FISHING REPORT FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 25TH

MANITOWOC COUNTY

• Chinook salmon are still being caught from boats launched out of Two Rivers and Manitowoc, with the fish favoring the morning bite (boats launching between 3:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. seemed to have the most action). Few steelhead hooked have been, but interestingly, more lake trout have returned to the ramp. Fishing parties have been hit and miss with marking fish/bait – some boats having readings all along the water column, while others had nothing. Baits varied between dodger flies, flasher flies and spoons, with colors varying widely with no noticeable preference to the fish. Sustained west wind the last few days have cooled the water temperature (mid to low 60’s to mid to high 50’s) and has improved the bite from earlier in the week.

KEWAUNEE COUNTY

• Kewaunee: Few people were recorded fishing from Kewaunee’s pier and shore this week. These anglers were solely going for trout and salmon. Water clarity was around 3 feet deep. Boaters this week were also only going for trout and salmon. More than half the groups returned to the ramp with at least one fish caught. The depth of bites occurred mainly between 40 to 60 feet deep. The water depth in which anglers were fishing ranged from 130 to 170 feet, with some groups near the 80 to 120 feet area. Trolling speed averaged out at around 2.3 mph for those who caught fish. Fish were marked in the 60 to 100-foot range, and bait balls were also marked. Lures of choice included: green and blue spoons, stinger spoons, flasher flies and pearl dodger flies. Surface temperatures fell between 62 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit, with an average of about 65 degrees.
• Algoma: Algoma’s shoreline had anglers going for mostly yellow perch. Few fish were caught from shore this week compared to previous weeks. Water clarity steadily stayed at around 1 to 2 feet deep. Boaters only targeted trout and salmon. The majority of these anglers came back with at least one fish. Boaters were primarily heading north after leaving the ramp. Anglers reported their depth of bites mainly around the 30 to 60 feet deep range. They also were fishing in the 90 to 130 feet deep zones. Trolling speed for those with fish came out to about 2.2 mph. Few fish were marked this week, but a lot of bait was found on radar. Spoons and flasher flies were the lures used, with the color silver coming up often. Surface temperatures this week ranged from 49 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit with an average of 60 degrees. Waves were a factor for some days this week, with a high of 5-foot waves reported.

DOOR COUNTY

• Sturgeon Bay: Most anglers were out targeting yellow perch and smallmouth bass from the shore. Fish caught throughout the week from shore included yellow perch, smallmouth bass, freshwater drum, northern pike, rock bass and round goby. Leeches and worms were the bait of choice for those with fish. Water clarity ranged from 3 to 8 feet deep. Boaters were targeting trout and salmon on Lake Michigan; others were going for yellow perch, walleye and smallmouth bass near the shore. Bycatches of northern pike, rock bass, round goby, freshwater drum and channel catfish were also reported. Yellow perch and smallmouth bass were biting around the 10 to 16-foot range. Redworms, nightcrawlers and hellgrammites were the bait of choice by some anglers. Trout and salmon anglers were mainly fishing at a depth of around 100 to 180 feet, with bites occurring at about 40 to 70 feet. A couple of chinook salmon were measured, with the largest coming out to 38 inches and 24 pounds. Lures of choice for trout and salmon included flasher flies and spoons. Orange/black and green were common color selections. Trolling speeds ranged from 2.2 to 2.7 mph. Boaters were also primarily going north, but a fair amount went south. Surface temperatures out on Lake Michigan spanned from 47 to 64 degrees Fahrenheit. Near the shoreline, surface temperatures ranged from 71 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Northern Door/Lake Michigan: Salmon fishing on Lake Michigan picked up just in time for the K/D Salmon Tournament as anglers fishing both for the tournament and sport saw success catching king salmon. Anglers fishing out of Rowleys Bay for salmon targeted water depths between 80-140 feet and trolled at speeds of 1.8-3 mph. Most of the salmon caught by interviewed anglers were around 6 pounds, but a few between 18-25 pounds were also caught. Anglers caught these salmon on both spoons and flasher flies, with blue and green being the preferred colors. Anglers launching out of Baileys Harbor targeted 100-150 feet of water for salmon and rainbow trout and trolled at speeds of 2-3 mph. The salmon that were kept varied in size, with 10-11 pounds being common and some larger salmon at 23.5 pounds. A few rainbow trout in the 6.5-9.5 range were also caught along with the salmon. These fish were caught mainly on spoons and flasher flies, with blue, green and black being the popular colors. Anglers fishing out of Rowleys Bay for smallmouth bass caught fish averaging around 1.5 pounds using green plastics. Anglers fishing off the pier in Rowleys Bay caught some 6-inch perch using nightcrawlers and bobbers. Water temperatures on Lake Michigan ranged from 66ºF to 73º in spots around Rowleys Bay.
• Bay of Green Bay: Anglers fishing out of Nicolet Bay in Peninsula State Park caught some walleyes, with the majority being in the 18-20 inch size range, but a couple caught were 27-29 inches. Anglers targeted 15-25 feet of water and used crankbaits of assorted colors and crawler harnesses. The surface water temperature was around 72-73ºF in these areas. Anglers fishing the piers of Ephraim, Sister Bay and Peninsula State Park caught some smallmouth bass around 10-12 inches using nightcrawlers and orange swim baits. Anglers fishing the pier in Egg Harbor continue to catch rock bass around 9 inches and some smaller perch, with the biggest being just shy of 10 inches, while using minnows and nightcrawlers.

