Fishing report update
Lake Michigan Outdoor Fishing Report - September 16, 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: September 16, 2019
Sheboygan County
- No report is available this week.
Ozaukee County
- No report is available this week.
Milwaukee County
- McKinley Marina: McKinley Marina was pretty active this week. Most fishing boats that came in reported no hits and few fish were being brought in over the weekend. A few boats did come in with some good sized kings. Additionally, clean up efforts near the ramps limited access on Sunday - but they did an excellent job cleaning up debris that washed up over the weekend. The pier saw a little action but no fish were seen during the survey period.
- North City Shoreline: Shore fishing efforts on the north end of the city seemed consistent this week, with most anglers seen near the red lighthouse at Lakeshore State Park. Anglers were primarily targeting salmon and trout but with little luck, likely due to weather and water conditions after a rainy couple days.
- South City Shoreline: Very few anglers were seen shore fishing this week on the south end of the city. Anglers were mainly targeting salmon and trout but no fish were reported during survey times.
- South Ramps: The South Shore and Bender Park ramps saw little fishing effort for a majority of the week. No fish were reported.
- Oak Creek Power Plant: The pier at the power plant was fairly slow all week. Anglers were targeting salmon and trout but were reporting little success.
- Milwaukee River: A good number of anglers were seen fishing the Milwaukee River. Most were out targeting bass or bullheads, but a few salmon anglers were also out. It doesn't appear that the salmon have moved in yet, but we should be expecting them soon! Water temps on the river read in the mid-60s throughout the week.
- Menomonee River: Fishing efforts have not picked up yet on the Menomonee River. A few anglers were seen near MMSD but no fish were caught during survey times.
- Oak Creek: Oak Creek saw some action this week from a few anglers. One king was reported, but it appears the salmon haven't quite moved in yet.
Racine County
- Fishing activity throughout the week on the Root River was slow. At the beginning of the week the few fishermen that were spotted were targeting Smallmouth, but anglers are now starting to target the King salmon that are entering the river. The piers as well as the boat launch saw lots of activity as anglers continue to target the King salmon that are close to shore.
- Racine Harbor and Piers: The piers and shorelines saw dozens of anglers all trying to catch some King salmon. The anglers used a few different baits, including spoons, crankbaits, and spawn sacs. No matter what bait was being used the anglers were largely unsuccessful during survey times. Only one small steelhead was caught using spawn sacs. The mid-week storm made the water incredibly murky, which seemed to make the fish bite shut off substantially. The water temperature at the end of the week was about 60 degrees.
- Racine Ramp: The boat ramp saw some activity, with the bulk of the activity occurring at night. Most of the boats that went out stayed fairly close to shore as they were targeting the King salmon. The anglers reported very limited success with only one large King salmon being kept. The King was caught using a flicker shad in about 30 feet of water. Anglers also reported lots of small steelhead being caught that weren’t worth keeping.
- Root River: There was not much fishing activity along the Root River throughout the week. The few anglers reported at the beginning of the week were mainly targeting Smallmouth, but then they switched their focus to King salmon by the end of the week. The few anglers who were fishing the river did have some luck. A few Smallmouth were caught as well as a few Kings. The Kings were caught using fly fishing tackle. Other baits, like spawn and spoons, were used as well but proved to be unsuccessful. Water levels on the river rose drastically after the mid-week rainstorm. The storm also increased the water current and lowered water visibility. The water temperature in the river was about 66 degrees by thee end of the week.
Kenosha County
- The Pike River saw fishing activity for the first time since the beginning of summer. The piers and shorelines saw lots of anglers who continue to target Kings as they come into the harbor to spawn. The boat ramp also saw quite a few boat trailers belonging mainly to anglers who are targeting the Kings that are close to shore.
- Kenosha Harbor and Piers: The piers and shorelines saw lots of constant activity this week. Anglers are still heavily targeting King salmon as they continue to come into the harbor. A few different baits were seen being used by anglers. None of the baits proved successful as no fish were caught during survey times.
