NORTHERN REGION
Superior DNR Service Center area
Brule River State Forest -
Spooner DNR Service Center area
Cumberland DNR Service Center area
Park Falls DNR Service Center area
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - The warm and humid weather of the past week, combined with scattered thunderstorms, has kept fishing success at mid-summer lows. Being peak vacation time, fishing pressure has dropped off a bit and more water skiing, tubing and general recreational boating is taking place. With the warm temps and bright sun, water temperatures have climbed into the upper 70's on many northern Wisconsin lakes. Combined with relatively low lake levels and high recreational use, this has pushed many of the bigger fish to deeper water and has made for some tough fishing conditions. Bass continue to provide the most consistent fishing action and success could be termed fair to good. The early morning and late evening hours have produced the best catches, with topwater and soft-plastic baits being the most productive. Largemouth bass are mainly being found near woody cover, in thick weeds & bulrushes and deep bog edges, with some being caught in and near the mid-depth cover. Smallmouth have been found around woody structure near deep water areas, with tube baits and finesse plastics providing some good action. Walleye fishing has been hit or miss with the best catches made on the mid-depth rock bars and near the deep weed beds during the low light periods. Weedless jigs tipped with a leech or crawler piece dropped into open pockets in the weed beds has been the successful presentation. Musky fishing has been fair. Topwater lures and medium-size stick baits have been the most productive and the deeper weed edges have been the best spots for action. Panfish success has been fair, with a few nice crappie and bluegill picked up over or near mid-depth structure. Rock bass however, seem to be especially active and are providing many anglers with at least some sort of action!
Woodruff DNR Service Center area
Upper Wisconsin Basin fisheries report (Oneida, Vilas, Lincoln, Langlade, Forest and Florence counties) -
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NORTHEAST REGION
Peshtigo DNR Service Center area
Temperatures at the boat landings were for the most part in the high 70's, with water clarity good. Wind played a factor again this week in keeping the fishing pressure light, with the exception of the M & M Brown Trout Derby this past weekend.
Marinette County
Some very nice Chinooks were caught this week in the vicinity of Green Island with green being the predominant color in 80-100 of water 60-80 feet down. The derby produced it share of big brown trout, a fish that we have not seen very often this year. The walleye and smallmouth bite in the Menominee River has remained very good with jigging and live baits being the key to success. Limits of perch have been taken off Little River in the 9-10 foot range. The bait that is working the best is minnows, crawlers seem to produce more gobies than anything else. The mouth of the Peshtigo River is still giving up some nice catfish, along with a few smallmouth bass.
Oconto County - The Stiles Dam is the hot spot for bluegill, a long shank hook along with leaf worms and a small amount of weight, are limit getters. There has been a fair amount of walleye anglers trying their luck out of the Breakwater Harbor in Oconto with mixed results. Most of the anglers are getting ready for Sunday's tournament at the breakwater. Crawler/harness trolled behind planer boards have been producing a few walleye. Perch out of Oconto Park II and Pensaukee have been providing some great fun, but only on the days when they want to bite. Weather seems to be the biggest factor in the hit and miss saga of the yellow perch this year, but the only way to tell if the fish are biting or not is to grab a pole and go fishin.
Green Bay DNR Service Center area
Brown County -
Manitowoc County -
Sturgeon Bay DNR Service Center area
Door County - In the lower Green Bay, the walleye bite has been successful. Volks Reef and 2-mile Reef seem to be the locations providing the most consistent bite. The walleye have moved to deeper water, between 15 to 20 feet. Anglers are catching walleye mainly on crawler harnesses. The yellow perch bite is still spotty. A good spot one day can be unproductive the next; however, anglers who find the perch bite get results. The early morning bite has been consistently better than any other time of day. Macco's Reef, 2-mile Reef, and Chaudoir's Dock area seem to have a good perch bite more often. Minnows and nightcrawlers are both catching perch. Some anglers are also catching incidental whitefish as far south in the bay as Bayshore. Water temperature in the bay is in the lower 70s. The Fox River of Green Bay has little fish activity to report at this time. No musky or northern pike activity to report at this time. In the Little Sturgeon Bay/Sawyer Harbor area, smallmouth bass are biting on worms in the weed flats and near Larson's Reef. The daytime walleye bite is slow; however, the night bite seems to be picking up slightly. Anglers have found good luck near Ern Joy and have had some luck near Larson's Reef. The perch bite is slow. Anglers are able to find perch in the channel near the cut weed beds. There are numerous small perch but good-sized perch can also be found. Northern pike and musky are being caught, but most are undersized. Trophy-sized musky have been seen on several occasions in this system.
