Lake Michigan Outdoor Fishing Report - July 29, 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: July 29, 2019
Sheboygan County
- Sheboygan Shore/Piers: Fishing activity from the shoreline was non-existent again this week. Pier fishing remained consistent as there were a few anglers out each time during surveys. Majority were targeting anything that’ll bite at this point. There were no fish reported, but there was a little bit more action then normal. There were mentions of a few fish bites and some that had fish on but were not able to bring them in. A variety of bait was being used this week again, trying anything to attract the fish.
- Sheboygan & Cleveland Ramp: Over the weekend fog combined with south and southwest wind made offshore fishing difficult. There are reports of 48-degree surface temperatures 5-10 miles offshore. When weather allowed anglers were picking up limits of fish way out in the 300-350 FOW range. Anglers seem to be bringing in more kings than previous weeks. There were also good catches of rainbows and a few lakers reported. A couple decent size cohos as well. There were a few trailers seen at the Cleveland ramp this past weekend, but no fish were reported.
Ozaukee County
- Port Washington Shore/Piers: Fishing pressure seen along the shore and on the pier remained consistent like it has in previous weeks. Most anglers were not targeting anything specific, just whatever was biting. A variety of bait was being used, but nothing seemed to be an overwhelming success. There was no fish reported during survey time.
- Port Washington & Amsterdam Ramp: The ramp in Port Washington remained busy this week. Most of those who went out during the week could manage 4-5 fish/trip. Over the weekend south and southwest winds combined with fog slowed down anglers a bit. When the weather allowed, fishing was hot out over deeper water (300-plus feet). The most common caught species was steelhead and lake trout, but some kings were caught as well. There were a variety of baits being used but spoons and flasher flies have been the most popular. There were a few trailers spotted at Amsterdam, but no interviews were taken.
Milwaukee County
- McKinley Marina: McKinley was extremely busy this weekend due to the Air and Water Show. Although the lot was full with trailers, most boats out were pleasure boaters. A majority of fishing boats came in between 11a-12p and success was rather hit-or-miss. Most boats came in with just a couple fish (primarily rainbows and coho) that were caught out deep. A few boats saw more success but no one seemed to be reaching bag limits. A few boats also brought in some kings, with the heaviest being about 24 lbs. The pier was closed for the festivities but no success was reported during the week.
- North City Shoreline: Shore fishing efforts on the north end of the city were fairly consistent to what they have been the last few weeks. A few anglers were out here and there, mainly targeting salmon and trout. No success was reported.
- South City Shore: Shore fishing efforts remained highest at South Shore Park, where most anglers were targeting perch. A few perch were getting caught near the ramps over the course of the week, but most were relatively small.
- South Ramps: Fishing efforts at Bender remain low, but South Shore saw a good amount of action this week. Boats coming in at South Shore reported a few fish, primarily rainbows, but said they were caught pretty far out. A few anglers reported that they were out to 300+ feet before they got a hit. Like McKinley, the ramps at South Shore also saw a lot of pleasure boater traffic over the weekend with the Air and Water show.
- Oak Creek Power Plant: The pier at the power plant saw little effort this week. Only a few anglers could be seen throughout the week and no fish were reported during survey times.
Racine County
- Fishing activity in Racine this week started out slow. The boat ramp remained nearly empty during the first few days this week. The piers and shorelines saw very little fishing effort as well. Once Sunday rolled around the fishing activity increased dramatically at the boat ramp.
- Racine Harbor and Piers: Fishing activity along the shorelines and piers was constantly low throughout the week. Fishing efforts among shore anglers were either directed at catching perch or one of the salmonid species. Regardless of what fish were being targeted shore anglers continued to be largely unsuccessful. A few perch and a handful of other panfish were caught using minnows during survey times. Other than that, anglers came up emptyhanded. The water temperatures varied depending on your fishing location along the shoreline. The temperature along the north pier was in the low to mid 50’s while the temperature by the boat ramp was approaching the low 60’s.
- Racine Ramp: Activity at the boat ramp was very low throughout the week until Sunday. Sunday finally provided anglers and pleasure boaters with ideal boating and fishing conditions. The few fishing boats that were reported at the ramp early in the week were unsuccessful, but that wasn’t the case for the boats on Sunday. The boats on Sunday came in with an impressive number and mix of fish. The boats that came in had anywhere from 4 to 15 fish on board. All five salmonid species were recorded at the boat launch on Sunday (kings, cohos, steelhead, brown trout and lake trout). Anglers reported success with a variety of different baits. Spoons, flasher flies, and meat rigs all reported success in catching fish. The depths at which fish were caught varied as well. Fish were caught at depths from 55 feet all the way out to 170 feet.
