Wisconsin Fishing Report 8/21/09

[Woody]

NORTHERN REGION - Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and
inland Ashland and Iron counties) - Fishing success was pretty good in the Northwoods in the past
week with both the weather and the fish cooperating. Sunny skies and warm temperatures made for
some pleasant angling conditions, with musky and bass becoming especially active. Musky success
showed a nice little surge and most anglers reported some good action from small and medium-size
fish (32" to 42"). The fish seemed to be active along the weed edges and in the shallower weed
beds. Topwater baits, soft-bodied lures and slower moving stick baits were the most productive. Any
time of day has produced action and was mostly dependent on local weather conditions. Action for
both largemouth and smallmouth bass has been consistent and some very nice fish have been
caught and released in the last week. Largemouths have pretty much settled in to their summer
pattern and have been relating to the thick cover. Weedless topwater baits and soft plastics have
been the most productive and have to be fished in the weed pockets, in the woody cover, or tight to
the bog/marsh edges. Smallmouths have been a bit tough to find in the lakes but action continued
to be good on the flowages and larger rivers. Soft plastics and finesse baits have been the most
productive lures and the fish have been relating to wood that is near deeper water areas. Walleye
action has also picked up a notch and a few anglers have been reporting some decent catches.
Leeches and crawlers fished along the weed edges and in weed pockets have produced most of
the fish, though some have also been found on the deeper gravel and rock bars. Panfish action
continues to be fair. Larger bluegills have been a little tough to find but some decent catches of
crappie and rock bass have been reported. Rainfall in the far north has been relatively light and, as
such, most river and stream levels continue to be very low. Many flowages have also seen water
level declines, with both the Chippewa Flowage and Turtle-Flambeau Flowage reported to be down
about 3 to 4 feet.

NORTHEAST REGION - Manitowoc County - This week, anglers in the Manitowoc/Two Rivers area
had a very good week of fishing. Most of the hot fishing was from local piers, although boat anglers
still had some good days. The weather was cooperative for most of week which allowed for some
productive trips. The morning bite seems to be out producing the evening bite although nice quality
fish are being caught throughout the day. In Manitowoc, most boat anglers have been trolling in
shallow water between 20 and 90 feet. The most successful anglers have been fishing in 40 to 70
feet of water running baits deep and far behind the boat. A variety of baits like dodger and fly
combinations, j-plugs, spoons, and diving stick baits were used to catch fish this week. Orange and
yellow spoons worked well for a few boats this week as well as flies with bright florescent dodgers.
On the piers, anglers had a great week. Large catches of Chinook were common throughout the
week. Most pier anglers were casting silver or gold spoons with reflective tape colors of green, blue,
or white. Over the weekend, a few anglers were fishing the mouth of the Manitowoc River and
landed a couple nice Chinook salmon ranging from 14 to 17 pounds. In Two Rivers, boat anglers
were also trolling in shallow water. Some boats had nice catches while others had only a few fish.
Catches were dominated by Chinook salmon with a few rainbow trout and lake trout mixed in. On the
piers, anglers landed many fish throughout the week. Success has been split from casting spoons
or fishing off the bottom with alewives or smelt. Catches were mostly Chinook salmon but a few
rainbow trout and brown trout were also landed.

Marinette County - Fishing pressure is picking up on the Lower Menominee River with anglers
searching for walleye using Rapalas. The salmon bite is continuing to progress with anglers
reporting nice catches. There is still plenty of time to hit the inland trout streams and enjoy a few of
the many waterfalls in the county.

Oconto County - The inland lakes have been busy with more folks staying closer to home. Trout
fishing on the North and South Branches of the Oconto River should produce some nice catches. A
nice handicap/disabled fishing pier is located on County T north of Boulder Lake Campground on
the South Branch of the Oconto River.

Kewaunee County - For the first time in a while, the weather this past week felt like summer around
the area. This last week had above average temperatures as well as some rain towards the end of
the week. Some salmon have already begun to get darker as the fall spawning run gets closer and
there have even been some fish being spotted up the Kewaunee River. Anglers have been
reporting some success casting spoons for trout and salmon off of the piers in Algoma and
Kewaunee. Most of the fish are being caught during the night, but some are being taken during the
day. Anglers that have been going out on the lake had some good fishing throughout most of the
week with just a few times when fishing was difficult. Kings and steelhead still account for most of the
catch with there being more kings than steelhead being caught. Anglers have found that the fish
have moved out a little since last week due to some rising temperatures. Water temperatures out on
the lake have warmed up since last week up into the 50s and even the 60s by the end of the week.
Most fish are being caught in water depths between 50 and 100 feet with most anglers fishing over
water that is in the 90 to 140 foot range. Most anglers have been using a combination of dipsies
and flashers and flies, but spoons and J-plugs have also been having success as well. The most
common colors seem to be either a bright green or blue.

Oshkosh DNR Service Center area - Windy conditions this week have made for rough fishing on
Lake Winnebago. A couple reports of big perch bags using hellgrammites have come in.