Kewaunee County - Fishing on Lake Michigan has slowed down since last week. Most Salmon were caught in 70-100 feet of water, and were generally further down or even close to the bottom. Some Rainbow Trout were found out a little deeper in around 150 feet of water. Some anglers visibly saw signs of these fish surfacing. Lure colors of green, silver, and purple seemed to work best. Salmon and Rainbow Trout have been caught off the piers in Kewaunee and Algoma, yet action on the piers slowed down as well over the past week, as compared to the previous couple weeks. Water temperatures rose quite quickly over the last week and a half or so, and surface temperatures are into the mid to high 60s at this point.
Oshkosh DNR Service Center area - There have been some anglers bringing in their limits of perch on the north end of Lake Winnebago. Nightcrawlers appear to be the bait of choice. We are receiving varying reports from the walleye fishers, from bringing in all they want to experiencing a mid-summer lull in the action.
Water clarity in Rush Lake is excellent. The flooding on Waukau Creek this summer caused water to push around the sides of the dam and carp barriers causing the carp to freely move into the lake. The current depth is approximately 2 feet in the main body of water with up to 5' pockets. There is some submergent vegetation established. Waterfowl galore may be observed including coots, mallards, wood ducks, shore birds and pelicans. The south boat landing renovation is complete and waterfowl hunters can look forward to a great upcoming season.
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SOUTHEAST REGION
Lake Michigan fisheries team report
Sheboygan County - Fishing out of Sheboygan has been fairly steady with trollers taking both rainbows and Chinooks in anywhere from 50-90 feet of water. Best presentations have been spoons or J-plugs fished off of down riggers set at 30-50 feet down. The best action seemed to be in the 40-50 foot contour. Fishing off the piers seemed to produce only a few brown trout caught casting spoons in the early morning. Surface temperatures range from 66-69 degrees.
Ozaukee County -
Milwaukee County -
Racine County -
Kenosha County -
Inland fisheries team report
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SOUTH CENTRAL REGION
Dodgeville DNR Service Center area
Horicon DNR Service Center area
Fitchburg DNR Service Center area
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WEST CENTRAL REGION
Baldwin DNR Service Center area
Willow River State Park -Rain is on the horizon as this report is submitted Thursday morning. There could be enough to discolor the Willow River for the weekend if the heavy rain comes in.
Little Falls Lake is showing the typical signs of the dog days of summer, lower clarity due to algae growth and a greenish tint. The thick winter ice took out some of the milfoil.
Fishing reports have been few. A fly rodding bass angler got plenty of casting practice and found several fish too small to engulf the deer hair bass bug. One ten inch largemouth sipped, rather than blasted the bug. Bass anglers should probably consider baits that go deep relatively quickly since the surface action was slow. The most reliable place to fish is below the dam.
Camping availability on weeknights remains plentiful on the non electric sites. In fact, weekdays are excellent choices for day visitors as well, due in part to fewer campers around. The overcast days are better for wildlife viewing.
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 grubs in the turf. Rabbits and woodchucks have also been noted feeding in vegetable and flower gardens. Effective control methods can be employed to deter these animals. Contact your local DNR wildlife management office for advice. Early August is a good time to start watching for areas frequented by mourning doves and locally produced Canada geese. The seasons for both opens on September 1st. This year hunters pursuing doves on Dept. of Natural Resources managed lands must use non toxic shot for the first time, to reduce lead poisoning to other animals. Snipe and rail hunters will also need to use non toxic shot for the first time, when those seasons open with the duck season.
