Wisconsin Fishing Report 7/23/09

[Woody]

NORTHERN REGION - Brule River State Forest - The area is finally receiving some much needed
rain. In the past couple of weeks the Brule DNR office has measured 2.69 inches of rain. Roadside
vegetation is starting to green up once again. The rain has also helped bring the river flow up on
the Bois Brule River to 132 cfs (cubic feet per second).

Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron
counties) - The erratic and generally cool weather of the past week has kept both fishing pressure
and success at mid-summer lows. River and stream levels in the northern part of the area have
been very low - though this may have changed with the 1 to 2 inches of rain on Tuesday and
Wednesday, July 21-22. With almost constantly changing conditions and continuing cold fronts,
water temperatures have been hovering in the upper 60s on most northern Wisconsin lakes. This
has kept fish activity down and made for some tough fishing conditions. Largemouth and
smallmouth bass have been providing the most consistent action but success could only be termed
fair. The mid to late afternoon hours have produced the best catches, with top-water and soft-
plastic baits being the most productive. Most bass have settled into their mid-summer habitats and
have been found near woody cover, along deep bog edges and near thick weeds and bulrushes,
but fair numbers are still being found in the shallow weeds and lily pad beds. Walleye fishing has
been especially erratic with the best catches made in the deeper weed beds during the low light
periods. Weedless jigs tipped with a leech or crawler piece dropped into open pockets in the weed
beds have been the most successful method. Musky fishing has been fair, with many anglers
reporting quite a few sightings and follows. Slower top-water lures, medium-size stick baits and
bucktails have been the most productive lures and the weed edges have been the best spots.
Panfish action has also been fair with perch, bluegill and rock bass being found on deep weed
edges and around mid-depth cover.

Flambeau River State Forest - Both the South and North Forks of the Flambeau River are very low.

Woodruff DNR Service Center area - Area fishing guides report that if anglers want to catch
walleyes this summer, they should use crawlers for bait. Deep, natural lakes are holding greater
concentrations of fish because of the cabbage weeds.

NORTHEAST REGION - Marinette County - - Fishing pressure has been light during the week with
pressure increasing on the weekends. Temperatures at the landings are in the mid to upper 70s
with good water clarity. Anglers launching from the Menominee River and Little River boat landings
are starting to catch salmon. Fish seem to be in the 90 to 100 foot range 70 to 80 feet down. Boats
are trolling north of Green Island at about 2 1/2 miles an hour, with purple being a good color. Some
perch are being caught off Little River in 10 to 12 feet of water.

Oconto County - Panfish and a few smallmouth are still being caught at the Stiles Dam location.
Walleye fishermen out of the Oconto Breakwater report a few fish being caught in the 20 foot range
using crawler/harness. Perch fishing success has been light. We are now under moderate fire
danger, caution is recommended for outdoor burning. Inland trout waters are low due to little
precipitation, expect trout to have moved up to feeder creek areas where temperatures remain cool.

Kewaunee County - Weather this last week was nice temperature wise, but windy on most days.
Another dry week as well, but there were a few light showers near the end of the week. Anglers
have been reporting some success casting spoons for trout and salmon off of the piers in Algoma
and Kewaunee. Only a few fish are being caught by these anglers in the mornings and evenings.
Anglers that have been going out on the lake are having more success this past week than in some
previous weeks. Kings and steelhead account for most of the catch with there being more kings
than steelhead. Anglers have found that the fish have been moving in closer to shore and as such
they are finding fish in shallower waters. Most fish are being caught in water depths between 60 and
120 feet. Steelheads are still hanging higher in the water column with the kings hanging out in the
deeper water, but they appear to be mixing more this week. Most anglers have been using a
combination of dipsies and flashers and flies, but spoons and J-plugs have also been having some
success as well. The most common colors seem to be either a bright green or blue. Action this week
started off slow, but the action really picked up towards the end of the week and many anglers were
reporting good catches of fish.

SOUTHEAST REGION - Lake Michigan fisheries team report: Sheboygan County - In Sheboygan
anglers off the north and south piers have been catching decent numbers of brown and rainbow
trout, and chinook salmon, along with an occasional coho. Spoons, crank baits, and alewives have
all produced fish. Sheboygan trollers have been catching a mixed bag of chinooks, coho, rainbows,
and some lake trout. Most fish have been taken from the surface to 45 feet down in 60 to 140 feet
of water on a variety of spoons, flies, and J-plugs.

Ozaukee County - Shore anglers in Port Washington have been catching perch near the power
plant and off the pier on jigs. Pier anglers have also been catching chinook salmon and rainbow
trout on both spoons and alewives. Trollers out of Port have reported chinooks, coho, and rainbows
taken in 60 to 170 feet of water, with flies, spoons, and J-plugs all producing at times.

