Conditions look excellent for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday weekend, and many state parks are reporting that most reservable campsites are booked, and non-reservable sites are filling quickly. People looking for last minute campsites should consider checking the state forests in northern Wisconsin, which have the highest numbers of nonreservable sites. Check the state forest recreation page of the DNR website for information.
Campers and visitors to Wisconsin state parks and forests are being asked to enjoy fireworks displays in nearby communities and to not bring fireworks to picnic areas, campsites or other areas. A citation for illegal fireworks in a state park or forest can cost up to $200 and people are liable for the full costs of putting out a fire started by setting off fireworks.
Some storms with localized heavy rain late last week raised water levels on rivers especially in the northern northeastern part of the state, and they continue to be unseasonably high. Many river systems in central and southern parts of the state are running at seasonal norms, but the Wisconsin River is running very high, and paddlers on the lower Wisconsin River will find most sandbars underwater.
Some nice weather this week provided for very pleasant fishing conditions and some pretty good success. Water temperatures have been hovering in the mid-60s, but they could climb into the 70s over the July Fourth weekend. Musky anglers have been out in good numbers and most have reported catching a fish. Mayflies have continued to hatch on many northern lakes and this has upset the walleye bite on most of these waters. Panfish action has been very good. Bluegill continue to be found on the spawning beds in good numbers, but spawning should finish up in the next week or so. Largemouth and smallmouth bass have mostly completed nesting and angling success has really begun to pick up, with some trophy-size 20-inch fish reported.
Fishing at piers and harbors along Green Bay and Lake Michigan was slower this week, with catfish still providing some of the best action along the west shore of the bay. Harbor water temperatures remained around 66 degrees, with surface temperatures around 55 degrees offshore. Angler out of Manitowoc and Two Rivers reported very good success late last week, but action slowed over the weekend, with a mix of rainbow and lake trout and coho and chinook salmon reported. In the southeast, coho continue to dominate the catch out of Sheboygan, Port Washington, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha, but better numbers of chinook and rainbow trout have been showing up, along with a few lake trout. Shore fishing has been slow for both trout and salmon and for perch.
The young from second clutches of rabbits and squirrels are venturing from their nests. Giant Canada geese, the race of Canada geese that nest in Wisconsin are now in their annual state of molt. Molting takes place in brooding areas, typically marshes or ponds. The adult geese will remain flightless until about the time the goslings gain the ability to fly. Phoebes and bluebirds are done with their first fledgings and are working on second broods. Turtles are finishing up nesting, but some are still being seen on roadways. Young toads are being seen hopping about in large numbers. White wild indigo, black-eyed Susans, prairie larkspur, wild quinine, spiderwort, alyssum, coneflower, asters and coreopsis are blooming. Mulberries are ripe and raspberries will be ripening soon.
All the wet weather this spring has brought out a tremendous hatch of biting insects just in time for the holiday weekend. So all outdoor enthusiasts should be prepared to deal with high numbers of horse flies, deer flies, black flies, mosquitoes and no-see-ums.
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
Superior DNR Service Center area
Pattison State Park – The park is in great shape for the busy weekend. The waterfalls are outstanding due to the recent rains. The trails are starting dry out, and are in good shape. The beach has become very popular with the recent warm weather.
Park Falls DNR Service Center area
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - Following some rainy and cold weather in mid June, the nice weather of the past week has provided for very pleasant fishing conditions and some pretty good success. Water temperatures have been hovering in the mid-60s, but look for them to climb into the 70s over the July Fourth weekend. Musky anglers have been out in pretty good numbers and most have reported catching a few fish. The best lures have smaller bucktails, stick baits and bulldawgs and the fish have been found along the deep weed edges and break lines. Most of the musky have been in the 28 to 38 inch size, though some up in the 44 to 46 inch size have also been reported. Mayflies have continued to hatch on many northern lakes and this has upset the walleye bite on most of these waters. The jig and minnow combinations are no longer being successful and most of the action is taking place on leeches or night crawlers. Some success has also occurred on crank baits dragged along the steep gravel drop-offs. Panfish action has been very good, with bluegill and crappie providing some excellent action. Crappie have been found in shallow along any emergent weed lines and bluegill continue to be found on the spawning beds in good numbers. Look for the bluegill spawning period to finish up in the next week or so. Northern pike action continues to be good, with fish still found in and around any new weed beds. Most largemouth and smallmouth bass have completed their nesting period, though some active beds have still been observed on some waters across the North. And with the bass spawning season winding down, angling success has really begun to pick up. Success continues to be very good on small and medium size fish, with some trophy-size 20-inch fish -- both largemouth and smallmouth -- are starting to be reported from many lakes. The best tactic has been to use soft plastic baits and fish them very slow in the developing lily pad beds, near structure and along weed lines. And one last reminder -- the wet weather has brought out a tremendous hatch of biting insects. So all outdoor enthusiasts should be prepared to deal with high numbers of horse flies, deer flies, black flies, mosquitoes and no-see-ums.
