Fishing report update
Fishing WisconsinLake Michigan Outdoor Fishing Report - June 24, 2019
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: June 24, 2019
Sheboygan County
- Sheboygan Shore/Piers: The Sheboygan piers continue to be consistent. There are always a few anglers out trying their luck during survey time. However the success rate has still been low. Again anglers are targeting pretty much anything that will bite but majority are hoping to snag a couple browns. There were a few anglers out targeting Whitefish for awhile, but had no success with that either. Anglers have been using a variety of baits both live and artificial trying to figure out what will work. There was only reporting of one brown and a small rainbow being caught. A couple of anglers were seen along the shore during survey time but there was no success reported at all.
- Sheboygan & Cleveland Ramp: The Sheboygan ramp saw a lot of action both early in the week and on the weekend. The weather was nice, and the fish were biting. There were many trailers seen during survey time. Most that were out came back successful. Majority of the anglers were targeting cohos and kings. Boats were bringing in about 4 to 5 fish totals. There were a variety of species caught however majority were Steelheads with some larger Kings. There were a few cohos and lakers caught as well. There was a variety of depths that were being reported ranging from 60 feet to 120 feet. There seem to be a lot of success with those using flasher flies however anglers were having success with other artificial bait as well. There was no fishing effort seen at the Cleveland ramp.
Ozaukee County
- Port Washington Shore/Piers: Fishing pressure along the shoreline and on the piers remain consistent. There’s normally a few out trying their luck during survey time. However it continues to be very unsuccessful. There are very few reporting of any fish being caught both off the shore and/or pier. Many anglers are trying a variety of different baits (live and artificial) to try and get something to bite. But none of them seem to be working. Occasionally there are reports of some carp being caught and there have been a few smaller Coho’s. Those that have been targeting bait fish seem to be very successful. There have been many reports of anglers pulling in a good amount of alewives. Surface water temperatures remained around 60 degrees and the water remained fairly clear throughout the week.
- Port Washington & Amsterdam Ramp: The Port Washington ramp saw a lot of action this week as well. Most anglers that were out came back with something. Many anglers were targeting cohos and kings. There were a few kings and cohos that were reported, but most fish that were caught ended up being steelheads. There were also a few lakers that were caught. The average boat was bringing in about five to seven fish total. Some came back with nothing and some came back with 10 or more total. The kings being caught have been fairly large. Anglers are using a variety of different baits and fishing a variety of different depths ranging from 60 all the way to 200 feet deep. There was no fishing effort seen at the Amsterdam ramp during survey time.
Milwaukee County
- McKinley Marina: McKinley saw some action this week, around the periods of rain. Although many trailers seemed to belong to pleasure boaters, a fair number of anglers put forth effort and many saw success. Most boats came in with at least one fish, if not nearing bag limits. Steelheads and coho were the most abundant caught, but lakers and kings also made some appearances.
- North City Shoreline: A good number of anglers were seen fishing the north city shoreline. Most anglers were seen under the Hoan and near the Milwaukee Yacht Club, targeting salmon, trout, and perch. Success was very limited on shore.
- Riverfront Ramp: Dredging continues near the riverfront ramp.
- South City Shore: Shore fishing efforts remained slow this week. No fish were reported during surveys.
- South Ramps: Fishing efforts remain slow at the South Shore Ramp and Bender Ramp. Very few trailers were seen during survey times and no fish were reported. Both ramps have also been flooded the past few weeks, making it difficult to launch.
- Oak Creek Power Plant: The pier at the power plant saw some action this week, when the weather was behaving. No fish were recorded during survey times.
Racine County
- Racine Harbor and Piers: Fishing activity was scarce this weekend. Very few anglers were targeting perch in the marina/boat launch with no success reported.
- Racine Ramp: Strong east and southeast winds caused fishing activity to take a dive at the ramps over the weekend. No boaters wanted to battle the waves.
Kenosha County
- Kenosha Harbor and Piers: Shore fishing activity was decent with a few anglers around targeting perch. Anglers catching perch were using a mix of minnows off the bottom or jigs with plastics. Anglers targeting trout had no success, and other anglers reported not seeing any brown trout caught in the last few weeks.
- Kenosha Ramp: Fishing activity at the Kenosha Ramp was slow this weekend with the strong east and southeast winds. Saturday a few boats were out. They came in with a fair mix of coho, chinook, lake trout, and steelhead from out in the 150-200 FOW range. Most of the fish were being caught in the top 50 feet using a mix of coho rigs and flasher/flies.
Northern Lake Michigan Fishing Report: June 24, 2019
Manitowoc County
- Manitowoc Shore/Piers: Fishing pressure was very low throughout the week as no interviews were conducted.
- Manitowoc Ramp: Winds from the South had become a common nuisance throughout the week, although water temperatures are still continuing to rise. Water temperatures were fairly consistent. Anglers reported 53°F from the surface down to 85 feet. At 100 ft down temps ranged from 49° to 51°F. Lots of bait fish have been reported in 30 feet as well as 85 feet of water. The fishing catch rate was consistently fairly low.
- Two Rivers Shore/Piers: Fishermen were out throughout the week, fishing mostly in the harbor. Fishing pressure was still pretty low in the area. The fishermen interviewed were not having the best of luck catching fish, although there were a fair number of fish jumping in the harbor.
- Two Rivers Ramp: Except for Saturday fishing out of the Two Rivers Ramp was low throughout the week. Boats were staying out for very long periods of time, and the parties that were interviewed came in with fairly low hauls. Most came in with at least one keeper fish though.