- Kenosha Ramp: The boat ramp in Kenosha saw some activity this week. The activity consisted mostly of anglers who were targeting King salmon just offshore. The boats that were available for interviews did have some success. The boats brought in a small mix of steelhead, Brown trout, Coho, and Kings. A few Channel catfish were caught as well. The anglers reported the best success using spoons in about 30 feet of water.
- Pike River: There was finally some fishing activity that occurred along the Pike River this week. All of the anglers that were fishing the river did so right at the river mouth. The anglers are trying to catch the Kings right as they try to enter the river. They didn’t have any luck though as no fish were caught on the river throughout the week.
Northern Lake Michigan Fishing Report: September 16, 2019
Manitowoc County
- Fishing this weekend for salmon was slow, however a few anglers were able to find some success. At the Mishicot damn there were reports of a few salmon being caught with spawn and artificial lures. Unfortunately, due to high water there was no access to the island at the Mishicot dam. This led crowded areas to fish forcing many fishermen to leave. In Two Rivers there was a report of a chinook salmon being caught in the harbor during the week using spawn. It was reported earlier in the week that many boaters decided to stay off the water due to strong south winds. There were also reports from Shoto Dam of salmon being caught. Lastly, there was very little luck in Manitowoc with only one salmon being caught in the Manitowoc river.
Door County
- Overall fishing was slow throughout the entire county this week due to wicked storms that rolled through the area Monday - Thursday. Those storms brought heavy rain, with areas receiving over 5 inches of rain, and strong winds.
- Northern Door County Lakeside: There were no interviews conducted due to those said storms. A few anglers were spotted in Whitefish Bay Creek near the mouth of the creek. No interviews were conducted as they were walking up stream and I was unable to contact them. There were a few rainbow trout that could be seen swimming in the creek. There was one car parked along Shiver Sands Creek, however, no interview was conducted. No routes were ran at Bailey’s Harbor, Rowley’s Bay, or Gills Rock this week.
- Northern Door County Bayside: Majority of the anglers fishing this week were out of the Stone Quarry or Egg Harbor. The anglers that were interviewed at the Stone Quarry resulted in only a few smallmouth bass caught while fishing. The anglers were forced to fishing in the canal due to the strong northwest winds that occurred on Sunday. Shore anglers fishing at the Stone Quarry managed to catch one smallmouth bass roughly 13 inches on Thursday Morning. That fish was caught using worm and a slip bobber. Anglers fishing at Egg Harbor from shore targeting yellow perch managed to a catch a few perch this week. Using minnows was key to catching the perch. The perch were caught off the corner of the marina where the channel goes out to the bay.
- Sturgeon Bay Canal: Anglers fishing throughout the canal were targeting walleyes, smallmouth bass, and salmon. Anglers targeting smallmouth bass managed to catch a few using tubes along the bottom. While anglers targeting walleyes did not have any success. The salmon anglers that were trolling in the canal did not have any luck, although I only talked to a few of them. The anglers that managed to catch a salmon came off of spoons or crankbaits that were green in color. The anglers fishing from shore targeting salmon tried floating spawn with no luck. Salmon were seen jumping at steady rates in the canal.
- Chaudoir’s Dock: This site had the most usage on the 8th. There was an average of 4 to 8 boats launching out of here. I managed to get 3 interviews that morning with two of the boats targeting walleyes. The average catch rate they had was between 1 to 3 walleyes. The average harvest rate was only 1 to 3 walleyes. The were trolling using flicker shads. They were trying all different depths; first they started shallow and then they slowly started to get deeper. The one boat did also manage to catch a small perch that they released. The last boat I interviewed was targeting muskies. They didn’t have any luck that morning. Then on the 11th nobody was out fishing in the poor weather. The 13th there was only 2 boats that used the launch during my shift, and they didn’t come in before I had to leave.