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NORTHEAST REGION
Peshtigo DNR Service Center area
High water last week kept fishing pressure to a minimum. Water temperatures at the landings are in the low 70s, with temperatures on the bay 6 to 8 degrees cooler. The last two days have seen water levels drop to near normal.
Marinette County - The Peshtigo Harbor has been producing some nice catfish along with the occasional bass and walleye, with anglers using a dead drift approach. Fishing the Menominee River has been slow with a few catfish and walleye being caught by the Hattie Street Dam.
Oconto County - Oconto Breakwater anglers were catching a few walleye fishing away from the mouth of the Oconto River, but fishing overall has been slow. The bright spot, catfish were being caught near the mouth of the Oconto River on crawlers drifting in the current. Some bullheads and the occasional bass were being caught at Oconto Park II near the boat launch, fishing on bottom with three-way swivels and crawlers.
Green Bay DNR Service Center area
Brown County - Bayshore Park anglers have been finding walleyes with some success the last week, with most anglers trolling for them. The best action as been on crawler harnesses. Crank baits have been working as well, with anglers finding perch or shad colors performing the best. Perch fishing has been hit or miss with some really respectable perch being caught in 20-25 feet of water. Anglers were also catching numbers of catfish and drum as well.
Manitowoc County - Heavy rain and thunderstorms throughout the week resulted in nearly 3 inches of rain and little angling activity prior to the weekend. Southeast winds dominated most of the week around 10 mph, with light west winds Friday switching to light southeast winds for the weekend. High temperatures remained steady around 60 degrees for most of the week, rising to the low 70s for the weekend. The heavy rains created very murky water conditions with strong currents, even out to 100 feet out of Manitowoc. Harbor temperatures remained around 66 degrees, with surface temperatures around 55 degrees offshore to 58 degrees around the pier heads by the weekend. Angler success picked up Friday and Saturday morning out of both ports, but slowed down Saturday night into Sunday. By Sunday, boats out of both ports were averaging zero to three fish after averaging 10 to 15 fish on Friday and Saturday. The few fish caught Sunday were a mix of rainbows and laker trout, and coho, and chinook salmon. On Sunday, the common area of success was between 140-180 feet (outside the trap nets) and a few boats out to 200-225 feet for coho and rainbow. Straight out of Manitowoc to the area north of Two Rivers off the Rawley Point Lighthouse in the above depths have all been spots heavily fished by boaters. The few chinook caught have been in the 12-15 pound range, with an occasional chinook around 25 pounds. Several nice rainbows have been reported on a daily basis anywhere between 10-16 pounds. Use anything orange on surface lines and dypsies out deep for rainbows and coho and green/green and blue/blue or mirage dodger/fly combos for chinook down 80-100 feet on the down riggers. An occasional chinook on blue or green spoons has also been taken on down riggers. Pier fishing remains slow for trout and salmon off both Two Rivers and Manitowoc. An occasional 8-12 inch perch has been landed in the Manitowoc harbor, but the perch fishing is very slow so far.
Sturgeon Bay DNR Service Center area
Door County - Fishing pressure has been minimal over the last week mainly due to poor weather conditions. Most anglers out of Sturgeon Bay that have been venturing out have been hunting bass or perch. Bass fishing has been slow but fish were being caught in 5 to10 feet of water. Slow moving finesse presentations have been key, due to most fish being in a negative feeding pattern. Perch fishing has been slow as well with a few small fish being caught in the weed beds around Sawyer Harbor. Bass anglers were finding Little Sturgeon Bay to be on the slow side as well with most anglers struggling to find any pattern to fish by. Most have been targeting the deeper water with soft plastics like a wacky worm or jigs. Walleye fishing has been slow for a few weeks; most anglers were finding out though that the walleyes that were being caught are of respectable size. Anglers have been catching a few perch here and there but no good action being reported. Perch fishing has slowed down considerably from the previous weeks at Chaudoir’s Dock, with most anglers only catching small numbers of perch. Walleye fishing has been spotty with anglers finding small pods of walleyes. Most of the walleyes being caught have been less than 15 inches.
Wautoma DNR Service Center area
Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery – The hatchery’s education center will be open on Monday, July 4, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Guided tours begin at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Please call ahead for groups of 10 or more to reserve a time. Explore the scenic historic ponds to see and feed Wild Rose brown trout broodstock, test your skills at fish identification, view fish in two large aquariums. Located at N5871 State Hwy 22, just 1/2 mile north of the Village of Wild Rose. Phone: (920) 622-3527, Ext. 209.
