Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report 8-16-2012
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report summary for August 16, 2012
Archived under: Previous Outdoor Reports
Mid-August brings cooler weather and with it sumac are beginning to change colors, bird migration is beginning to peak, bears and turkeys are filling up on acorns and fishing, more often than not, is good especially musky fishing. With the dry summer, the fall foliage may be not as brilliant since many of the maple leaves are drying up and falling off already.
Musky are getting active, including in the Park Falls area were good action was reported in the last week. Of the musky caught during a two-day tournament, 37 measured 34 inches or longer. Walleye success has continued to be fair and anglers have been reporting some decent catches. Low water on several rivers, including the St. Croix, has adversely affected canoeing and fishing. Water levels are also low on Dodge County’s Rock River.
Panfish angling has been excellent on the Mississippi River around LaCrosse, but the river is lower than normal. The bluegill bite is slow, but walleyes around wingdams are biting on live bait rigs, jigs or trolling with crank baits.
The perch bite on Lake Winnebago and the smallmouth bass bite on the Fox River are still doing well. Fisheries staff have begun their annual Fish Community Assessment trawling on Lake Winnebago. Early results indicate there are opportunities for good fishing in the near future including a good 2010 crappie year class and very good carry over from last year’s walleye hatch, which was the fifth largest year class of walleye dating back to 1986.
Perch fishermen continue to struggle in southern Green Bay, but picked up at Little Sturgeon Bay, with an average length of about 6-8 inches. Musky anglers were doing well off Geano Beach.
Great Lakes anglers north and south are having success on Superior and Michigan. Lake trout have been hitting on Lake Superior along with some nice catches of smallmouth bass, northern pike and walleye.
Storms have hampered the Manitowoc County fishing, but salmon continue to be caught in 90-200 feet of water. In Door County’s Sturgeon Bay, perch fishing has picked up and 6-8 inchers are being caught. It has been a struggle for Milwaukee trollers, but when the fish hit they are reeling in Chinook and some rainbows and lake trout. Salmon are, will soon be spawning.
Sandhill cranes are gathering together in Marinette County and elsewhere, signaling they will soon wing south. Canada geese are also feeding and flocking together, common nighthawks and oriels are on the move, and in Green County whooping cranes are making flight training progress for their ultralight led migration south this fall.
The vast majority of the bucks are still in velvet, but a few have been seen rubbing the velvet off on tree bark already in the far north. Elk are on the move near Clam Lake as the rut approaches.
The prairies and grasslands are filled with wildflowers. The predominant color is yellow, with stiff goldenrod, Canada goldenrod, prairie dock, compass-plant, black-eyed Susan, brown-eyed Susan, and rosinweed all blooming.
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