Wisconsin Fishing Report 7/30/09

[Woody]

NORTHERN REGION- Brule River State Forest - Although last week's rain helped bring up the flow
for the Bois Brule River for a short while, it is pretty low once again. As of July 30, the flow was at
103 cfs (cubic feet per second) The 64 year average is 133. Anglers will be happy to know that last
weeks rain has encouraged some lake run fish into the Bois Brule River. Some brown trout and a
Coho has been sighted so far.

Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron
counties) - Most of the Upper Chippewa Basin received 1 to 2 inches of much-needed rain in the
past week -- but it all seems to have soaked into the ground as river and lake levels continue to be
at mid-summer lows. Emergent vegetation such as wild rice, pickerelweed and bulrush seem to be
at typical densities, and submergent weed growth has been quite variable on the many lakes and
flowages in the area. Angling success continued to be generally slow with the variable weather of
the last week -- with the periodic rain showers and cold fronts also keeping fishing pressure down a
bit. Largemouth bass have been providing the most consistent action as the fish have been
showing much more of a typical summer pattern. The best success has been coming from the thick
cover -- in the down wood, the thick lily pad beds and under mats of vegetation. Top-water baits
and soft plastics have been the most productive lures and the key has been to work them slowly
through the cover. Smallmouth bass also seem to have reappeared on many lakes and flowages in
the area. Some nice fish have been caught on a slow presentation of plastic finesse baits -- worked
near cover in the 4 to 8 foot depths. Musky action continued its generally slow trend of this season,
with many anglers becoming frustrated with the variable success. The constantly changing weather
seems to have kept the fish on the move and no consistent patterns have been found. Some
anglers have reported quite a few follows and sightings but catches have mostly been of small fish
in the 30 to 36-inch size, with the bigger fish seeming to be holding off in deeper water yet. Slow top-
water baits and smaller bucktails have been the favorite lures. Walleye success has also been
erratic. Some days have produced some good catches in and around mid-depth weed beds, and
others days would find a person wondering if there's any fish in the lake! Weedless jigs fished with a
leech or a piece of crawler have been the most productive bait. Panfish action has been fair. Larger
bluegill have been tough to find but some decent catches of perch, crappie and rock bass continue
to be reported.

Woodruff DNR Service Center area - Area fishing guides report that walleye and smallmouth bass
action is on the rise. The warming lake temperatures are considered to be a contributing factor. As
has been reported this summer, musky action continues to be good. Musky anglers are having
good success finding suspended fish in deep clear water lakes. Fish can be found following schools
of cisco and other bait-fish suspended over deep water. In addition, top water and smaller profile
bucktails are producing some nice fish. Largemouth bass, pike, bluegill, and perch action continues
to be steady. Walleye anglers are also having moderate success fishing weed lines with leeches in
12 to 20 feet of water.

NORTHEAST REGION - Marinette County - Temperatures at the landings this week were in the mid
70s, with good water clarity. The area received some much needed rain last week. Fishing pressure
was light to moderate. Catfish were being caught at the mouth of the Peshtigo Harbor still fishing
with crawlers. Boats launching from the harbor area were fishing up river and having success with
smallmouth and the occasional largemouth bass. The bite for salmon remains steady out of the
Menominee River in the area of Green Island. At times any color will work, but when fishing gets a
little tough try switching to greens and or purples. The flow on the upper Menominee River has
improved due to the much needed rain. The Peshtigo fisheries crew conducted a sturgeon
population survey this week covering several miles downstream from White Rapids Dam with more
than 250 sturgeon counted, the largest just over 60 inches.

Oconto County - The Stiles Dam area has still been producing some nice panfish on slip bobbers
and worms on the south side of the dam. Walleye were still being caught out of Pensaukee and the
Oconto Breakwater Park, though the numbers seem to be down a bit. Try fishing in the 16 to 20 foot
range with crawler/harness. Some perch were being taken from Oconto Park II in the 8 to 12 foot
range on the edges of the weeds, crawlers and minnows are good baits to try.

Manitowoc County - Trout and salmon anglers in Manitowoc County had a good week fishing on
Lake Michigan. Week day weather was very nice although the temperature was on the cool side.
Scattered showers and wind made fishing over the weekend more difficult. Boat anglers fishing near
Two Rivers had a lot of success trolling Lake Michigan on Thursday and Friday with many nice
catches including a few limits. Chinook salmon and rainbow trout were the most common fish landed
although a few coho salmon and brown trout were mixed in. Pier anglers had a good week fishing
from both the north and south pier casting spoons or using alewives rigged up off the bottom or with
a bobber. Catches were mixed with a variety of trout and salmon landed. Catfish anglers fishing
inside the harbor picked up a few nice catfish that ranged in weight from 4 to 7 pounds with one big
catfish weighing in at 16 pounds. In Manitowoc, pier anglers had a great week of fishing. Most
anglers were fishing from the south pier casting spoons. Successful anglers used a variety of spoon
colors that included bright silver, green, blue, or purple. Success on the piers was spread out from
sunrise to sundown with catches dominated by chinook salmon. Perch anglers fishing inside the
harbor had a fair week. Perch anglers were concentrated on the north pier stub or fishing off the
rocks around the marina. Successful anglers were using worms or minnows rigged up with a bobber.

