Fishing report update
Fishing WisconsinLake Michigan Outdoor Fishing Report - August 12, 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: August 12, 2019
Sheboygan County
- Sheboygan Shore/Piers: Over the course of the week pier fishing remained very consistent, there’s always a handful of anglers seen on both piers. Most Anglers were targeting salmonid, however there was very limited success. There was only a few smallmouth bass and some carp that were reported from the south pier. Anglers have been talking about seeing some Browns being caught on the harbor side of the north pier, but none have been actually seen during surveys. There were a few anglers trying their luck within the harbor, but no fish were reported. Water temperatures remained around 65 degrees near shore.
- Sheboygan & Cleveland Ramp: The Sheboygan ramps were fairly busy during the week with majority of them being fishing boats. With the Coho Derby taking place this weekend, the ramps were extremely busy especially Saturday morning. However, fishing success was pretty average. There was a mixed bag of rainbows, Lakers, and kings being reported. There were also a handful of decent cohos that were being caught. It seems as though anglers have been bringing in more kings than previous weeks. Most boats were bringing in an average of 4-5 fish totals. Anglers with most success stated that they were targeting chinooks early in the morning in the deeper water, and lakers/rainbows when coming in shallower. Most anglers reported using flasher flies and spoons, however other baits were being used as well. There were a few trailers seen at the Cleveland ramp, but no interviews were taken.
Ozaukee County
- Port Washington Shore/Piers: Fishing pressure along the shore and piers during the week were pretty slow but picked up once the weekend came around. Majority of anglers were targeting salmon and trout however there was very limited success. There were only reports of smallmouth bass, carp, suckers, and alewives being caught from the shore. There were no fish reported from off the piers during survey time. Anglers seem to be trying a variety of bait, including both live and artificial, but nothing seems to have an overwhelming success.
- Port Washington & Amsterdam Ramp: During the week the Port Washington ramp seemed a little bit slower than usual, as there was only a handful of boats seen during survey times. It started to pick up a little bit over the weekend. Most were fishing boats, but there were a few pleasure boaters in the mix as well. Most anglers were targeting kings, cohos, and rainbows. Success was really a hit or miss this weekend. Some anglers were able to bring in around 3-5 fish, and others were not success at all. Flashers flies continue to be to most popular bait of choice. There were a handful of trailers seen at the Amsterdam ramp this week, however no interviews were able be taken.
Milwaukee County
- McKinley Marina: McKinley was pretty busy all week. The lot was full for most of the day on Saturday, and a majority of the marina parking lot is under construction - which made it difficult for trailers to find a spot to park. Boats during the week were coming in with very few fish, typically only 1 or 2 per boat. But action seemed to increase over the weekend, with boats coming in with a good number of steelheads, coho, and kings. Many anglers could also be seen fishing the pier but no fish were reported caught during survey times.
- North City Shoreline: Shore fishing efforts on the north end of the city remained slow this week. Only a few anglers were out during survey times and no success was reported.
- South City Shore: Many anglers could be seen fishing this weekend. Those at Jones Island were targeting salmon and trout but no fish were being reported. At South Shore park, most anglers were targeting perch and bass, and success was pretty hit or miss.
- South Ramps: Fishing efforts at South Shore seemed to pick up this week, while Bender remained relatively slow. Most boats coming in had a few fish, mainly steelheads and coho. A fair amount of kings were also reported and anglers seemed to have had more luck in the evening. The kings were reportedly caught between 100-150 feet throughout the week.
- Oak Creek Power Plant: The pier at the power plant saw a bit of effort this week. A few anglers could be seen on the far end of the pier but no fish were reported during survey times. There is a sign at the gate that says the fishing pier road will be closed for utility work from 8/12 to 8/16.
Racine County
- Fishing activity in Racine during the week was very slow. Very few boat trailers were reported at the boat launch. Not many anglers were seen trying their luck from shore either. The few boats that were interviewed during the week had very limited success. The shore anglers had limited success as well. Fishing activity picked up tremendously over the weekend as there was many boats and shore anglers trying to catch fish.