FOX RIVER: 

• Mouth: There was limited fishing activity observed this week. There were rainy conditions throughout the week. Most of the boats that were interviewed were not fishing. Boating anglers did not have any reported catches. There was no water temperature reported.
• Fox River Shore anglers: There was limited fishing activity observed this week. There were rainy conditions throughout the week. Shore anglers were targeting catfish, drum/sheepshead and white bass. A couple of anglers reported catching white bass using nightcrawlers. There were no reported catches for catfish or drum/sheepshead.
• Fox River Boat anglers: There was limited fishing activity observed this week. There were rainy conditions throughout the week. Most of the boats that were interviewed were not fishing. The boaters that were fishing were targeting smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. One angler reported catching two smallmouth bass and a largemouth bass using a green pumpkin mini tube. The same angler also reported catching a drum/sheepshead. The reported water temperature was around 80 degrees.

EAST SHORELINE OF GREEN BAY:

BOWN COUNTY

• Bayshore Park: Boat anglers caught yellow perch, walleyes, muskies, catfish, sheepshead, white perch and round gobies. The yellow perch, catfish and round gobies were caught on nightcrawlers and minnows. The walleyes and sheepshead were caught on crankbaits, nightcrawlers and minnows. The muskies were caught on white, soft-plastic swimbaits, and the white perch were caught on crankbaits. Flicker minnows were the most popular crankbaits used, and anglers reported that there did not seem to be a color or depth preference this week. The water temperatures were between 72 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit.

DOOR COUNTY

• Chaudoir’s Dock: Boat anglers reported catching yellow perch, walleyes and white bass. These fish were caught using nightcrawler harnesses in deep water. The yellow perch that was kept was a little over 9 inches, and the walleyes were between 16 and 25 inches long. The water temperatures were about 76 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Little Surgeon Bay: Boat anglers caught smallmouth bass, northern pikes and rock bass. The smallmouth bass and northern pikes were caught on spinnerbaits. The rock bass were caught on crankbaits. The anglers reported that there did not seem to be a color preference this week. The water temperatures were around 74 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Sawyer Harbor: Boat anglers caught smallmouth bass, yellow perch and round gobies. The yellow perch were caught on crawler harnesses. The smallmouth bass and round gobies were caught on nightcrawlers and soft plastics. Natural green was a successful color for the soft plastics this week. Water temperatures were between 73 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit.

WEST SHORELINE OF GREEN BAY:

BROWN COUNTY

• Suamico River: There was limited heavy fishing activity observed this week. During part of the week, there were storms and windy weather. Later in the week, the walleye fishing picked up. Boating anglers targeting walleye used crawler harnesses successfully and fished at a depth between 20 to 25 feet. The number of reported walleye caught per boat varied from 1 to 20 fish. Most anglers that had success were in the Geanos Beach area. The sizes of the walleye kept ranged from 17.5 inches to 25 inches long. Only one interviewed boating angler was targeting perch. The angler caught two perch. There were limited shore anglers observed this week. One shore angler reported catching one perch using nightcrawlers. The reported water temperature was around 74 degrees throughout the week.
• Duck Creek: There were moderate boating anglers observed this week. Boating anglers were targeting perch using live nightcrawlers and minnows. Anglers only reported catching one or two fish per boat. There were limited shore anglers observed and no reported catches. There was no water temperature reported.

