Lake Michigan Outdoor Fishing Report - August 6, 2018
In general, fishing reports will be updated once per week, usually on Tuesdays. This may change based on availability of reports and work schedules of field staff.
REMINDER - Anglers must carry a paper copy of their license/stamps while fishing on the waters of Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and the WI/MI, WI/MN and WI/IA boundary waters.
- Southern Lake Michigan Fishing Report
- Northern Lake Michigan Fishing Report
- Green Bay Fishing Report
Southern Lake Michigan Fishing Report: August 6, 2018
Milwaukee Co.
- McKinley Ramp – Early morning boaters targeting salmon continue to launch between 0400 and 0600 catching limits more often than boaters launching in the afternoon. A mix bag of fish across the board of salmon and trout continue to be landed. This weekend larger numbers of chinook salmon and lake trout and were caught (verses mostly coho and rainbows that we have seen for the past couple of weeks). There was no specific fishing depth for success this weekend. Anglers found success in depths ranging from 80-150 feet to deeper waters out to 330 feet. Fish were reported hitting lines 60 - 80 feet of water, or closer to the bottom, where colder temperatures occur. A variety of spoons or flasher/flies found the most success.
- McKinley Pier – Those few anglers targeting salmon, trout, and bass (on the lakeside and harborside) or perch near the gap, continue to see very little action. There has been lower fishing pressure at this location due to warmer surface temps (up to 70°) and lack of alewives (even out near the gap). By Sunday however, in the early morning hours, surface temps cooled slightly and now range from 62°- 64°F.
- North Lakefront Shoreline (McKinley, Veterans Park, Summerfest) – Anglers targeting salmon, trout, panfish, bass or perch observed by the Summerfest grounds and near the lighthouse, Lakeshore State Park, Veterans Park, and McKinley Shore, saw little to no action using crank baits, spoons, artificial lures or minnows. Anglers reported small schools of sheepshead, carp and smallmouth behind the art museum, but had no luck in landing fish. A small rainbow was caught near Summerfest using worms.
- South Lakefront (Jones Island, Cupertino Park, South Metro Pier) – Low fishing pressure occurred throughout the weekend from Jones Island, Cupertino Park, and through South Shore. Anglers targeting salmon and trout saw very little action. The presence of small schools of alewife are hit or miss at Jones Island.
- South Shore Ramp – Boaters through the weekend were mostly non-anglers. The handful of fisherman heading on the water landed chinook and the occasional rainbow or lake trout using flasher/flies or spoons in 120 - 140 feet of water.
- South Metro Pier – No reported fishing pressure through the week/weekend.
- Bender Park – Very few boaters launching from this location. Those few anglers trying their luck for salmon and trout found success landing chinook in 120 feet of water using flasher/ flies.
- Oak Creek Power Plant – Low fishing pressure continues at this location. Those few morning and afternoon anglers trying their luck were targeting catfish near the discharge, using a variety of bait. Those whom found success were using egg skein. Temperatures at the end of the pier are 66°- 68°F.
Racine Co.
- Racine Ramp – Most boaters are having luck catching Lake trout in about 250fow. Occasional rainbow was also reported being caught with no Kings or coho caught during survey times. Anglers are using flies and spoons with flies being the most productive.
- Racine Pier & Shoreline – Few anglers out over the weekend. The ones that were mainly casting spoons or jigging for perch with little success. There has been reports of an occasional brown and rainbow caught recently, however none were witnessed during survey times. Water temps in the harbor were recorded at 69 degrees.
Kenosha Co.
- Kenosha Ramp – Fairly slow fishing pressure over the weekend. Boaters mainly trolling flies and spoons out from 200-300fow. Lake trout and rainbow are the primary catch recently and coho and King have not been caught as frequently.
- Kenosha Piers & Shoreline – Many anglers out this weekend with little success. Most fisherman are casting spoons and jigs targeting brown trout. Water temps still around 73 in the harbor. No records of perch being caught during survey times.
Sheboygan Co.
- Sheboygan Ramps – Very few boaters were out this week as fishing remained slow for most. Some anglers found success catching larger Kings in 70-100 ft of water. Surface temperatures were reported to have cooled down to around 66F over the weekend.
- Sheboygan Shore & Piers – Fishing pressure increased along piers this week; however, most fishermen came up empty-handed. A tight-lipped school of about 30-40 whitefish teased south pier anglers throughout the weekend, but no catches were reported.
