Dry conditions lower stream and river levels, increase fire danger; visit DNR park at Wisconsin State Fair
Wisconsin experienced a fairly dry week, with some localized rains, especially in the north and northeast. Most rivers are running low and sandbars are open on many portions of the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway and ready for any late-summer campers.
The dry conditions have caused fire danger levels to increase, especially in central Wisconsin where fire danger was high this week, with 26 wildfires reported in DNR fire protection areas.
Campgrounds remain busy at parks, forests and recreation areas around the state, with most reserved campsites booked for weekends, but there are still sites in outlying forest campgrounds and some park campsites that remain non-reservable. Many trails are being cleared of debris after strong wind storms in the last week.
Musky and panfish have been getting most of the attention on northern lakes. Nearly all of the musky anglers have been seeing fish and having follows, but most of the catching has been of smaller fish in the 28 to 38-inch size. The panfish action has been fair, but fish have generally been small. Walleye fishing has been variable, though some decent fish in the 16 to 22-inch range have been reported. Bass fishing was generally erratic with the variable weather -- some days provided some great action, while bites were hard to come by on others.
On Green Bay, anglers fishing from the Sturgeon Bay ramp in Door County found strong success with steelhead and chinook, and an improving bite for perch along the ship canal. Anglers casting from Sawyer Harbor were catching increasing numbers of good-sized perch and walleye and perch fishing improved around Little Sturgeon Bay and Chaudoir's Dock.
Lake Michigan anglers out of Kewaunee and Algoma reported good success off the ramps, with steelhead and fair numbers of chinook taking the bait. The Manitowoc piers were packed on Saturday morning with anglers catching kings and browns. Anglers have been hitting the ramp and piers in Two Rivers hard over the past week and have been also doing well on chinook. Fishing out of the southeaster Lake Michigan harbors has slowed some for trollers, but most boats were still bring in fish, with chinook most common, followed by laker and rainbow trout and coho.
The early goose season is right around the corner and Canada geese are beginning to stage on a variety of areas: from cut hay fields, to oats and small grains, to wetlands. These birds aren't the only one's visiting the state's wetlands this time of year and waterfowl viewing in those areas is at peak, with egrets, great blue herons, bitterns and dozens more in attendance. Birds like swallows and purple martins are beginning to flock, as are sandhill cranes. Also on the move are turkey flocks, whose poults are almost the size of chickens, and many fawns that are still unaware of the rules of the road.
Prairie flowers and wetland flowers are at peak in portions of the state as goldenrod, bergamot, blazing star and more compete for the eye's attention along with swamp milkweed and mountain mint. Raspberries and blackberries are still ripe, or just now ripening in portions of the state if you can find them.
The Wisconsin State Fair opens today and people who are visiting the fair are encouraged to visit DNR park in the fair, to enjoy a shady oasis in the northwest corner of the state fairgrounds for respite from the crowds as well as visit the many displays, including live fish tanks and an expanded archery clinic and scavenger hunts for youngsters.
Archived under: Previous Outdoor Reports
DNR Outdoor Report in Portable Document Format (Requires Adobe® Acrobat® Reader®)
DNR Outdoor Report in Rich Text Format
Upcoming Events at DNR Parks, Forests and Trails
Outdoor Report editors:
Paul Holtan, DNR Office of Communications, Madison, 608-267-7517
Charlie Nettesheim, DNR Office of Communications, Madison, 608-267-0541