Fishing report update
Fishing WisconsinLake Michigan Outdoor Fishing Report - April 15, 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
April 15, 2019: Green Bay Ice Creel Report
Southern Lake Michigan Fishing Report: April 15, 2019
Sheboygan County
- City of Sheboygan: Wednesday morning was windy and cold. Michigan waters were rough, with waves crashing over the north pier. A few anglers fished from the south pier, but were unable to catch anything due to the difficult conditions. Pigeon River waters were cold, 43°F, and had no anglers fishing it. Saturday morning was cloudy, windy, and chilly, with water crashing over the south pier. A few anglers fished on the nearer end of the south pier and on the Pigeon River, particularly at the County Y bridge. No fish were recorded caught. Sunday evening was windy and snowy. Michigan waters were rough, with significant waves and whitecaps. The Pigeon was running slightly faster and colder, 40°F. Difficult conditions prevented anglers from fishing.
- Sheboygan River: No creel routes were scheduled for the Sheboygan River this week.
Ozaukee County
- Port Washington: Wednesday morning was windy, cold, and drizzling, with anglers fishing at the power plant discharge and at Sauk Creek (43°F). No catches were recorded. Saturday morning was windy and chilly, with some sun attempting to get through the cloud. Outflow from the power plant and Michigan waters were turbid. Water levels on the Sauk were substantially up, running fast, and cold at 40°F. More anglers were fishing than earlier in the week including a couple boaters. Although rainbows and suckers were seen, no catches were recorded. Sunday evening was windy, cold, and snowing to near white out in some areas. A few anglers were fishing on the Sauk, still up and cold at 40°F. No catches were recorded.
Milwaukee County
- City Shoreline, North: Weather limited fishing efforts along the shoreline. Major flooding near Lakeshore State Park and under the Hoan made some spots inaccessible – while other spots were getting battered with high winds and precipitation.
- McKinley Marina: With huge waves crashing over the break walls and pier, fishing efforts at McKinley were nonexistent because it was too unsafe. No anglers were out for a majority of the week.
- Riverfront Ramp: Like the McKinley Ramp, nobody launched from the Riverfront Ramp during creel surveys due to weather conditions.
- City Shoreline, South: Fishing efforts were very slow this week. Large waves and whitecaps rolling in from a strong NE wind made many access points turbulent and unsafe.
- South Shore and Bender Park Ramps: The South Shore and Bender Park ramps did not get much use this week, again due to weather conditions.
- Milwaukee River: The resurgence of winter this week did not allow for much angling effort. The few anglers that were out did not report any fish caught.
- Menomonee River: High winds, rain, and snow over the course of the week limited fishing efforts, but a few anglers near Miller Park braved the weather and one steelhead was reported caught.
- Oak Creek: Oak Creek saw the most action this week. Though the creek did see heavy rain and snow accumulations, the surrounding woods blocked a lot of the wind and gave anglers an opportunity to catch some steelheads. Two good-size steelheads were reported on Thursday.
- Oak Creek Power Plant: The pier at the power plant was closed most of the week due to unsafe weather conditions.
Racine County
- Racine Harbor and Piers: Fishing pressure along the shorelines and piers in Racine continues to be very low. The weather was overall poor over the last several days. It was very windy causing waves to break over the tops of the pier walls. Heavy snow was reported on one occasion.
- Racine Ramp: Fishing pressure at the ramps in Racine slowed down this week. There were very few trailers reported. This is again due to the inclement weather.
- Root River: Fishing pressure on the river was fairly high over the last several days. Even though the fishing pressure was high both above and below the steelhead facility, fish catches were few and far between. The decrease in fishing success may have been affected by the rising water levels and murky water due to inclement weather. The water temperature in the river was about 46 degrees. The most popular bait being used among the anglers is still spawn sacs. Suckers are abundant in the river at this time.
Kenosha County
- Kenosha Harbor and Piers: Fishing pressure along the shorelines and piers has still been fairly low compared to past weeks. The water was wavy due to strong east winds. Tube jigs and spoons were the popular bait. Brown Trout are still the most targeted species.
- Kenosha Ramp: Fishing pressure at the Kenosha ramp has still been very low. Only a few boat trailers were reported over the course of several days.