Ozaukee Co.
- Port Washington Ramp – Of the very few boats that went out over the week, slow fishing continued for everyone. One catch-and-release angler fishing in 90 ft was only able to land a small coho and a mid-sized rainbow. The Port Lions Club fishing derby was held over the weekend. According to their website 144 anglers form six states took part in the event. The largest fish in the derby was a 29.5-pound Chinook.
- Port Washington Shore & Piers – Few people were fishing along the shore and piers over the week. Most were out for whatever would bite and were finding minimal success.
Northern Lake Michigan Fishing Report: August 6, 2018
Manitowoc Co.
- Manitowoc Ramp – Fishing remains slow for the anglers adventuring out on the boats. Most boats coming in had one or two fish at the most with some zeros mixed in. The water temps are still warm with temps in the mid to upper 60s with small pockets of colder water that have not produced fish yet. The fish that were caught were usually on downriggers or deep dipsys.
- Manitowoc Shore, Piers, and Harbor – The number of anglers fishing on the piers remained steady, however no salmon or trout were caught this week. Freshwater drum and carp were caught occasionally while casting with spoons. Anglers are saying that their lures were starting to fog up when pulled out of the water on Sunday Aug 5, so hopefully that’s a good sign to come. There are some west winds forecasted this coming week so hopefully that will push the warm water out deep and provide some pier fishing before the salmon and trout start to pre-stage. Anglers fishing in the harbor right now are catching small northern pike daily. Most of the pike range from 16 to 22 inches. They are being caught by casting small spoons, spinners, and even a hook tipped with a worm. This might be an excellent opportunity to take the kids out fishing before the school year starts back up in a few weeks. Fishing inside the marina were producing most of the pike as well as by the boat launch.
- Two Rivers Ramp – The number of anglers fishing out of Two Rivers this week decreased. The decline in anglers could be from a combination of warm water temps and windy conditions on the lake. The anglers that did try their hands at fishing ended up with one or two fish with a boat occasionally coming in with four fish. Most of the fish were Chinooks followed by rainbows. It seemed like guys were getting the fish 60-80 feet down on downriggers.
- Two Rivers Shore, Pier, and Harbor – – Fishing pressure is starting to increase in along the piers even though no fish have been caught recently. Carp and freshwater drum were caught the most during the past week. Anglers fishing the harbor across from Seagull Marina had a great week catching bullheads. Although the size on the bullheads ran small the numbers were not. Some anglers catch more than 10 bullheads within an hour. Going after these bullheads could be another opportunity to get the kids out fishing before the school year starts as all you have to do is put a worm on a hook with a weight and wait for the bite.
Kewaunee Co.
- Kewaunee Ramp – Fishing pressure has decreased from previous weeks with low catch numbers on chinook salmon and steelhead trout. The weekend storms did not help as 3-4ft waves picked up out in 120ft of water and made it difficult for smaller watercrafts. Water temperatures were reported to be 69-70°F at the surface out over 100-150ft of water. Folks are beginning to come in from the Kewaunee River with bullhead catches. Water was reported to be 80°F up in the river and 77°F closer to the ramp.
- Kewaunee Shore & Piers – Very little fishing pressure was had this week with wind and waves making the shoreline & piers dangerous. No luck was had for steelhead or kings.
- Algoma Ramp – Algoma saw similar pressure, with low numbers of boats going out this week and 3ft waves keeping some folks in. The water temperature was reported to be 68-70°F at the surface in 100-200ft of water. Chinook were being caught closer to 80-150ft of water while rainbow trout catches decreased.
- Algoma Shore and Pier – Wind made the shoreline a bit difficult this weekend with waves crashing over and making it dangerous for anglers. The pier saw a similar situation. Olson Park saw folks catching northern pike, small largemouth bass, and channel catfish. No perch have been reported. The temperature stayed around 74°F at the surface which was an improvement from last week’s 78°F. Good luck was had using frog crankbaits for the largemouth bass.
Green Bay Fishing Report: August 6, 2018
Oconto County
- Unfortunately, no report is available for much of Oconto County this week. Please check back again for the latest updates. Thank You!
- Geano’s Beach– Very high numbers of boaters filled the launch this week with most after walleyes. Anglers experienced higher catch rates of walleyes, 3-5 per person, than at Suamico and reported catching numerous freshwater drum, catfish and an occasional northern pike. Many boaters harvested close to their limit on most days.
