Fishing report update
Fishing WisconsinLake Michigan Outdoor Fishing Report - October 28, 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: October 28, 2019
Sheboygan County
- City of Sheboygan: Tuesday morning was windy, cloudy, and chilly, with strong gust and intermittent drizzling. Lake Michigan (54°F) had rough waters. The Pigeon River (48°F) was clear and swift. No catches were recorded. Wednesday morning was clearer, breezy, and still chilly. Lake Michigan remained at the same temperature, but waters were calmer. Conditions on the river were similar to Tuesday. No catches were recorded. Saturday evening was windy and cloudy. Lake Michigan (54°F) was rougher, with waves crashing over the piers. Most boats have left their slips. A few anglers were fishing at the western end of the south pier and along the Pigeon River (48°F), but catches were recorded.
- Sheboygan River: Sunday morning was mostly sunny and mild. The river (46°F) was turbid and slightly up from last week. Some anglers fished at Kohler dam and at Esslingen Park, but no catches were recorded.
Ozaukee County
- Port Washington: Tuesday morning was windy, cloudy, and chilly, with strong gust and intermittent drizzling. Lake Michigan (54°F) was calmer than in Sheboygan on the same day. Sauk Creek (48°F) was running swift and clear. A few anglers were fishing at the creek and within the marina, with a chinook being caught early in the morning. Wednesday was clear, chilly, and breezy. Lake Michigan (52°F) was calm, but waters within the marina and harbor were turbid. Sauk Creek (48°F) was slightly up. Anglers were fishing within the marina, at the power plant outflow, and at the creek. A couple chinook were caught at the creek. Saturday evening was chillier, with a drizzle beginning later. Nearshore (52°F) and harbor waters were rough and turbid. Conditions remained the same at the creek. Anglers fished along the shore, at the power plant outflow, in the marina, and at the creek. A chinook and a brown were caught at the outflow. Sunday mostly sunny and mild, but fairly windy. Lake Michigan (54°F) was mostly calm. Sauk Creek (48°) was turbid with high water levels. One boat was out while many anglers were fishing at all access points. A brown and a rainbow were caught within the marina, a brown was caught at the outflow, and several chinook were caught in the creek.
Milwaukee County
- An outdoor report is unavailable this week. The 2019 open water creel season has ended for Milwaukee County.
Racine County
- Fishing activity on the Root River remained high this week. The salmon spawning run is still going strong as we head into November. While fishing activity on the river remained high, very little fishing occurred on the lakefront. Only a few anglers were seen on the piers and shorelines and the boat ramp continues to see little use.
- City of Racine: Fishing activity along the piers and shorelines continues to decrease. Only a few anglers were seen throughout the entire week. The anglers that were out trying their luck were seen using spoons, crankbaits, and spawn in order to catch a few fish. Fishing success was limited as only one Brown trout was caught using a spoon. The water was relatively clear early in the week but quickly turned cloudy after a weekend storm. Fishing activity at the ramp in Racine this week was very slow. Only a few boat trailers were seen throughout the entire week. None of the boats were available for interviews. No catches were recorded.
- Root River – Upstream of Facility: The river north of the Steelhead facility saw a slight decrease in fishing activity this week. There was still plenty of anglers spotted who were trying to catch fish before the salmon run ends. Anglers were targeting salmon as well as focusing on Steelhead and Brown trout. Most anglers were using various fly and spawn presentations on fly fishing tackle. Fishing success was a little harder to come by this week. Only a small mix of Chinook and Coho were caught by anglers using flies and spawn. Water levels and current were both low at the beginning of the week. Rain over the weekend caused water levels and water current to increase dramatically making fishing much tougher.
- Root River – Downstream of Facility: The river south of the Steelhead facility saw an increase in fishing activity this week. Anglers below the facility were also targeting salmon as well as Steelhead and Brown trout. Anglers below the facility were also using fly fishing tackle. Success below the facility was very limited. Only a few Chinook salmon were caught using flies or fake spawn presentations. By the end of the week the water levels on the river were high and water current increased due to a rainstorm over the weekend. The water temperature at the end of the week was about 49 degrees.
Kenosha County
- Fishing activity along the Pike River this week increased slightly. Anglers were fishing farther upriver this week, with no activity being seen at the mouth of the river. There was a decrease in activity along the piers and shorelines as fishing continues to be poor. Only a few boat trailers were spotted at the boat ramp this week as well.
- City of Kenosha: There was a major decrease in fishing activity this week along the piers and shorelines. Some anglers were still spotted every day this week as they continue to try and catch a few more fish. Anglers were targeting any salmon or trout they could get to bite their line since fishing has been so poor. Spoons, crankbaits, and spawn were seen being used in order to catch fish. Fishing success would be very limited as only one Chinook salmon was caught the entire week. The water temperature in the harbor towards the ends of the week was about 51 degrees. Only a few boat trailers were seen at the ramp throughout the entire week. A few of the boats were seen floating in the harbor trying to catch salmon or trout. No catches were recorded.
- Pike River: A few anglers were seen fishing on the Pike River this week. They are still targeting salmon as the spawning run is slowly coming to an end. Even though fishing activity was seen on the river no fishing success was recorded. Water levels were low, and the water was clear early in the week.
Northern Lake Michigan Fishing Report: October 28, 2019
Manitowoc County
- Fishing success this weekend was moderate with mostly a small handful of chinook salmon and rainbow trout being caught. In the Manitowoc Harbor there were reports of a handful of rainbow trout ranging from 8-10 lbs being caught using nightcrawlers. At Silver Creek there were reports of a handful of rainbow trout being caught throughout the creek. In the Branch River there was a report of a rainbow trout being caught using a spawn sacks. At the East Twin River there were reports of chinook salmon being caught using hair flies and a rapala fire tiger lure. Additionally, there was a report of a brown trout being caught using a spinner in the East Twin River. It was reported that starting mid-week the fishing success in the East Twin River rapidly declined. At the Shoto dam there were reports of a small handful of chinook salmon being caught using flies as well as shrimp.
