Wisconsin experienced some dramatic temperature shifts in the last week, going from frost warnings in the north a week ago, to record setting temperatures in the 90s within a couple of days, to back down to 30 degrees cooler after a storm front moved through mid week. With the exception of the storm that moved across the state Wednesday, conditions had been mostly dry through the previous week.
The recent spell of hot weather pushed water temperatures up to the 70-degree range on small lakes and this has spurred on bass and panfish spawning activity. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass are heavy into their spring spawning seasons. Crappie are just finishing nesting, while bluegill and pumpkinseed have just begun. For the anglers, panfish seemed to be the highlight of the week. Walleye success continued to be inconsistent, with the mayfly hatch now underway on many lakes. Musky success has been fair, with anglers reporting quite a few sightings and follows, but not many strikes.
Fishing pressure was heavy along Green Bay when weather permitted, with water temperatures rising to the mid to upper 60s at the landings. Anglers have been reporting limits of walleye being taken in the Pensaukee and Oconto. The catfish bite is on at the Peshtigo Harbor, where smallmouth bass were also present. Shore anglers were also finding good catfish success on the Fox River. Musky have been active on the bay the last week with anglers trolling or casting large crank baits. Perch fishing has been good ing the last week with anglers finding luck in 20-30 feet of water. Along Door County, anglers have been finding good numbers of active smallmouth bass to the north of the Sturgeon Bay ship canal and at Little Sturgeon Bay and Riley’s Bay. Perch fishing has picked up some at Chaudoir’s Dock.
In the southeast, water temperatures in the harbors has been in the mid to upper 50s but with the warm weather reached up into the mid 60s. The first chinook salmon for the year was caught off the Manitowoc pier, but with the large amount of alewife around the pier, fishing remained relatively slow. Sheboygan piers anglers have taken some coho and a few chinook. Anglers fishing off the Port Washington pier have been occasionally catching coho. Milwaukee shore anglers have been able to catch some salmon off McKinley pier and an occasional brown trout behind the Summerfest grounds. Trollers out of Manitowoc, Sheboygan and Port Washington have been catching decent numbers of coho salmon along with some chinook, and rainbow and lake trout. Trollers out of Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha have been reporting very good catches of coho, with many limits reported.
There continue to be many reports of fawns being seen. Turtles are very active now as they seek out nesting sites. Bullfrogs have begun calling. Jack-in-the-pulpits are up, and wild geranium, indigo, lupine, phlox, yarrow, and goat's beard are blooming. Many songbirds are busy nesting and are not seen as often seen. Baby crows have been seen bouncing around. The warm weather also brought out lots more biting insects, with increased reports of both black flies and mosquitoes.
A three-minute audio version of this report can be heard by calling (608) 266 2277.
A new report is put on the line each week.
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NORTHERN REGION
Park Falls DNR Service Center area
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - Warm and sunny weather has made for some pleasant fishing and boating conditions in the past week. The recent spell of hot weather has pushed water temperatures up to the 70-degree range on many small lakes and this has spurred on a slug of bass and panfish spawning activity. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass are heavy into their spring spawning seasons and look for them to finish up their spawning activity in the next week. Crappie are just finishing up their nesting period, while bluegill and pumpkinseed have just begun. For the anglers, panfish seemed to be the highlight of the week and some good catches of bluegill and crappie were reported. The crappie were being found along the shallow weed edges and the best fishing was in the early morning and late afternoon hours. Some larger bluegill were found on the break lines in 6 to 8 feet of water and they seemed to be congregating for the beginning of the spawning season. Walleye success seemed to get a bit more inconsistent in the last week as the fish have begun to ignore the jig and minnow baits. The annual mayfly hatch has just begun on many lakes and this usually signals that start of leeches and crawlers as the preferred bait for walleye. Musky success has been fair, with anglers reporting quite a few sightings and follows, but not many good hits. Bass action during the early catch and release season has been good, with most of the catches being of small to medium-size fish. Soft plastics have been the most successful bait and the key to catching fish has been a very slow presentation. As bass finish up their spawning activity in the next week or so, look for success on larger fish to improve. he warming weather has also brought out the biting insects - with lots of black flies, no-see-ums and mosquitoes pestering anglers in the late evening hours.
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NORTHEAST REGION
Peshtigo DNR Service Center area
Fishing pressure when weather permits has been heavy with the emphasis on walleye. In the past week water temperatures have risen to the mid to upper 60s at the landings. Fawn sightings have been numerous this past week so drive with care on the back roads.
Marinette County - The catfish bite is on at the Peshtigo Harbor area with fish ranging from 2 1/2 to 6 pounds being caught on the bottom with crawlers. Smallmouth bass were also present and casting spinner baits and cranks has worked well for bass anglers.
Oconto County - Stiles Dam anglers have been reporting a wide variety of fish being caught. Spinner and crank baits for smallmouth bass has been working well from the dam to below the Highway 141 bridge. Panfish and suckers (red horse) along with a few very large carp were also being taken in and around the Stiles Dam area. Slip bobbers and live baits are the best producers. Anglers have been reporting limits of walleye being taken in the Pensaukee and Oconto Breakwater area. The bite has slowed some but those who stick to it were being rewarded. Successful anglers were fishing in 7 to 12 feet with crawler/harness. Oconto Park II shore anglers were cleaning up on some nice bullheads as well as some panfish in the launch area using slip bobbers and live bait.