- Racine Harbor and Piers: Fishing activity along the piers and shorelines started out very slow during the week. Very few anglers were seen on the shorelines or the piers. Anglers were seen trying for either salmonids or perch. The anglers targeting perch had very limited success as only a small handful of perch were caught during the week. The perch anglers that had the most success were using plastics for bait. The anglers that were targeting salmon or trout had increased but still very limited success compared to past weeks. Three small trout were caught from the south pier using either plastics or crab meat as bait. A few sheepshead were caught on spoons during the week as well. Fishing activity picked greatly once the weekend hit. The shorelines were filled with lots of anglers trying their luck. The weekend anglers didn’t have the same luck as only one sheepshead was recorded throughout the weekend. The water temperature off the shorelines varied from the high 60’s to the low 70’s throughout the week.
- Racine Ramp: Only a few trailers were reported during survey times early in the week. Once the weekend hit the boat ramp saw a big increase in fishing and boating activity. Most of the activity that was reported at the ramp consisted of fishermen, with only a few pleasure boaters being reported. Good success was reported by anglers throughout the entire week. Boats came in with a mixed bag of fish that included all five of the major salmonid species. Anglers found success with a variety of different depth and bait combinations. Fishing success was reported at depths ranging from 80 feet to over 200 feet. Flasher flies and spoons seemed to be the most popular and successful baits among the anglers. The water temperature at the boat ramp was about 70 degrees most of the week.
Kenosha County
- Fishing activity started out slow in Kenosha this week. The boat ramp was very seldom used and not many anglers were fishing from shore. Anglers could be found in big numbers once Saturday and Sunday strolled along. Anglers reported very limited success throughout the week as very few fish were caught.
- Kenosha Harbor and Piers: Not many anglers could be spotted on the shorelines and piers early in the week. They came out in much larger numbers over the course of the weekend. Most of the anglers that were reported were targeting salmon or trout. Very few anglers are still targeting perch. Even though lots of anglers tried their luck throughout the week, success was very limited. One Brown trout was snagged while fishing for alewives early in the week. The only other fish that were caught throughout the rest of the week included a few sheepshead, a few panfish and a couple dozen gobies. The water temperature in the harbor varied between the high 60’s to the low 70’s throughout the week.
- Kenosha Ramp: The boat ramp saw much more action over the weekend than earlier in the week. Both fishermen as well as pleasure boaters were seen using the ramp. Even though there was plenty of activity, very few fishermen or pleasure boaters were available for an interview during survey times. Of the couple fishing boats that could be interviewed, only three steelhead and four Coho were caught. They were caught between 60 and 190 feet using flasher flies. The water temperature at the boat ramp stayed in the low 70’s throughout the week.
Northern Lake Michigan Fishing Report: August 12, 2019
Manitowoc County
- No fishing report this week.
Door County
- Northern Door County Lakeside: There were no interviews conducted this week as the days creel was conducted in Bailey’s Harbor, Rowley’s Bay, and Gill’s Rock were all bad weather days. However, according to some of the local guides, anglers are catching rainbow trout. There were some boats that claimed to catch upwards of 10 rainbow in a trip. I was unable to get the depths and types of baits anglers were using due to not physically talking to the anglers. There were very few reports of salmon being caught right now. Hopefully the salmon fishing will start to pick up again since they should be getting ready to start staging in front of the rivers/creeks. Rowley’s Bay smallmouth bass fishing remained fairly steady over the week. The anglers that were interviewed reported catching on average 15 bass per trip with most of the fish being caught on plastic tubes or Ned rigs. The average size of the smallmouth bass was roughly 3 pounds.
- Northern Door County Bayside: There were very view anglers fishing this week due to the storms and the wind. The shore anglers that had the most success this week was Andersons Dock in Ephraim and Egg Harbor. There were a few anglers on Sunday night that managed to catch one smallmouth bass and three rock bass, as well as a freshwater drum at Egg Harbor. Anglers were able to catch rock bass throughout the week in Egg Harbor using worms. Rock bass were also caught on Ned Rigs while trying for smallmouth bass. I did not come across any anglers fishing for perch at Egg Harbor this week. Anglers fishing on the pier in Peninsula State Park managed to catch some rock bass that were pushing 10 inches in length. An occasional smallmouth would be caught in the park, but majority of the fish caught were rock bass. The rock bass were caught on worms and bobber. The Anderson Dock crew managed to find smallmouth bass although the size was smaller this week compared to last week. On average anglers were reporting 8 smallmouth caught in couple hours usually. Most of these fish were being caught using worms and bobber. The next best method was drop shots and Ned rigs. On Wednesday before the storms rolled in one angler managed to catch roughly 10 smallmouth out by the sister islands fishing 15 to 20 feet of water using tubes. Sister Bay boat ramp was used heavily on Sunday for recreation use. There were no reports gathered in Ellison bay.