- Sawyer Harbor: This site had the most usage on the 8th. There was an average of 4 to 8 boats launching out of here. I managed to get 3 interviews that morning with two of the boats targeting walleyes. The average catch rate they had was between 1 to 3 walleyes. The average harvest rate was only 1 to 3 walleyes. The were trolling using flicker shads. They were trying all different depths; first they started shallow and then they slowly started to get deeper. The one boat did also manage to catch a small perch that they released. The last boat I interviewed was targeting muskies. They didn’t have any luck that morning. Then on the 11th nobody was out fishing in the poor weather. The 13th there was only 2 boats that used the launch during my shift, and they didn’t come in before I had to leave.
- Little Sturgeon Bay: On the 10th there was nobody using this ramp to launch their boats. The was no shore or pier fishing either from this site on this evening. On the 14th there was an average of 22 to 26 boats launching from this site. I got two interviews from boats that were fishing. The one boat was targeting smallmouth bass and the other was targeting walleye. The boat that was targeting walleye caught 2 and they kept both of them. The size of those two walleyes were 20 and 22 inches. The boat targeting smallmouth bass caught 2 but they released both. According to the anglers the one measured 16 inches and the other one measured 10 inches. I interviewed 3 other boats, but none of them were fishing just going for one last ride of the season before they put the boats away.
Kewaunee County
- Kewaunee: There were some shore and pier anglers targeting chinook salmon this week. There were many salmon seen surfacing along the breakwall and piers but they are not biting. The water level upriver is very high causing some flooding at Bruemmer Park. Access at other locations along the river have not been affected yet.
- Algoma: Strong winds and thunderstorms led to lower angling effort this week. Some anglers were catching pike off the pier using small spoons. The Ahnapee River rose with the recent rains and the clarity is low at most locations.
Fox River and Green Bay Creel Report: September 16, 2019
Fox River
- Fox River: Traffic was very low with a couple of vessels observed launching from Metro. Shore angling effort was also low at all locations. Fairgrounds and Fox Point showed very little to low use in accordance with weather. There was also very little to no recreational traffic. Water levels are over the ramps of many docks and debris found at most access points.
Oconto County
- Wind and rain had a big effect on fishing pressure this week resulting in low participation. Only a handful of boats out off of Oconto fishing walleyes with no luck. A couple perch and sheepshead were the only fish reported caught. More anglers were seen shore fishing at Oconto Park II for perch. Most anglers were catching bluegills, bullheads, and largemouth bass along with a couple perch. The bluegills were the most active with size running around 5 inches. Perch were averaging about 2 keepers per hour of fishing. All species were hitting crawlers under slip bobbers.
- Geano Beach: Little to no traffic at this location. There was zero angler effort observed for this first time this season. When present, angler effort was very low (2-3 parties) with no return trips.
Brown County
- Duck Creek, Longtail Point, Suamico River: Traffic was low to non-existent. At highest use a handful of trailers were present. No parties exited the water, however upon launch one party shared they would be pursuing Muskellunge.
- Bayshore Park: This week has been very slow due to the poor and rainy weather we had. The 8th and 11th were the two days I had shifts on these routes that the weather kept basically all the anglers from fishing. On the 8th there was 2 boats that went out but didn’t come back in before I had to leave. The 11th nobody ventured out to try fishing. The last day I had at these sites for this week was on the 13th, but again nobody was out fishing when during my shift. There was no shore fishing either for any of the three days.
Marinette County
- Wind and rain this week slowed angling effort throughout the area. Anglers on the Peshtigo River were targeting perch, pike, and smallmouth bass with a little luck. A few bass and pike were caught casting bright colored spinnerbaits and crankbaits. The pike were on the smaller size but a few bass in the 16 to 18 inch range were reported primarily towards the mouth of the river. Fishing on the bay was slow with a couple boats targeting walleyes by Chambers Island with no luck and one boat trying for salmon off Little River with no luck on salmon but catching 4 pike and a smallmouth bass. Both shore anglers and boat anglers were fishing sturgeon this week as the catch and release season opened on the lower Menominee River. Most anglers were fishing above the train bridges to the dam using crawlers and cut sucker pieces. Fishing was said to be slow with a few small fish being caught along with the occasional sucker, catfish, and rock bass.
Last revised: Thursday September 19 2019