SOUTHEAST REGION - Lake Michigan fisheries team report: Sheboygan County – In Sheboygan,
anglers fishing on the end of the south pier or halfway out on the north pier have been catching
Chinooks and browns. Both green & silver spoons and alewives have been producing. Sheboygan
trollers have been taking mostly Chinooks along with a few coho and rainbows, and the best
catches have been in 40 to 70 feet of water on a variety of spoons and J-plugs.

Ozaukee County – Pier anglers in Port Washington have been catching Chinooks on alewives and
spoons and shore anglers near the power plant have been taking browns and a few Chinooks on
spawn. Trollers out of Port have reported Chinooks, coho, and browns taken 20 to 30 feet down in
40 to 70 feet of water. Green or orange spoons have produced fish, as well as glow-in-the-dark J-
plugs.

Milwaukee County – In Milwaukee, McKinley pier has produced some late night Chinooks taken on
glow-in-the-dark spoons. Browns have been caught from shore behind the Summerfest grounds,
and a few Chinooks have been caught off the pier in Grant Park on spoons. Trollers out of
Milwaukee have been catching Chinooks, coho, rainbows, and lake trout 25 to 35 feet down in 40 to
60 feet of water; and browns have been taken in the harbor.

Racine County – Shore fishing off the piers in Racine has been good, with Chinooks and steelhead
hitting glow-in-the-dark spoons. Shore anglers have also been catching browns in the harbor and in
the lower stretches of the Root River. Trollers out of Racine have been finding coho, rainbows, and
Chinooks in as shallow as 20 to 30 feet of water either right off the harbor or north near Wind Point.
Glow-in-the-dark spoons and J-plugs have been producing.

Kenosha County – In Kenosha, brown trout fishing in the harbor has been hit-or-miss. On good
days, shore anglers have taken fair numbers of browns on spawn sacs or white tube jigs. Shore
anglers at the mouth of the Pike River have been catching a mix of Chinooks, browns, and rainbows
in the early morning hours and at night. Glow spoons have produced the best. Kenosha trollers
have been catching Chinooks, browns, and rainbows in around 30 feet of water off the mouth of the
Pike River.

SOUTH CENTRAL REGION - No Report.

WEST CENTRAL REGION - 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 ½ 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. Boaters must maintain a slow-no wake speed through the entire length, shore to shore,
between the states of Iowa and Wisconsin. Some heavy rain fell throughout the Mississippi River
drainage basin this past week causing the river to rise slightly. Last week the river held below the 7
foot mark but currently it is at 7.05 feet. The forecast for the Mississippi River is for a slow rise to
7.4 feet by later this week. Even though the river may be on the rise, it is still at summer-time levels.
Boaters on the Mississippi River should use caution now that the river is hovering around the 7 foot
mark. Wing dams and closing dams could cause damage outboard motors. Additionally, sunken
logs and rock piles outside of the main channel pose a serious danger 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. Drop offs might exist at the end of the
launch pad so don’t back your trailer in to far as the tires might drop off the end. This is caused by
large vessels “power loading”. The Wisconsin and Kickapoo Rivers are settling down after Sunday’s
rain. Both rivers are a fairly clear. 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 fair.
Insects like mosquitoes and deer flies are out in large numbers. Mosquitoes are really a problem in
the river bottoms while the deer flies are in the wooded areas. Another hatch of gnats came out
after last week’s rain, although the hatches have been short lived. Stinging nettle and poison ivy still
pose a problem for outdoor enthusiasts. August is the month when the “ornery” wasps start to
invade picnics and other outdoor activities. There was an improvement in the bluegill action this
week. Some nice sized gills were being taken off the wing dams along the main channel of the
Mississippi River. Try fishing the shallower portions of the wing dams. The Ambro Slough, Black
Slough, Fish Lake, the Upper and Lower Doubles and Big Missouri and Gremore Lake have been
slow as the water is very low up there. Even so, try fishing the “snags” on theses backwaters and
sloughs or find weed edges. The most popular bait has been a chunk of night crawler or garden
worms. Fishing at Cold Spring continues to be slow. 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. Boaters should also be aware that Cold Spring is a designated slow-no
wake area. Perch fishing was slow again this week. Try fishing a chunk of nightcrawlers along
deeper weed edges, or in 4 to 5 feet of water adjacent to the weeds. Walleye and sauger action
was fair. Generally the early morning hours and later in the day has been the best for walleye
action, especially during the weekends when recreational boating traffic is the heaviest. Trolling and
casting crank baits or drifting with live bait is the primary method of taking walleyes. Jump around on
wing dams to find active walleyes. Nightcrawlers and leeches have worked well too. Smallmouth and
largemouth bass have been very active. Smallmouths 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 a lot of
undersized fish. Both flathead and channel catfish activity was spotty. A variety of live baits have
produced cats. Move around until active fish are located. Channel cats have been a bit more active
than the flatheads. Sheephead are very active. A piece of night crawler fished off the bottom has
been the best tactic. White bass action was very spotty. Watch for surface feeding fishing and work
those areas in the Main Channel. Northern pike action continued to be very good. 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.