Green Bay DNR Service Center area
Brown County - Shore anglers have been finding good success on the Fox River on catfish the last few weeks, with cut bait working the best. A few drum and carp were being caught as well. Musky have been active the last week with anglers trolling or casting large crank baits. Bayshore Park anglers have been finding walleye fishing to be spotty. Trolling crank baits or harnesses have been producing the best. Best action has been south from the ramp or heading toward Suamico. Perch fishing has been good the last week with anglers finding luck in 20-30 feet of water. Walleye anglers were also reporting catching numbers of large perch as they were trolling.
Manitowoc County - Strong southwest winds last week diminished out of the northeast at 5 to 10 mph by the weekend. Mid-week temperatures in the upper-50s increased to the low-70s for the weekend. The fog ceased this week resulting in sunny skies and no precipitation leaving lakeshore ramps crowded. Harbor temperatures rose to nearly 65 degrees, with surface temperatures in front of the pier heads at 51 degrees and ranging to 46 to 48 degrees out deep. Success has slowed out of both Two Rivers and Manitowoc for boaters, who averaged zero to two fish per boat. Coolers have consisted of a mix of coho, chinook, rainbow, and lake trout. Depths that have resulted in success have varied this week. In 90 to 120 feet of water early in the week resulted in a mix of coho and chinook salmon. By the weekend, 70 to 100 feet of water was the ticket with a mix of coho, chinook, rainbow, and lake trout. Green/green and pearl/pearl dodger fly combos on the downriggers have been hot, along with green spoons on the dypsy. Those fishing north of Two Rivers have had the most success. The chinook have been in the 8- to 14-pound range, with the coho averaging 4 to 6 pounds. Pier anglers caught the first chinook salmon this week for the year, with a few other releases. With the large amount of alewife around the pier heads, fishing remains relatively slow. In the Two Rivers harbor, anglers continue to have success catching catfish and carp off the bottom using alewife. Overall, the nice weather resulted in heavy boating traffic this week with very little success.
Sturgeon Bay DNR Service Center area
Door County - Sturgeon Bay: Anglers have been finding good numbers of active smallmouth bass to the north of the ship canal. Most have been using tube jigs and other like soft plastics. Anglers were reporting bass on beds as well. Sawyer harbor bass fishing has been spotty; with most anglers targeting bedding bass. Anglers fishing for perch were finding some small fish. Little Sturgeon Bay bass fishing has been good the last few weeks with anglers targeting bass in the shallows of Little Sturgeon and Riley’s Bay. Anglers were finding some larger fish hiding in a little deeper water. Most were finding soft plastics working the best. Perch fishing has been slow with little to no fishing pressure the last few days. Perch fishing has picked up some at Chaudoir’s Dock with the nice weather. Anglers were still having the best luck in 25 feet of water using bottom rigs. Walleye fishing has been hit or miss with most anglers trolling for them during low light periods.
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SOUTHEAST REGION
Lake Michigan fisheries team report
Sheboygan County - Trollers off Sheboygan have been catching decent numbers of fish in 150 to 250 feet of water. The most productive baits have been orange dodgers and fly combinations or spoons in green or orange. The majority of fish caught have been coho, although some rainbows, chinook, and lake trout have also been taken. On the Sheboygan piers, anglers have taken some coho and a few chinook, but catches have been hit or miss. Most anglers have been casting spoons or using alewives off the bottom, and large numbers of alewives can be found near shore.
Ozaukee County - In Port Washington most trollers continue to catch good numbers of fish. Most success has come on orange dodgers and flies fished 50 feet down in 250 to 300 feet of water. Good numbers of coho have been taken, along with some lake trout, rainbows, and chinook. Shore anglers have been catching a few coho and brown trout, although a large number of undersized incidental browns have also been caught. Most fish caught in the harbor have been taken on spoons or spawn. Anglers fishing off the Port Washington pier have been occasionally catching coho on spoons and alewives. The water temperature is 58F, and the water has been very clear.
Milwaukee County - In Milwaukee trollers continue to catch good numbers of coho. Flashers coupled with peanut flies in purple or green have taken fish in and around 60 feet of water. When the winds are consistently out of the west, Milwaukee shore anglers have been able to catch some salmon off McKinley pier as well. Blue & silver or green & silver spoons have produced, along with alewives fished off the bottom. Shore anglers have also been catching occasional brown trout behind the Summerfest grounds.
Racine County - In Racine trollers have been doing extremely well, with numerous limits of coho taken. Late last week, many catches were made off the mouth of the Root River in 20 to 30 feet of water, but by the weekend it appeared that the fish had moved deeper, with the best catches coming from 80 to 110 feet of water. Orange flashers and blue or green flies fished 20 to 30 feet down have been taking coho, and the area around the reef was a very popular destination. Fish seemed to be everywhere, with some catches still reported in 30 feet of water while others harvested fish in 150 feet of water. Some rainbows have been taken on orange spoons fished near the surface in 80 to 110 feet of water, and a few chinook have been taken 80 to 100 feet down in 140 to 180 feet of water. Shore fishing in Racine has been slow overall, but a few coho have been taken off the piers by anglers fishing with alewives in the evening hours.
Kenosha County - Kenosha trollers have had excellent catches of coho, with some limits taken in only one and a half hours of fishing. Over the weekend, coho moved out deeper, and the best success is now 20 to 30 feet down in 65 to 110 feet of water. Orange dodgers and green or blue flies have worked well for coho; and some Chinooks, lake trout and rainbows have been taken on spoons fished somewhat deeper. Unfortunately the successful coho fishing has not spread to the shore anglers in Kenosha. Only an occasional catch of trout or salmon has been reported, however there were some reports of burbot being harvested off the South pier at night.
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