Crawford County - A fairly dry period last week allowed local river systems to settle down and clear up. The Mississippi River was down to about 7.6 feet by the end of the week. The forecast for the Mississippi River is for a very slow drop in water levels. By next weekend the Mississippi River could get down to the 7.0 foot mark. The Wisconsin River rose a little last week but slowly dropped later in the week. Most sand bars on the Wisconsin River are usable for camping purposes. The Kickapoo River rose slightly late in the week but settled down to around 9.0 feet. Water clarity is improving on all the river systems, especially the Mississippi River. All of the boat landings in the Crawford County area are open and usable. All the trout streams are in good condition. Boaters on the Mississippi River are urged to use caution as the water drops. Wing and closing dams are getting dangerously close to outboard motor lower units. If you are unsure of where you are traveling stay in the navigation lane or slow down. Water levels on the Mississippi River are expected to drop further so extra caution should be taken. Mosquitoes, gnats and deer and horse flies are out. In some areas the gnat problem is diminishing somewhat. Mosquitoes have been bad in the river bottoms and some upland areas. In the river bottoms mosquitoes can be a nuisance all day and night long. During the evening hours mosquitoes have been a problem in higher ground areas. Stinging nettle, poison ivy, and parsnip await outdoor users so be careful and dress accordingly. Fishing action was very good last week, especially on the Mississippi River. Bluegills, sheephead, and catfish are really biting. Anglers are finding good bluegill action below wing dams. Some anglers are drifting or dead lining in 4 to 10 feet of water and finding decent bluegill along the main channel. Most anglers are using a chunk of nightcrawler fished off the bottom. White bass, perch, and crappie action has been spotty to good. Some reports of decent perch being taken adjacent to weed beds or in 6 to 10 foot flats. White bass have been seen feeding on the top of wing dams, along rocky shorelines and at the mouth of the Wisconsin River. Look for crappie in downed trees or at the edge of weed lines. The best way to located decent fishing is to move frequently until you locate active fish. Fishing at Cold Spring was slow this past week. Most anglers are launching at Cold Spring but heading out to the Mississippi River. Once outside Cold Spring anglers are finding some walleye and bass action. Bluegill action was spotty. The boat landing at Cold Spring is in decent shape, however a large mass of weeds floated into the boat landing making launching difficult. The Ambro Slough complex was pretty good. Bluegills were active all over. Access to boat landings is good. Anglers fishing Big Lake, Fish Lake, the Upper and Lower Doubles, Big and Little Missouri, Fennimore Cut, and Spring Lake have found decent fishing at times. The best fishing tip is to keep moving around until you find decent size and active fish. There has been some decent bluegill action reported in downed trees and deeper sloughs. Spotty crappie action has been reported.Horseshoe (McGregor or Sturgeon) Lake seemed slow for panfish this week for some reason. Fishing for sauger and walleye has been good. Try trolling crank baits in deeper water sloughs. Black Slough, Roseau Slough, and Big Lake produced some fish. Another tactic is drifting with leeches or nightcrawlers. Once a walleye or sauger is caught, target that area. The S curve by Harpers Ferry was pretty good to this week. There has been some very good action on wing dams. Trolling crank baits or dead lining with leeches and nightcrawlers have worked very well on wing dams. Northern Pike action picked up a bit. Look for northerns in areas were cooler water might be entering the river or in slow moving deeper sloughs. Casting crank baits, spoons, or spinner baits have worked pretty good also. Try these baits in the timber and weeds. Some decent fish have been caught trolling on Big Lake, the bottom end of the Ambro Slough, and the Lower Bottoms outside Prairie du Chien. Bass (both large and smallmouth) fishing has been fairly good. Anglers are can find active bass in shallow backwater areas, on wing dams, and in the timber. Some pretty good action for bass was found outside of the Lynxville/Ferryville and on the wing dams and back waters in the Prairie du Chien area. Most bass anglers will have success with varying colors of plastics, spinner baits, and crank baits. Any one interested in DNR sponsored safety courses should visit the DNR Website at
www.dnr.state.wi.us. Both hunter’s education and bow hunter’s education classes will be staring soon in the area.