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SOUTHEAST REGION
Kettle Moraine State Park - Pike Lake Unit - All trails are open to hikers and in good condition. Hikers might find a few wet and muddy areas on the trails. Temporary boardwalk sections have been placed in these areas to assist hikers in getting across them. Swim area buoys are in place for the season. Lake water is tested four days a week for elevated bacteria levels. Any advisories will be posted. Pets are not allowed in the beach/picnic area.
Kohler-Andrae State Park - All hiking and nature trails are open. A wren has constructed a nest in the camera box at the park office. The nest has seven eggs. The eggs were hatching June 28. Spiderwort, coreopsis and marsh cinquefoil are blooming.
Lake Michigan fisheries team report
Sheboygan County - In Sheboygan most trollers were having success fishing in 100-200 feet of water. The bait of choice has been orange or silver dodgers with flies, although some fish have also been taken on spoons. Coho continue to dominate the catch, but better numbers of chinook and rainbow trout have been showing up, along with a few lake trout. Fishing pressure on the Sheboygan piers was high over the weekend, but the catch rate has remained low. Most anglers were using spoons or alewives with very little success.
Ozaukee County - Most Port Washington trollers continue to catch good numbers of fish using dodgers and flies in 150-250 feet of water. The main catch remains coho salmon, but higher numbers of chinook and rainbow trout were being caught, along with a few lake trout as well. Shore fishing in Port Washington has been slow for both trout and salmon and for perch.
Milwaukee County - The fishing off Milwaukee remains good for boat anglers. Coho are still active, but they are scattered and can be found in a variety of depths from 40 feet of water out to 180 feet of water. Flashers and flies in blue or green continue to produce good numbers of coho. A few chinook were also showing up in the creel but with no frequency or pattern. South shore ramp has had some perch action on the rocks or the center break wall north of the landing, and minnows have been the best perch bait. A few perch have also been taken off the end of McKinley pier, but shore fishing remains slow elsewhere in the Milwaukee area. Boaters in Milwaukee should use extra caution on the water, as a significant amount of floating woody debris remains in the area after last week’s heavy rains.
Racine County - Coho action remains very good off of Racine, and most trollers have been doing well around 100 feet of water. A few chinook have been taken as well, but coho still outnumber the chinook. Dodger and fly combinations as well as white spoons have taken fish. Racine shore anglers have been taking a few perch off the south pier and from other shoreline areas. Renovation continues on the south pier and is expected to last two to three months. The area from the fishing access near the cleaning station east to the newer flat section is closed.
Kenosha County - Good coho action continues off Kenosha, and some chinook have been taken also. The most popular bait continues to be orange or red flashers coupled with flies in blues, greens and reds, although spoons have also produced. Most fish have been taken around 100 feet of water. Perch fishing on the Kenosha shore and piers has been slow, but few boat anglers have been getting their limit of five fish just off of the rock breakwall east of the north pier. Plastics and minnows have been the best baits. The near shore temperature in Kenosha is 58 degrees.
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SOUTH CENTRAL REGION
Janesville DNR Service Center area
Rock County - Water levels on the Rock River and Lake Koshkonong remain low, so boaters need to take extra precaution when driving in shallow areas. Boating activity was high over the last weekend with warm air and water temperatures. Water temperatures on Lake Koshkonong have been in the mid to upper 70s over the last week. Boaters might notice commercial fishing contractors that have been hard at work attempting to harvest rough fish on the Rock River and Lake Koshkonong. The commercial fishers use large seine nets and flat bottom boats and will be in the area throughout the year. Storr's Lake continues to be a popular location and the boat launch received a facelift last fall. The parking lot and boat ramp area were reconfigured and resurfaced to make parking and boat launching more convenient. A new pier was placed at the boat ramp area to assist lake users. A handicapped parking spot was created near the boat launch area. Some issues have come up with conflicts between boaters and people that want to swim near the boat launch. Swimming is not prohibited in the area now, but further conflicts may cause some changes. Swimmers are warned to be courteous and stay out of the way when boaters are using the ramp. The Rock River in Janesville is seeing some fishing activity below the Centerway and Monterey dams. Panfish have been biting below the dams on jigs and waxworms, catfish were being caught on stink bait, and buffalo and carp were biting on crawlers. Some anglers have been found illegally snagging rough fish below the dams and littering the fish on the shoreline. It is illegal to snag fish in Wisconsin and foul-hooked fish must be released back into the water. If an angler catches a rough fish and does not want it they are allowed to return it to the water.