Kewaunee County - Weather this past week continued to be cooler than average and dry. Some
rain moved in toward the weekend bringing a little moisture to the area. Anglers have been
reporting some limited success casting spoons for trout and salmon off of the piers in Algoma and
Kewaunee. Only a few fish were being caught by these anglers in the mornings and evenings.
Anglers that have been going out on the lake had some good fishing at the start of the week, which
slowed down in the middle, but then picked up again before the rain scattered the fish. Kings and
steelhead account for most of the catch with there being more kings than steelhead being caught.
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 were being caught in water depths between 50 and 100 feet.
Steelheads were still hanging higher in the water column with the kings hanging out in the deeper
water. 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. Most anglers have been either fishing north of Algoma up toward the
bank reef or well south of Kewaunee. This was is due to cooler water and better fishing being found
in these areas.

Oshkosh DNR Service Center area - There is a huge gizzard shad hatch on Lake Winnebago,
which is having a negative influence on walleye and perch fishing. Some of these fish are currently
stuffed with shad. There are still a few anglers reporting walleye success on the reefs. The
Winnebago system is a great place to be in a boat this weekend with the EAA Airventure putting on
a show in the sky. There will be more boat traffic than usual so use some extra caution while
navigating the waterways. Many prairie plants are currently blooming, including Joe-pye weed,
nodding onion, purple coneflower, and boneset. The deadline to apply for Upriver Lakes Sturgeon
Spearing is August 1. 500 licenses will be available each year on the Upriver Lakes and awarded by
preference point status.

SOUTHEAST REGION - Lake Michigan fisheries team report: Sheboygan County - In Sheboygan
anglers on the ends of the north and south piers have been catching decent numbers of rainbows
and chinooks. Spoons and alewives have both produced fish. Sheboygan trollers have been
catching a mixed bag of chinooks, coho, rainbows, and some lake trout and browns, but fishing has
been slow overall. Most fish have been taken from 20 to 50 feet down in 60 to 100 feet of water on
a variety of spoons 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 a few chinooks, coho, rainbows,
and browns on alewives and spoons. Trollers out of Port have reported chinooks, coho, and
rainbows taken 20 to 40 feet down in 40 to 100 feet of water, with spoons and J-plugs producing the
most fish.

Milwaukee County - In Milwaukee perch fishing from shore has been slow, but boaters near the Oak
Creek Power Plant and at the boils continue to catch perch on minnows. Trolling out of Milwaukee
continues to be relatively slow, although most chinooks have been taken in 40 to 60 feet of water.

Racine County - Shore fishing in Racine has been spotty for perch anglers. The north pier has
been hit or miss, but the rocks near the DeKoven Center have produced a bit more consistently.
Boaters have been able to find some perch on minnows or smaller jigs along the end of the rock
breakwall south of the harbor. Trollers out of Racine have been finding coho, rainbows, and big
chinooks off Wind Point in 40 to 60 feet of water. Glow-in-the-dark, purple, or orange spoons as well
as white flashers with blue or white flies have been producing.

Kenosha County - In Kenosha shore fishing has been slow, but a few browns have been caught in
the harbor on spoons and white tube jigs. Perch fishing has been slow for both boaters and shore
anglers, although a few perch have been taken off the end of the south pier on jigs and minnows.
Kenosha trollers have been catching a few chinooks, coho, rainbows in 50 to 80 feet of water.

SOUTH CENTRAL REGION - No Report.

WEST CENTRAL REGION - Willow River State Park - Fishing reports have been few. The Willow
River and Little Falls Lake have held their level and clarity reasonably well. Average summer
conditions continue, with winds predominately from the north or west. Temperatures have been at
the average to slightly cool.

Perrot State Park - Water levels are low. Fishing is slow.

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. The
Mississippi River slowly dropped this week. The current level is 6.93 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 below the 7 foot mark. Wing dams, closing dams, and sunken logs now pose a
serious danger to lower units. 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. Panfishing improved a little this week, most
notably was the bluegill and perch action. Bluegill were biting better this week, although the very
large bluegill are few and far between. It appears that winter kill from the 2007/8 and 2008/9 winters
have taken their toll on the bluegill populations in some areas. 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. Fishing at Cold Spring
continues to be slow. Perch fishing improved last week. Walleye and sauger action was spotty.
Nightcrawlers and leeches have been the best live bait so far. Smallmouth and largemouth bass
have been very active. Smallmouth can be found on closing dams and wing dams or rock shorelines
on the Main Channel. Largemouth bass can be found in a variety of habitats. Plastics, spinner baits,
and crank baits have worked well. Bass anglers report catching numerous undersized fish. Catfish,
both flathead and channel, activity was pretty good. Channel cats have been a bit more active than
the flatheads. Sheepshead are very active. White bass action this week was spotty. Some moderate
action was reported at the dam this week. Watch for surface feeding fishing and work those areas in
the Main Channel. Northern pike have become very active this week. Look for northerns where
small feeder streams enter the river or try fishing the weed edges. Many popular bass baits have
worked well for northerns including spinner baits and plastic top water baits. 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.

Vernon County - Trout fishing was excellent until two weeks ago, but has slowed into the summer
doldrums. Trout are nibbling on miniscule insects, when they are nibbling on anything at all, and
duck for cover after the first cast.