Black River Falls DNR Service Center area The Oak Ridge section of the ATV trail system remains closed due to heavy rainfall received on July 11. More than 7 inches of rain fell washing out several culverts on the Jackson County and State Forest ATV trail system. The closure starts from the Seventh Street parking lot and ends at the Highway 12 parking lot. This is a 15.4 mile stretch of which 4.8 miles is state trail and 10.6 is Jackson County trail. The 7.9 mile section of the Millston loop on the state forest is now open. The northern section of the trails has received considerably less rain and are in fair condition. Trails were last groomed in the beginning of July. With increased fuel costs we will be grooming the trails once a month, with the next scheduled grooming next week. More than 200 miles are still available for riding in the Jackson and Clark County trail system. We recommend riders use their headlights at all times and bring a dust mask during drier conditions. Please help protect the sport of ATVing by staying on the trails at all times, reminding others to do the same, and please report any off trail or inappropriate riding.
Eau Claire DNR Service Center area
Brunet Island State Park -
We would like to remind everyone that when you observe or come across young birds or animals, do not touch them and please leave them as they are. Their parents are very likely to be close by, and are quietly waiting for you to move on. Generally, they will wait until you leave the immediate area before attending to their young. Species of birds we have been seeing or hearing include: turkey vultures, rose-breasted grosbeaks, belted kingfishers, ruby throated hummingbirds, scarlet tanagers, a variety of wrens, red polls, bluebirds, lake gulls, golden finches, mallard ducks, common loons, great blue herons, red winged blackbirds, phoebes, Canada geese, sandhill cranes, robins, mourning doves, nuthatches, ravens, black capped chickadees, piliated woodpeckers, great horned owls, barred owls, and bald eagles.
The open water game fish and pan fish action has been good with warm water temperatures. The smallmouth bass have been hitting surface baits. Largemouth bass and northern pike action has been moderate, and there has been good musky action in the area. Catfish are being taken from the upper reaches of the flowage. Plants blooming in the park include harebell, common milkweed, water smartweed, rabbits foot clover, marsh hedge nettle, wild bergamot, brown-eyed Susans, lesser daisy fleabane, the water lilies, some of the aster varieties, orange hawkweed, wild columbine, ox-eye daisy, wooly yarrow are flowering. Park trails are generally dry and in very good condition. The south campground is open with electric sites, hand water pump, and shower facility available. The north campground is open, with pit toilets and hand water pump available. Please register at the park office between 9:00 am and 8:30 pm. The picnic area flush toilet building and the camper dump station are open for the summer season. A note to our Fall season campers. The paved roads in the South (electric) campground are scheduled to be ground and surfaced during the week after Labor Day this year. Please be aware that this is very noisy work involving large road equipment.
Wisconsin Rapids DNR Service Center area
Buckhorn State Park - Mosquitoes are still numerous in the park and do not want to go away, so remember to bring bug spray. Lake breezes kept them away at times at campsites. Visitors have been enjoying the picnic areas and beaches and renting canoes/kayaks. Remember, park stickers are required for Launch C and D and there are no additional launch fees. The deadline for the youth deer hunt has been extended - contact the park office for more information. White bass fishing on Castle Rock Lake has been great lately. People have also been catching catfish, walleye and northerns. A small black bear was spotted Sunday afternoon, 7-20-08 along 31st St. Remember to secure your food at campsites from all animals. There is still time to get photos for the annual photo contest. Categories are people using the park, open, plants, animals, and one for photographers under 18 yrs old.
Roche-A-Cri State Park - Campsites and trails are dry. There are many quiet sites available during the week and on the weekend. There are a few mosquitoes so remember your bug spray. Trails are in great condition for hiking. Wildflowers are blooming in the prairie. If the office is closed, please self-register in the parking lot. If you self-register for an annual sticker, it will be mailed to you. There is still time to get photos for the annual photo contest. Categories are people using the park, open, plants, animals, and one for photographers under 18 yrs old.
Last Revised: Thursday July 31 2008
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