Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report summary for July 28, 2016
Complete DNR Outdoor Report (Reports from conservation wardens, wildlife and fisheries staff and property managers from around the state)
The coming weekend’s weather should bring an improvement over the rapid fluctuations of last weekend
The coming weekend’s weather should bring an improvement over the rapid fluctuations of last weekend, which made angling, among other outdoor pursuits, so difficult. The hot and humid weather is starting to relent. That heat met with rain and thunderstorms in the southern counties, much of it falling over the weekend, bringing as much as seven inches near Madison. Northern counties have experienced light rains on and off over the past several days, totaling around an inch in most areas.
The result has been slowly falling temperatures, with expectations for the weekend hovering between the mid-70s and 80s. This is welcome news for most outdoor enthusiasts, whether they’re angling from the shore or biking on a trail. While mosquitos have also responded to the recent precipitation and will be out and about, DNR staff members have been making their rounds, smoothing trails and removing fallen trees and branches.
Water levels throughout the Northwoods are still running a little above average. Anglers there are seeing more consistent success with follows and some strikes from musky. Also remaining steady is the panfish bite, with decent catches of crappie, bluegill and perch. Bass are proving more difficult to coax, with largemouth spending time near many different types of cover. Smallmouth are spending most of their time near the weedy edges. While several walleye between 20 and 27 inches were reported over the last few weeks, most of the action for the species is still limited.
Rolling thunderstorms moved through Kewaunee County at the beginning of the week, but fishing improved since, with the KD Salmon Tournament getting off to an excellent start. The same was true of Door County and, as the tournament started and continued, angling pressure increased markedly. Some excellent chinook were registered, with expectations for a “podium finish” requiring near 30 pounds.
Those angling in the southeastern waters of Lake Michigan reported low angling pressure and heavy fog to contend with on the lakeshore this past weekend. Once the fog rolled through and temperatures evened out, anglers started landing coho, chinook and trout. Alewives were the bait of choice, with anglers in Ozaukee seeing catches of brown trout, those in Milwaukee landing rainbows and chinook, and those in Racine and Kenosha seeing chinook, steelhead and little success with perch. While storms may have hampered the past, the forecast for this weekend is predicting excellent angling weather.
Off the water, purple pitcher plants and spoon-leaf sundew are helping with our insect population, as huckleberries and fruiting tawny cottongrass sweeten some of our southern bog areas. Under an oak canopy, tall agrimony, white avens and enchanter’s nightshade are producing fruits that many of us would consider as “burrs” when they stick to our shirts, shoelaces and pants. All the while, shorebirds are congregating near lakes and mudflats, and the drone of insects will be subtly changing as percussive tree crickets populate, providing variation from the nightly high-pitched “song” of ground crickets.
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Outdoor Report editors:
Paul Holtan, DNR Office of Communications, Madison, 608-267-7517
Charlie Nettesheim, DNR Office of Communications, Madison, 608-267-0541