- Pike River: Fishing pressure along the Pike River has been very low. Inclement weather decreased visibility and raised water levels in the river. No catches were reported.
Northern Lake Michigan Fishing Report: April 15, 2018
Manitowoc County
- According to anglers the water levels and flows at Shoto are high, though no creel routes were scheduled there in the past week so we are unable to confirm these reports.
Door County
- We received a report of high fishing pressure at Heins Creek, though no creel routes were ran in Door County this week to confirm that report.
Kewaunee County
- Anglers fishing the Kewaunee River had mixed results. Earlier in the week there were reports of decent fish being caught. However, as the weekend came to an end it slowed down. On average anglers came away with one steelhead if they were lucky. Spawn was the ideal ticket to catching fish. Suckers are starting to stack up now in the river. Anglers fishing for steelhead are catching upwards of 10 suckers on accident. There were no anglers fishing on the pier. I talked to one boater who went out of Kewaunee for browns and ended up catching one brown trout. Stoney Creek received the most fishing pressure throughout the week. The majority of the fish caught out of Stoney Creek was by the mouth of the creek. Fish were being caught on beads and spawn. The Ahnapee River had the least amount of fishing pressure while I was on creel and the number of fish caught was the lowest as well. The few fish that were caught were by the Forstiville Dam, below the fish refuge. All the flows are ideal for the rivers in Kewaunee Co right now.
Fox River and Green Bay Creel Report: April 15, 2019
Fox River
- This week has been slow for anglers on the Fox River. The slowdown of the bite can be contributed to the cool temperatures and the wind. The walleyes that were being caught were mainly between 15 inches and 25 inches in length. Both jigging and casting were catching walleyes. At Voyageur Park shore fishing pressure was medium this week with most people casting lures.
Oconto County
- Geano Beach: The channel where the boat launch is located is still unavailable due to the ice that is still in it. On Sunday April 14th, it was starting to open up, but the bay is open.
- Oconto River: Upstream towards Stiles dam on the Oconto River had heavy fishing pressure this week for walleyes with anglers seen from the Hwy. J bridge upstream to the dam. Highest concentration of fishing effort was from the dam to Hwy. 141 bridge. Most anglers were reporting catching a few fish with more being foul hooked. Most fish caught were smaller males with the larger fish being present but not hitting lures. Several larger walleyes were reported foul hooked and released.
- Oconto Parks: Heavy fishing pressure this week at the mouth of the Oconto River and in the bay. Anglers were travelling along the shoreline towards Oconto Park II when ice was not present. Reports of good catches of walleyes in the bay from earlier in the week were common with slower fishing on the weekend. Anglers casting jig and plastics and rippin raps were catching fish. Some large walleyes were caught and released by several anglers as most fish kept were smaller males. As of Sunday April 14th, the launch at Oconto Park II was still unusable because of ice
Brown County
- Duck Creek, Longtail Point, Suamico River: The fishing pressure was very low. The bite was slow to nothing. The slow bite is probably contributed to the cold-water temperature.
Marinette County
- Peshtigo River: Peshtigo River also saw heavy fishing pressure this week. Slow fishing was reported at the mouth of the Peshtigo as ice had limited access to the bay. Reports from upstream by the Municipal City launch were good. Boat anglers reported catching good numbers of walleyes early in the week. Good fishing continued on the weekend but a little slower. Anglers were using jig and minnows and jig and plastic combinations with success. Shore anglers by the dam in Peshtigo were getting fish also but many fish were fouled hook. Catch rate of 50% foul hooked versus caught was commonly reported.
- Menominee River: Heavy fishing pressure on the Menominee this week with anglers targeting walleyes. Boat anglers had mixed results with some good catches reported earlier in the week while others struggled to catch fish. Popular spots were the turnbasin off 6th Street boat launch and the mouth of the river. Shore anglers were finding a few fish during daylight hours, but it was reported that fishing was better at night. Clown colored rapalas were popular among the shore anglers. Some anglers were fishing the piers at the mouth of the Menominee, but no reports of success. As of Sat. April 13th all launches on the river except for the 6th Street boat launch are open, however docks were not in yet at the lighthouse launch and Menekaunee Harbor. Little River and Red Arrow launches still had ice.