OCONTO COUNTY

• Geano Beach: There was heavy fishing activity observed this week. Boating anglers were targeting walleye and perch. The walleye fishing picked up this week. Boating anglers targeting walleye successfully used glide baits, casting jigs with nightcrawlers and purple flicker minnows. The depths that the walleye were caught were from 6 to 13 feet deep. The number of walleye caught per boat ranged from 1 to 20 fish. The sizes of walleye kept ranged from 15.5 to 22 inches long. The boating anglers targeting perch caught between 1 to 6 fish per boat using live nightcrawlers. The reported water temperature reported was around 72 degrees.
• Walleye anglers were seeing some more activity from the walleyes this week. Both trolling crawler harnesses and casting shiver minnows were producing fish. The best areas were south towards Pensaukee in waters 20 to 30 feet deep. A few perch were also caught while targeting walleyes.

MARINETTE COUNTY

• Anglers fishing the Menominee and Peshtigo rivers had luck catching smallmouth bass and northern pike this week. Spinnerbaits and topwater lures were working best. Popular areas were upstream from the County BB launch on the Peshtigo and off the piers on the mouth of the Menominee.

KENOSHA COUNTY

• Perch were reported off Southport Marina’s southern pier responding well to live-bait mimicking lures in the early morning. Temperatures ranged from 61-65 degrees Fahrenheit. Storms in the early morning Saturday (7/23) and Sunday (7/24) made waters extremely turbulent and murky, severely limiting fishing.

RACINE COUNTY

• Perch were reported off Reefpoint Marina’s southern pier responding well to live bait in the early morning. Temperatures ranged from 62-64 degrees Fahrenheit. Storms in the early morning Saturday (7/23) and Sunday (7/24) made waters extremely turbulent and murky, severely limiting fishing.

MILWAUKEE COUNTY

• Boaters were looking at some crowded waters with the airshow in full throttle this weekend. However, boaters reported multiple catches of Coho Salmon, Chinook Salmon, Brown, Lake and Rainbow Trout at depths of 90 to 150 feet. The most successful method reported was trolling with flashers or spoons, but live bait was also used. A few shore anglers successfully used live bait to catch Brown Trout off McKinley Pier. As the summer gets later and later and we move closer to fall, salmon will start moving closer and closer to the harbors.

OZAUKEE COUNTY

• Port Washington harbor and piers: Some successful reports of Chinook Salmon this week by north pier anglers using various jigs and spoons in the colors green and black or chrome. Water temperatures averaged around 67.8 degrees Fahrenheit, with average wind speeds around 7-23mph. South Pier has been undergoing some construction recently, which has led to a decline in pier angler numbers in the area.
• Port Washington Ramp: Good catches of Chinook and Coho Salmon with some reports of Rainbow and Lake Trout this week by boat anglers. Those coming back with successful Chinook Salmon catches used mostly spoons in the colors green, blue and metallic colors such as chrome, white, or glow; green; flasher flies in green, blue and white, champagne or chrome in depths of 50-150ft north along the top 50ft. Those successfully angling for Coho Salmon caught them in depths of 80-150ft north using flasher flies in green, blue and silver and spoons with the color green.

SHEBOYGAN COUNTY

• Sheboygan Harbor and Piers: Reports of trout, salmon and whitefish this week from Sheboygan North Pier. Chinook Salmon were successful this week on white jigs and laser minnows. Whitefish reported being caught successfully with laser minnows as well. Few reports of Lake Trout were successful on spoons. Due to Sheboygan south pier continuing to undergo construction, there was a noticeable decline in angler numbers fishing from the area throughout the week. Water temperatures this week averaged around 64-68 degrees Fahrenheit, with wind speeds averaging between 9-22mph.
• Sheboygan Ramps: Reports of Coho and Chinook Salmon catches this week with some reports of Rainbow and Lake Trout from the Deland launch point. Those coming back with successful Chinook Salmon catches used primarily blue, green and silver/chrome colored spoons, and green or blue with white/chrome flasher flies in depths of 80-260ft south along the top 25-50ft. Successful Coho Salmon catches were caught in depths of 100-270 feet north along the top 50-65 feet on blue and green flashers, and spoons in the colors orange, green and chrome.