Kenosha County
- Fishing activity in Kenosha was slow throughout the week. The boat ramp saw few fishing boats during survey times, even on Sunday when weather conditions were practically ideal. Most of the activity that the boat ramp saw throughout the week included jet skiers and pleasure boaters. The piers and shorelines saw the usual consistent fishing activity.
- Kenosha Harbor and Piers: The piers and shorelines saw many anglers throughout the week. Most of the anglers that were recorded were targeting one of the salmon or trout species. None of the anglers were able to catch a salmon or trout during survey times with a variety of baits. The piers and shorelines also saw some perch fishermen as well. The perch fishermen had limited success. Only a few perch were recorded during the week along with a few gobies and sunfish. The only perch anglers that reported success were using live minnows as bait. Access to the far east end of the south pier was limited to anglers throughout the weekend due to an event. Parking was limited as well. The water temperature in the harbor was in the low 60’s at the end of the week. Kenosha Ramp: The ramp in Kenosha saw limited fishing activity this week. Only a small handful of fishing boats were seen utilizing the ramp during the week. The few fishing boats that were recorded had some fishing success. A good mix of salmon and trout were caught among the boats. The fishing boats came in with anywhere from 1 to 10 fish. The anglers reported success using flies or spoons at a variety of different depths. The water temperature at the boat launch at the end of the week was in the mid 60’s.
Northern Lake Michigan Fishing Report: July 29, 2019
Manitowoc County
- Manitowoc and Two Rivers Ramps: Early in the week anglers reported catching rainbows high in the water with spoons on 2, 3, and 5-color lead core (about 10-30 feet below the surface). As the weekend approached, some anglers shifted in for an attempt at near-shore salmon. Water temps in about 60-80 feet-of-water were reported to be 58° on the surface. Anglers brought in some good mixed bags of rainbows, lakers, chinooks, and even a 15+ pound brown trout. Anglers closer to shore (60-150 feet) had more success fishing with a mix of flasher/flies and spoons on dipsys and downriggers set around 30-50 feet deep, and those fishing deeper (out to 250+ feet) caught mostly rainbows in the top 30 feet on spoons. Most of the rainbows were in the 5-8-pound range and chinooks were reported up to almost 20 pounds. Fishing pressure through the weekend was low due to high winds and rain on Sunday. Anglers who found success reported catching fish on spoons in 80’-120’ of water. Surface temperatures ranged from 50-62 degrees and were 43 degrees 55 feet down. Anglers are still reporting lots of debris on the lake so use caution when running at higher speeds.
- Manitowoc and Two Rivers Shore/Piers: No trout or salmon were reported on the piers this week, although some anglers reported seeing rainbows and browns jumping in the Manitowoc Harbor. Bass and pike were caught in the Manitowoc Harbor on crankbaits, and a few carp were caught on the Two Rivers piers. Water temps were reported to be in the high 50s/low 60s off the pierheads.
Door County
- Northern Door County Lakeside: Trout and salmon fishing out of Bailey's Harbor had mixed results throughout the week. Friday and part of Saturday morning there were very few anglers fishing due to the strong south winds that occurred. Saturday afternoon the boat traffic started to pick up out of Bailey's Harbor with some salmon being caught. The majority of the chinooks that were caught on Sunday out of Bailey's Harbor occurred on spoons. The anglers were targeting the top 30 feet of water since the water temps were 47 degrees. The surface temps ranged from 50-55 degrees depending on where anglers were fishing. Majority of the anglers were fishing in water depths of 90 to 180 feet and near Moonlight Bay. Anglers fishing out of Rowley's Bay for salmon managed to catch a few fish over the weekend. The fish that were caught out of Rowley's Bay were caught with spoons as well. The majority of the smallmouth bass that were caught came from the Mink River or near the mouth of the Mink River. The smallmouth were caught using plastic tubes, dropshots, and then on worms. The shore fisherman had some success off of the pier in Rowley's Bay using worms. They were catching smallmouth bass.