Milwaukee County - In Milwaukee perch anglers off McKinley pier have caught fish on jigs early in
the morning, although fishing has slowed somewhat. Cupertino pier continues to produce perch on
minnows and shiners, but perch action at Bender Park has been hit or miss. Boats looking for perch
have had decent catches on crab tails or shiners both at the boils and near the Oak Creek Power
Plant. Shore anglers fishing McKinley pier for trout and salmon have been catching rainbows and
chinooks, along with a few browns. Late night hours have produced the most, and alewives and
spoons have both taken fish. Trolling out of Milwaukee continues to be relatively slow, although
chinooks, coho, and rainbows have been taken 30 to 60 feet down in all depths of water.

Racine County - Shore fishing in Racine has been slow for perch anglers, but a few rainbow and
brown trout have been taken off the piers on alewives and spawn sacs. Boaters have been able to
find some perch on minnows and crab tails along the rock breakwall south of the harbor. Trollers
out of Racine have been catching decent numbers of rainbows, chinooks, and coho. A variety of
baits have produced, including white or yellow flashers coupled with aqua or green flies; spoons in
cracked ice, orange, or green; and J-plugs in pearl or green & glow. Fish have been found in 50 to
70 feet of water early and out in 80 to 120 feet later in the day.

Kenosha County - In Kenosha shore angling has slowed, but trollers have been catching chinook
and coho salmon, rainbow trout and some lake trout in 60 to 80 feet of water. Boaters fishing for
perch have had success fishing at the bubbler and along the rock breakwall in front of the harbor.
Minnows and crab tails have produced the most perch.

SOUTH CENTRAL REGION - No Report.

WEST CENTRAL REGION - Willow River State Park - Fishing reports have been few with the cool
weather for the last couple of weeks. A 15-inch brown trout was taken below the dam in the last
week. The Kids Fishing Contest had lighter than normal catches regarding numbers of fish.

Crawford County - A new slow no wake zone is now in effect on the Mississippi River’s main
channel. The slow no wake zone is approximately half a mile long and is located adjacent to the City
of McGregor Iowa. The area is marked with slow no wake buoys that line both sides of the
navigation channel. For reference the area affected is in the area of river mile 633.5. Therefore
boaters must maintain a slow no wake speed through the entire length, shore to shore. The
Mississippi River rose slightly late in the week. The current level is 7.3 feet. The forecast for the
Mississippi River is for it to remain fairly steady. Boaters on the Mississippi River should use caution
now that the river is hovering around that 7 foot mark. Wing dams, closing dams, and sunken logs
are now dangerously close to lower units. Boaters unfamiliar with the area should stay in the
navigation channel or slow down and trim up their motors. Boaters are also advised to use caution
at some boat ramps as the water levels drop. Don’t back your trailer in to far as the tires might drop
off the end of the launch pad. Some deep holes have developed at the end of the ramps too. This
is caused by large vessels “power loading”. The Wisconsin and Kickapoo rivers are at normal
summer time flows. The sand bars on the Wisconsin River are in great shape for camping. All trout
streams in the area are in good shape with normal flow and water clarity is good. Bluegill, crappie
and perch fishing remains slow. Many anglers are reporting that the larger bluegills are extremely
hard to find. It appears that winter kill from the 2007/8 and 2008/9 winters have taken their toll on
the bluegill populations in some area. In the Prairie du Chien area fishing for panfish is slow.
Horseshoe (aka Sturgeon, aka McGregor), the Lower Bottoms, Garnet Lake and wing dams have
been slow. The Ambro Slough complex and Spring Lake north of Prairie du Chien is slow too. The
Ambro Slough, Black Slough, Fish Lake, the Upper and Lower Doubles and Big Missouri and
Gremore Lake have been slow. The most popular bait has been a chunk of night crawler or garden
worms. Panfishing at the dam has been spotty. Fishing at Cold Spring continues to be slow. Most of
the bluegill are running on the small side. Cold Spring is considered inland water, not boundary
waters. Different fishing regulations are in effect there and non-residents must possess a non-
resident fishing license. Walleye and sauger action was generally good. Trolling and casting crank
baits or drifting with live bait is the primary method of taking walleyes. Some of the hot spots have
been on the Roseau Slough, Harpers Ferry Slough, and on the wing dams up and down the river.
Nightcrawlers and leeches have been the best live bait so far. Walleye activity seems to be the best
early and late in the day. Smallmouth and largemouth bass have been very active. Smallmouth were
being found on closing dams and wing dams or rock shorelines. Largemouth bass were found in a
variety of habitats. Plastics, spinner baits, and crank baits have worked well. Catfish, both flathead
and channel, activity was pretty good. A variety of live baits have produced cats. Channel cats have
been a bit more active than the flatheads. Sheepshead have become very active. A piece of night
crawler fished off the bottom has been the best tactic. White bass action this week was spotty.
Some moderate action was reported at the dam this week. Angler are casting small crank baits or
using One-Eyes. Trout fishing has been very good even though vegetation and insects are staring
to make fishing a bit more difficult. Many local streams produced some very nice brown and brook
trout.