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WEST CENTRAL REGION
Baldwin DNR Service Center area
Willow River State Park - Trail washouts have been filled in. Some foot traffic on the fill-ins will help to bond the fill. Work has started on the Trout Brook Trail bridge project so the trail is closed including the hours that work is not in progress. Anglers will need to access the river from Trout Brook Road. Wading the stretch below the dam pool would be difficult due to depth. The river has held its clarity through the recent rains. Hikers may still access the Oak Ridge (Brown) trail from the Trout Brook trail head. Please use the new gravel parking lot near the office if the Willow Falls lot is full. It is just a short walk on the road to catch the Knapweed trail to the right. The trail itself is just a matter of feet from the parking area but no spur has been mowed yet. The campgrounds are fully reserved for the July Fourth weekend. There are no non-reservable sites. Please call if you are going to be arriving late (such as Saturday morning arrival instead of Friday) so we hold your site. If you do not show up and do not call within 24 hours of your scheduled (3 p.m.) arrival, you will lose your campsite. We will not be calling to find out what your intentions are since others will be waiting for campsites. The Nature Center has two weekend events. On Sunday, July 3 from 1 to 2 p.m. learn how a bird’s beak works. On Monday, July 4, from 11 a.m. to noon, learn about pond life. Both programs are free. Weekend fireworks shows tend to be in different communities along the St. Croix River on different nights. Hudson has the carnival, parade, and other events.
La Crosse DNR Service Center area
The young from second clutches of rabbits and squirrels are venturing from their nests. Oftentimes rabbits and squirrels will give birth to 2 or 3 broods each year, with 4-6 young per brood. Early broods tend to number on the higher side of the range: later broods on the smaller side of the range. Both of these mammals are extremely productive species and are preyed upon by a wide range of predators. Giant Canada geese, the race of Canada geese that nest in Wisconsin are now in their annual state of molt. Molting takes place in brooding areas, typically marshes or ponds. The adult geese will remain flightless until about the time the goslings gain the ability to fly. Another interesting aspect of this phenomenon is that many non-breeding giant Canada geese travel to northern Ontario to molt.
Perrot State Park - Hiking trails are open and in good condition. All campsites are in good condition. The Trempealeau River is rising once again. All the up and down water levels are wreaking havoc with the fishing, which is reported to be very slow. Now blooming in the park are: white wild indigo, black-eyed Susans, bluets, prairie larkspur, wild quinine, spiderwort, hoary alyssum, butterfly weed, pale coneflower, harebell, bouncing bet, hoary vervain, penstemon, asters and coreopsis. Gnats are hanging around in large numbers and mosquitoes are finally appearing. Flies continue to bombard us. Mulberries are ripe and raspberries will be ripening soon. Bird sightings around the park include: phoebes and bluebirds are done with their first fledgings and are working on second broods. Turtles are finally nesting, although in much lower numbers. Baby deer are growing quickly and gaining agility every day. Toadlets are hopping about in huge numbers. July 2-4, there will be an encampment set up near the Nature Center representing an 18th Century Fur camp.
Great River State Trail - The trail is in good condition and wildflowers are lining the trails. Turtles and snakes are awakening and enjoying the warmth of the trail surface, so keep your eyes open as you ride. Virginia waterleaf, crown vetch, cow parsnip, raspberries, wild strawberries, black locust, Canada anemone, poison ivy, spiderwort, cream wild indigo and dame's rocket are all in bloom. Baby turtles are making their way to water and adults are finally laying eggs. Baby birds are also bouncing around along trail edges, so keep your eyes open!
Wildcat Mountain State Park - Kickapoo River conditions were excellent for canoeing as of June 27.
Black River Falls DNR Service Center area
Black River State Forest- ATV trails are in good condition for the upcoming Fourth of July weekend. The northern section of trails was groomed early this week, the Wildcat section of trails was groomed a few weeks ago. All the grooming equipment is finally back from repairs so the grooming schedule will be more regular or the rest of the season. Construction of the Castle Mound contact station has been delayed. Castle Mound campground will remain open through the weekend of Oct. 16 with the possible addition of a week or two. Once construction starts Castle Mound will be closed and not reopen until next May.
Wisconsin Rapids DNR Service Center area
Buckhorn State Park - The beach is great for swimming and staying away from the bugs. Canoes, single and double kayaks are available for renting. An adapted kayak for individuals with mobility impairments and beach wheelchair are also available for use in the park. Check out the eco-box on the barrens trail. Mosquitoes have hatched so remember to bring your bug spray. Also - check for ticks as they are out as well. The park office loans out small tackle boxes and fishing poles. Remember - fireworks are not allowed in the park.
Roche-A-Cri State Park - As of Sunday, June 26, there were still reservable campsites for the holiday weekend. Remember - fireworks are not allowed in the park. The stairway up the bluff remains closed. Check out the petroglyph viewing area and all the great trails in the park. GPS units are available to check out to do geocaching in the park. Check out the eco-box by the kiosk picnic shelter.
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