- Northern Door County Bayside: Fishing pressure has started to pick up over the weekend as many anglers are trying to figure out the walleye pattern for this week’s tournament. The few walleye anglers I talked to were able to catch a couple walleyes. The majority of walleyes that were caught came from Ephraim and Peninsula Park boat ramp. The walleyes that were caught came on shiver minnows. Although only a few walleye were caught, the majority of the walleyes were larger than 26 inches when I talked to them. Bass fisherman along the bay had good success fishing out of Sister Bay using plastics working in 14 to 20 feet of water. Shore fisherman fishing off the pier in Fish Creek had success fishing for smallmouth towards the end of the day. Those fish were caught using drop shots. The fishing pier in Peninsula State Park were catching rock bass throughout the day using worms. Egg Harbor shore produced some rock bass on the outside of the marina basin. The yellow perch fishing has remained slow this week. The few perch that were caught came off of wax worms and tiny jigs.
- Sturgeon Bay: Fishing pressure was moderate this week, decreasing towards the end of the week due to poor weather conditions. Salmon fishing off the bank was productive early in the week for chinooks with the majority of fish being caught with spoons in the top 50 feet. Walleye fishing is picking up with a few good quality fish between 25-28 inches being caught on Larson’s Reef by trolling crawler harnesses. Smallmouth fishing was also good early in the week, dropshots and tubes were working well in 14-16 feet of water. Perch fishing was less successful this week, this is most likely due to poor weather conditions.
- No report is available for Sugar Creek, Fish Haven, Chaudior’s Dock, Sawyer Harbor, or Little Sturgeon Bay yet for this week.
Kewaunee County
- Kewaunee: Due to the high lake levels this spring and summer the City of Kewaunee has decided to close its public boat launch on Monday, July 1 at 8:00 am due to infrastructure and safety concerns, although the public will be able to use Salmon Harbor Marina to launch boats for the time being. The city of Algoma will honor Kewaunee seasonal passes through the end of July, and possibly longer. For questions, please contact the Kewaunee City Marina.
- Algoma: Fishing pressure was moderate early in the week and low towards the end of the week. Early in the week, a good number of chinooks were being caught in 160-180 feet mostly with spoons. Several parties had success fishing in the top 40-50 feet which produced some nice quality chinooks which many were 20-25 pounds. Towards the end of the week, poor weather conditions mixed up water temperatures that currently are ranging from 41-52 degrees on the surface in several areas. Due to heavy storms in recent weeks, there is a lot of large logs and debris floating in the lake, so use caution when running out.
Fox River and Green Bay Creel Report: July 29, 2019
Fox River
- Fox River: Early week water clarity was low and levels high. The Metro boat launch showed the highest use and angler effort. Parties were shore angling for Freshwater Drum. Those interviewed exiting the water were targeting Walleye or no specific species in particular. Angler success was moderate, dominating morning traffic. Fox point and Fairgrounds showed high use by pleasure boaters. Many Jetskis were utilizing these access points. Voyager park showed consistent low to moderate shore angling effort with high water levels closing the sidewalk along the channel.
Oconto County
- No fishing reports taken in Oconto this week.
- Geano Beach: There was high traffic and high angler success targeting walleye. Anglers were reporting an average catch of 2-8 Walleye, the size range 16-27 inches. Early in the week water clarity was low and water levels high following severe weather. One party with low success pursuing Walleye reported catch of Freshwater Drum. The following party interviewed reported high success and kept 10 Walleye a couple above 27inches.
Brown County
- Duck Creek, Longtail Point: The majority of use between these two locations was by small recreational vessels (canoes and kayaks) at Duck Creek. One to two small trailers were observed; however the parties were unable to get interviewed. There is a significant amount of aquatic vegetation.
- DuckSuamico: Traffic was high at this location especially for Walleye anglers. There was also a party exiting the water in the morning focused on Musky reporting no success. Afternoon traffic showed an increase in recreational and pleasure boating. An angler interviewed caught the majority of his fish in less than 10 feet of water, focusing on areas with submerged vegetation. One angler recommended crank baits and claimed higher success in morning trips than later in the day. There was light shore angler effort with low success. Weekend use remains so high that the Sensiba overflow lot was utilized.
Marinette County
- There was light fishing pressure on the Peshtigo River this week. A few anglers fished for northern pike with no success. Most anglers were fishing the Bay for brown trout and walleye for the Brown Trout Derby in Menominee, MI. Most of the derby anglers caught fish in Michigan waters, however the winning fish came from Wisconsin waters. The strong west-southwest winds had many anglers commenting on cold water upwellings and floating vegetation in the traditional Wisconsin fishing spots (Red Arrow Park, Trout Bar, Peshtigo Light).
Last revised: Monday July 29 2019