Marinette County – Menomonee River
- Unfortunately, no report is available this week. Please check back again for the latest updates. Thank You!
Green Bay/Fox River
- Metro Boat Launch – Low numbers of trailers were recorded with most being leisure boaters. Those that were fishing reported slow fishing with only a few walleyes being caught and none being harvested. No interviews were taken of muskie anglers. No shore anglers were interviewed.
- Fox Point/Fairgrounds – There were very few trailers, and no interviews were taken of anglers.
- Voyager Park – Low numbers of anglers were out this weekend and those that were interviewed caught no fish.
- Duck Creek – There were a few boaters out but no interviews were taken.
Brown County
- Bayshore – Walleye anglers have been catching some really nice fish over the past week in somewhat decent numbers. The average catch was 2-7 fish for half a day out on the water. A few fish were measured with lengths from 16-23 inches. Yellow perch anglers continue to struggle to find decent numbers of fish. The highest number caught by any angler was 3 for a few hours on the water. While out anglers also caught freshwater drum, white bass, white perch, round goby, and catfish. The parking lot was relatively empty during the week with less than 15 trailers being counted on the days that were surveyed. The weekend was the complete opposite with almost 40 trailers being counted.
- Suamico – High numbers of boaters were out this week causing lines of boats out of the launch, even filling the extra boat launch parking area. Many fishermen hit the water early to avoid the rush, the walleye bite was consistent all week with 2-3 being harvested per person. Anglers reported using flicker shad in a variety of colors. Most anglers reported catching numerous freshwater drum and large catfish. No muskie anglers were interviewed.
Door County
- Northern Door County, Green Bay Side – Bass fishing is picking up across Door County. Murphy Park is slow but Egg Harbor, Ephraim piers are producing lots of bass on both plastics and live bait. Smaller bass are the majority of angler catch but some nice smallmouth over 4lbs and some large pike being caught. Boat anglers getting out and fishing the deep edges and current breaks are doing well, catching over 20 bass per trip. No walleye action reported. Perch action is sporadic with a few nice fish being caught in the marinas on worms, leeches and minnows. The majority of boat traffic is pleasure boaters.
- Northern Door County, Lake Michigan Side – Salmon anglers trying their luck out of Gills Rock and Rowley’s Bay are having limited success. Most boats come in with 0-2 fish but the size of fish is good. Bass fishing in Rowley’s Bay has been good for the few anglers interviewed on the pier. Baileys Harbor is still producing fish but changing winds and water temperatures make finding schools of fish difficult. Most anglers are still finding a few kings and rainbows.
- Chaudior’s Dock – Anglers in search of walleye have been getting some decent numbers over the past week. The average catch was 5-10 fish for half a day out on the water with harvest somewhere in between. The fish that were measured had lengths ranging from 16-19 inches. While out anglers also caught Freshwater drum, northern pike, white bass, white perch, and catfish. Over the past week the parking lot averaged 5-15 trailers in it.
- Little Sturgeon – No routes were run here over the last week. Please check back in next week for more up to date information.
- Sawyer Harbor – No routes were run here over the last week. Please check back in next week for more up to date information.
Sturgeon Bay
- Sturgeon Bay City Shore – There was low fishing pressure overall this week. Anglers were out with a few reports of perch and rock bass near the highway bridge and steel bridge. Good luck was had using nightcrawlers.
- Sturgeon Bay Ramp – Early in the week temperatures averaged 68°F on the east side towards the pier and 78°F closer to the bay. Folks were consistently coming back with large numbers of walleye and large yellow perch. The weekends bass tournament saw smallmouth bass coming in ample numbers while chinook and rainbow anglers were not out due to wind conditions.
- Bay View Park – Low fishing pressure was had this week, with a few anglers having little to no luck with smallmouth bass.
- Sunset Park Ramp – Very few anglers were spotted going out this week and weekend. Pleasure boaters were out enjoying warm weather during the week. Water temperature was reported to be 75°F off the ramp.
- Stone Quarry Ramp – A decrease was seen in anglers this week with some walleye and smallmouth bass being caught along with large freshwater drum. Water has stayed at 78°F near the ramp at the surface. Good luck was had using tubes and crankbaits for smallies.
- Stone Quarry Shore – There was an intermediate amount of fishing pressure this week with anglers catching smallmouth bass and northern pike along the shore. Closer to the ramps folks were catching yellow perch and rock bass using worms.