pressure and safety problems caused by a large number of hunters concentrating around this area with a high fall concentration of Canada geese. The new rule will apply to the early goose season starting Sept. 1 and for all waterfowl seasons until 2011. A 2004 Conservation Congress Spring Hearing advisory question to eliminate the zone was supported by a large margin and this year there was overwhelming public support for eliminating the subzone. As a result, DNR eliminated the Horicon Intensive Management subzone, but maintained a 75 yard set back from the refuge for all waterfowl hunting and placed a five year sunset clause on the rule so that it can be reinstated if problems develop
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WEST CENTRAL REGION
Baldwin DNR Service Center area
St. Croix County
Willow River State Park - The Oak Ridge and White-tail trails have been un-crowded on weeknights and wildlife is out there, especially as the sun gets low in the sky. Another great option is the loop with the Pioneer and Knapweed and the White-tail to see some deer. Wildlife can be found along these trails most any time. Weeknight camping availability is good. Weekends will be full. Walk-Run Along the Willow is coming Saturday, Sept. 9 at 9 a.m. to noon. There will be 5K and 10K run events with prizes for first through third place, and a 1-mile walk on the Trout Brook Trail, along with kid’s games and train rides. (715) 386-5931.
La Crosse DNR Service Center area
Chipmunks are busy harvesting and storing acorns, hickory nuts, black walnuts, and various other seeds. Chipmunks have fur-lined internal cheek pouches for carrying nuts and seeds which they cache for use at a later time. Instead of relying upon stored body fat to sustain them during hibernation, chipmunks awaken about every 2 weeks throughout the winter and early spring to feed on their cache of nuts and seeds The fur lining in a chipmunk's cheek pouches prevents saliva from contacting food being carried in the pouches. Contact with saliva enzymes could cause stored food to spoil before consumption.
Elroy-Sparta State Trail - As of Aug. 26, the trail was in good condition overall. Portions of the trail will be closed beginning Sept. 5 for bridge reconstruction. The following sections of trail will be closed: early September -- Monitor Road to Nutmeg Road in Juneau County between Kendall and Elroy; mid September --Nutmeg Road to County Highway PP in Juneau County between Kendall and Elroy; late September through October -- County Highway U east of Norwalk to St. Hwy 71 in Monroe County. (7/10 mile). For specific dates and information contact the Kendall Depot at (608) 463-7109 or by e-mail at or the Sparta Chamber of Commerce at 1-888-540-8434 or , or the Elroy Commons at 1-888-606-2453. Don't forget to bring a flashlight for walking through the three tunnels. Both the Elroy and Sparta walk-in primitive campgrounds are open. All sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Trail information, bike rental and trail passes are available at the Kendall Depot Trail Headquarters. For information call (608) 463-7109. The depot is open seven days a week. Trail passes are also available at businesses along the trail and at the Sparta Depot, 111 Milwaukee St. in Sparta, phone (608) 269-4123.
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/news/or/