Door County
- Northern Door County Lakeside: Anglers were seen fishing out of Gills Rock on Friday with 5 trailers in the lot. There were no interviews conducted, however, majority of the anglers were targeting smallmouth bass when talking to anglers that were launching their boats. A few anglers were seen fishing at Heins Creek yet, however no interviews were conducted. The only stream that had an interview conducted on was Hibbards Creek. That angler fished for roughly 30 mins and was targeting Brown Trout with no luck. Shiver Sands Creek had a few salmon/trout swimming around in the creek near the mouth of the creek yet. No anglers were reported in Bailey’s Harbor at all.
- Northern Door County Bayside: The vast majority of the fishing pressure that occurred on Friday and Saturday was at Ellison Bay, which had 8 trailers in the parking lot on Friday. The anglers that were interviewed reported catching 10 smallmouth bass in roughly four hours of fishing. One group of anglers had success using sucker minnows, while another group of anglers had success jigging tubes. On Saturday on angler reported catching 11 smallmouth in 5 hours of fishing in Sister Bay. Shore anglers fishing at the Stone Quarry did not have much success this week. One angler talked to fished for 30 mins with no luck. The anglers headed out in boats at the Stone Quarry had to deal with strong southernly winds and it made it tough to fish.
- Sturgeon Bay Canal: Only one creel route covered the canal this week with that occurring on Saturday the 26. One group of anglers fishing for yellow perch managed to catch 20. Majority of the fish were caught on minnows. They did not tell where or the water depth they were targeting. There were no fishing pressure at the Pier Heads or off of Barge Road.
Kewaunee County
- Kewaunee: Fishing pressure was low during the beginning of the week and moderate during the weekend. Only a few chinooks were reported from anglers using spoons and spawn sacks during the beginning of the week. Some rainbows and cohos are starting to be caught with spawn sacks up the Kewaunee River near Bruemmer Park. The water level has continued to drop and clarity has been improving from last week.
- Algoma: Fishing pressure was moderate this week. The majority of anglers interviewed were fishing below the dam on County Road J. The chinook catches have decreased from the previous week but there are still some around. Anglers have primarily had luck with spoons and yarn flies. The water level has been decreasing and water clarity has been improving slightly.
Fox River and Green Bay Creel Report: October 28, 2019
Fox River
- Fox River: These sites have been rather busy all week. During the weekends metro averaged 15 to 20 trailers, fairgrounds averaged 5 to 8 trailers, and foxpoint averaged 5 to 8 trailers. During the week the amount were a little lower with metro averaged 10 to 15 trailers, fairgrounds 3 to 5 trailers, and foxpoint 3 to 5 trailers. Most anglers were either targeting smallmouth, walleye, or musky. The anglers that targeted smallmouth were fishing the river and having success. The catch rate was between 3 to 4 fish, and all of them were catch and release. The musky anglers were both in the bay and the river. I interviewed 4 to 6 anglers that were targeting musky and the catch rate was around 1 only. About half of the musky anglers I interviewed did hook up with a musky. The walleye anglers were both targeting them in the bay and the river. The average catch rate was between 2 to 5 walleyes. With the keep rate between 1 to 3 walleyes. The average size was between 17 to 26 inches. Most anglers were trolling with shad raps.
Oconto County
- Perch fishing improved this week with most of the popular shore spots producing fish. Oconto Park II, Oconto Breakwall, and the ditches along County Y all had angling effort throughout the week. Most perch were caught using minnows and were averaging 6 to 9 inches. Some larger perch were being caught but the smaller sizes were more common. The best area was Oconto Park II with the first few hours of the day being best. No boat anglers seen this week but high numbers of duck hunters using the Pensaukee ramp and the Oconto ramp. Water temps were in the upper 40’s throughout the week.
- Geano Beach: All week this launch has been slow. The average for the weekends was between 3 to 6 trailers. During the week the average amount of trailers were between 1 to 3 trailers. I didn't get any interviews from this site.
Brown County
- Duck Creek, Longtail Point: During the week the two launches were slower with only about 2 or 3 trailers. I didn't get any interviews during the week, but the few boats I observed launching were duck hunters. On the weekends the usage of these launches increased. The average amount of trailers for the weekend increased to 5 to 7 trailers. The few interviews I did get was on 10/26, but they were all duck hunters. I didn't observe anybody shore fishing from this site.
- Suamico River: All week has been steady with the amount of trailers at this site with on average 5 to 8 trailers only. It was an equal mixture of duck hunters and anglers. The few interviews I did get that were anglers they were either targeting walleye or musky. There were 3 anglers that were targeting musky two out of the three caught a musky. The walleye anglers it was a little tougher with the catch rate only averaging 2 to 4 walleyes. A lot of the walleyes were smaller, so they were getting released. There was no shore angling from this location during my shifts.
Marinette County
- Most activity this week was in the Menominee River with the exception of a few boats in the bay over the weekend. Anglers in the bay only fished a short time but were finding northern pike and smallmouth bass. Pike were caught trolling the shoreline and in the “pocket” off Red Arrow by perch anglers. Fishing in the Menominee River was fairly slow however recent surveys showed the beginning of the whitefish run and numerous walleyes present. Best fishing for walleyes tends to be in low light conditions and at night using stick baits off the Hattie St. bridge. Brown trout were also seen in the river in fair numbers. A few were caught below the dam casting Little Cleo’s including a 25 pounder earlier in the week. Water temps were holding around 47 degrees by the end of the week.
Last revised: Tuesday October 29 2019