- Sturgeon Bay: Fishing pressure was moderate this week, with many parties targeting smallmouth, perch, and walleyes. The smallmouth fishing has been decent in all locations. Most fish have been caught using tubes, dropshots, and crawlers in 10-15 feet of water. Several fish have been caught between two and four pounds. Perch fishing is still a hit or miss, those who have had the best luck were fishing in the channel primarily using minnows in 15-20 feet of water. Walleye fishing slowed down this week, which could be a result of the recent tournament held in Sturgeon Bay. However, a few fish were still caught pulling harnesses on Larson’s Reef.
- Chaudoir’s Dock: Windy conditions lead to low angler effort. A party reported no success focusing on nearby reefs.
- Sawyer Harbor: Potawotami State Park: Angler traffic at this location was light early in the week with general weekend traffic in the park increased. Angling pressure was low yet steady in numbers, however with little to no reported success. Idlewild: This location was lightly utilized by anglers. A handful of boats could be found here throughout the week, no return trips were observed.
- Little Sturgeon Bay: The Carmody launch showed higher numbers of fishing parties and anglers during the weekend. Angler effort in general declined and those interviewed were focused on Walleye and Bass; however, the catch was low all week. Riley’s Bay access showed very low use with no angler success reported.
- Sugar Creek, Fish Haven: Anglers have not been using these locations. Landings are exposed to the strong winds.
Kewaunee County
- Kewaunee: Fishing pressure was low during the start of the week and moderate towards the weekend. Chinooks were caught between 300-400 feet of water using spoons. The majority of anglers had some success targeting rainbows between 500-600 feet of water, with many bites coming on spoons in the top 40 feet.
- Algoma: Fishing pressure was low during the start of the week due to poor weather conditions and increased towards the weekend. Salmon were harder to find this week, and inconsistent winds have caused some fish to move out to deeper water. Anglers who had some success were fishing anywhere from 400-600 feet of water, primarily catching rainbows using spoons in the top 30 feet of water. The chinooks that were caught this week came in that depth range as well.
Fox River and Green Bay Creel Report: August 12, 2019
Fox River
- Fox River: On Friday there was hardly anybody using the launches, but on Saturday the launches had medium usage with on average 5 to 9 boats. Most of them where recreational users. The shore anglers were in low amounts with only 4 being out in the two days. When I interviewed them they had no success yet.
- Metro Boat Launch: On Friday there was medium usage on the launch with around 10 to 13 boats. On Saturday the boat launch averaged 15 to 18 boat trailers. The boats were trying for walleyes and musky both days. On average 2 to 5 walleyes were being brought in with the average size being between 16 and 21 inches. With muskies I interviewed 5 boats with 2 catching one, and other boat catching two muskies. On Saturday there was a lot of recreational boaters using the launch.
Oconto County
- Walleye fishing in the bay slowed a little from the previous week with cooler surface temps throughout. Fish were still being caught from the Oconto Shoal south to Pensaukee mainly on crawler harnesses and jigging shiver minnows. Depths of 10 to 25 feet were most popular. Perch fishing was a little slower as well with most anglers catching many small perch with a few keeper size. Rock piles with weeds in depths of 8 to 12 feet were holding fish. A few shore anglers were seen at Oconto Park II having luck with bluegills and perch but size was small.
- Geano Beach: This launch was busy each day creel was conducted. The creel shifts were in the morning this week, so many boaters were observed leaving but very few interviews of returning fishermen could be done. Most boats that were interviewed kept at least 5 with the average size being 16-21 inches.
Brown County
- Duck Creek, Longtail Point: These launches are seeing very little traffic. There were a handful of trailers spotted in the parking lots, but were recreational users.
- Bayshore Park: Low success was reported with fishing better earlier in the week.
- Suamico: Each day the launch is busy. The creel shifts were in the morning this week so many fishermen were observed leaving the launch but none returned before the shifts ended.
Marinette County
- Some night fishing was happening on the Menominee River for walleyes, but this activity did not occur during scheduled creel shifts so there are no reports as to what was being caught. A few anglers were targeting brown trout in waters North of Marinette. Depths of 40 to 60 feet were popular with fish caught 20 to 30 down. Stinger spoons of various colors were working.
Last revised: Wednesday August 14 2019