Door County
- Northern Door County Lakeside: Salmon fishing is starting to pick up in Bailey's Harbor over the weekend. On average the boats were coming in with one to three fish per trip. The chinooks that were caught weighed in around 20 pounds. Anglers in Rowley’s Bay were using leeches with slip bobbers were catching smallmouth bass off the piers.
- Northern Door County Bayside: Smallmouth bass fishing on the bay has started to increase with mixed results. The fish that were being caught are post spawn now. Anglers using jerkbaits around the Sister Islands had the best results. Smallmouth bass fishermen from shore had a rough week with majority of the fish being caught at Ellison Bay. Rock bass were being caught at Egg Harbor, Sister Bay, and Ephraim. The majority of rock bass were caught using minnows and a slip bobber. A few yellow perch were caught in Sister Bay using worms and a bobber. All of the landings had a high use this weekend, however, majority of it was due to recreation use.
- Chaudoirs Dock: The usage of this ramp has been slow. On average there is only about 3 to 5 boats using this ramp. The numbers are low since the walleye bite hasn't been the greatest. It has been very slow with most anglers only getting sheepshead or round gobies when they go out to target walleyes.
- Sawyer Harbor: I only had one shift at this landing during the week, and the usage was low. The couple interviews I did manage to get they didn't have any luck catching anything. There were no shore anglers during the shift as well.
- Little Sturgeon Bay: The usage of this landing has been steady with moderate usage. On average during my shifts there has been between 10 to 14 boats out. The walleye bite and smallmouth bass bite have been slow out of this landing, but the perch have moved in. On Friday I was able to collect a few perch spines from this one angler before he had to leave before somebody seen he was catching perch. He stated that the last 3 times he has gone out he has caught his limit of perch. On Friday there were some shore anglers, but they didn't have any luck. The anglers targeting walleyes only averaged 0 to 2.
- Sturgeon Bay: Fishing pressure was moderate this week, smallmouth bass are beginning to transition into their post-spawn phase due to the increasing water temperature. Jerkbaits and soft plastics continue to produce some quality smallmouth as they begin to move to deeper water. Boat traffic was heavy out of the city ramp later in the week and during the weekend, with the majority being pleasure boats.
Kewaunee County
- Kewaunee: There was moderate fishing pressure this week, water temperatures continue to rise into the low 50’s for most areas, which has resulted in some decent fish being caught. The majority of fish brought in from fishing parties were steelhead with a few chinook being caught as well. Light-colored spoons have been producing the most steelhead in about 140-180 feet of water. From the end of the week into the weekend, chinook and steelhead numbers have been on the rise, which hopefully will become a common trend for the next few weeks.
- Algoma: The fishing pressure was moderate during the week and increased towards the weekend. Lake trout and steelhead catches are beginning to increase, as well as a few chinook beginning to show up. There were reports of large bait balls in 150-200 feet of water in many areas, which have been connected to some chinook and steelhead being caught.
Fox River and Green Bay Creel Report: June 24, 2019
Fox River
- Angler effort this week was low with an increase into the weekend. Catch rates remain low however increased from previous weeks. A party had success harvesting four Walleye, another reported catch of Bullhead and White Bass from the Metro launch trolling and jigging. Steady numbers of shore anglers were present with the majority of parties interviewed targeting no one species. One angler was catching bass at the Fairground shoreline. Shore angler numbers increased significantly into the weekend especially at Voyaguer Park where high water covers the sidewalk along the channel. The official start of summer brought a large increase in traffic of pleasure boaters which dominated weekend
Oconto County
- Shore anglers at Stiles Dam were having luck catching bluegills on nightcrawlers this week. Others were trying their luck for bass and northern pike. A few pike were caught using shiners. Anglers at the mouth of the Oconto River were having luck catching catfish, sheepshead, and perch from shore on nightcrawlers. Most perch caught were on the small side. Walleye anglers on the bay were catching very few fish. Only a couple reports of fish caught this week with trolling crawler harnesses being most popular.
- Geano Beach: Geano's Beach had consistent yet low angler effort without reported success.
Brown County
- Duck Creek, Longtail Point: Angler success and effort were low the majority of the week, with numbers increasing into the weekend. Longtail access points were not utilized by boaters. Duck Creek showed very light angler use with no interviews obtained.
- Suamico: The Suamico river launch maintained low yet steady traffic with anglers reporting low catch, many not targeting one species. One party was pursuing Muskellunge with no success, however had caught a few small Northern Pike throughout the day. This location also showed a marked increase in pleasure boating parties with high traffic especially Saturday.
- Bayshore Park: This landing has seen moderate usage during the week, but it was slow during the weekend when I had my shift. I talked to a walleye guide on Sunday to see how his season has been going. He hasn't had very much luck this week for walleyes he had 5 trips out, and on 4 of the trips he didn't catch a single walleye. The one trip he did manage to get 1 walleye. It has been going pretty much the same for everybody else the walleye bite has been very slow with most anglers only catching 0 to 1. The few walleyes that were being caught the average length has been between 18 to 22 inches. On Sunday was the only time during my shifts that people were fishing from the break wall. There were 8 people fishing from it, but nobody had any luck.
Marinette County
- Slow fishing for walleyes this week with only a few fish reported out of the Peshtigo River and Menominee River using jigs and crawlers. Perch were also caught in the Peshtigo River, but size was small. No fish reported caught out of the bay this week. Pier anglers were having good luck catching catfish and sheepshead fishing on the bottom with crawlers. Many anglers were seen on the shores of the Menominee River as it got close to dark. Anglers were reporting that some walleyes were being caught during the night hours.
Last revised: Thursday June 27 2019