Salmon and Trout fishing in Manitowoc and Two Rivers this week was steady. There were a handful of boats which caught both Salmon (mostly Chinook) and Rainbow Trout throughout the week. At the Manitowoc ramp those fishing at a 90-120 foot depth caught a handful of Chinook using spoons fished 70-80 feet down. In contrast at the Two Rivers ramps there were reports of Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon and one Coho Salmon being caught. Additionally, at the Two Rivers ramp a group reported that green colored spoons worked best in capturing Rainbow Trout and Salmon, and the same depths fished in Manitowoc were the most successful depths in Two Rivers also. Overall, those who were fishing in Two Rivers had a far more successful trip than those who were in Manitowoc during the week. Unfortunately, the weekend had far less fishermen due to the South-East winds and the on and off showers of rain. Only Chinook Salmon was reported caught this weekend in Two Rivers.
Door County
Northern Door County Lakeside: The number of anglers targeting salmon and trout this week was fairly low throughout the week. Fishing pressure picked up a little on Saturday, however Sunday there was hardly any fishing pressure due to the southwest winds that occurred throughout the day. The anglers that managed to get out of Bailey’s Harbor had good success on catching rainbow trout. On Saturday anglers caught anywhere from three to 10 rainbows with an occasional chinook caught as well. It seemed like majority of the rainbows were caught on spoons, although flasher/fly combos also took fish this week. The fish were caught in the top 60 feet of the water column, with downriggers, leadcore, and dipsys all taking fish. Some anglers were fishing as shallow as 100 feet of water and catching fish, while some were going out past 300 feet of water to find fish. An angler targeting northern pike out of Bues Point Landing managed to catch 5 northern pike that ranged from 22 to 38 inches. The pike were caught casting jerk baits. Smallmouth bass fishing in Rowley’s Bay is still producing fish with anglers catching on average 15 fish a trip. The average weight of the fish are around 2.5 pounds. Gills Rock shore anglers managed to catch a few smallmouth bass on Sunday night using worms and a bobber. These fish were all under 14 inches that were caught. The water temp on the lake is in the mid to upper 60’s on the surface. With west winds in the forecast this week, hopefully that’ll bring in some cooler water.
Northern Door County Bayside: Egg Harbor shore anglers had good success catching rock bass this week using worms and a split shot. Majority of the rock bass were caught on the outside of the marina. Only a few smallmouth bass were caught using worms and drop shots on the outside of the marina. There were no anglers targeting perch in Egg Harbor while I was there this week. Fish Creek and Peninsula State Park ramps had a lot of activity, however, only a few interviews were conducted. One angler trolling for walleyes did not catch anything. However, when that angler was casting for smallmouth bass they managed to catch a 25 inch walleye. The angler said majority of the walleye that he caught over the past week were in the mid 20 inch range. Anglers fishing from shore in the Fish Creek Marina managed to catch some smaller yellow perch in the marina, then rock bass and smallmouth bass on the outside of the marina. Everything was caught on worms under a bobber. Weborgs point anglers caught some smaller smallmouth bass throughout the week and even a northern pike was caught as well. The fishing pier near the boat launch in Peninsula State Park was the best spot to be fishing on Saturday as 10-12 inch smallmouth bass were being caught on nearly every cast using a worm and slip bobber. Sunday the fishing slowed a little for smallmouth bass. Yellow perch were caught throughout the week at the pier although they were on the smaller size. A school of larger perch moved in on Sunday morning and allowed anglers to harvest some of the perch. The water temps on the bay are around 70 degrees depending on the location.
Sturgeon Bay: Fishing pressure was low for most of the week, primarily due to days with high winds. The parties that had success targeting chinooks and rainbows were mostly in 250-300 feet of water, with the majority of fish coming in the top 40 feet. The walleye fishing improved slightly on Larsen’s Reef, anglers had success trolling crankbaits such as shad raps and flicker shads. The smallmouth have transitioned to deeper water, anywhere from 20-30 feet has been producing fish. Dropshots and crawlers have been the most successful recently. The perch bite has been improving as well, many anglers having success catching high numbers of fish offshore within the city, however many fish have been on the small side.
Chaudoir’s Dock: During the week the boat launch was slow during my shift with only 1 boat launching when I was there. I didn’t get an interview with that boat since they didn’t come in. On August 11 there was total of 19 trailers in at this launch during my count, but none of the boats came in before I had to go to the other landings for my second part of the day. There was no shore or pier anglers during my shifts.
Sawyer Harbor: I had one shift during the week at this landing and there was only 1 boat trailer at Idlewind, and 1 at the state park. I didn’t get an interview with either boat since they didn’t come in before I had to switch to the second part of my shift. Then on the 17th of August there was only 4 trailers that launched boats at the state park. I didn’t get any interview from the 4 due to them not coming in. There was no shore anglers on either shifts I had at this landing.
Little Sturgeon Bay: During the week there was nobody that launched a boat at this landing. There was no shore or pier anglers either that day. On the 17th there was a total of 51 trailers during my count. I interviewed 7 boats that were out fishing with 3 of them targeting smallmouth bass, 3 were targeting walleyes, and 1 was targeting musky. On average the boats targeting smallmouth bass brought none in because they were all catch and release, so on average 2 to 4 smallmouth bass were caught. Most of the anglers targeting the bass were casting and trolling for them. The lone musky angler I interviewed didn’t have any luck that day. The walleye boats averaged 3 walleyes brought in. Two of the three were trolling while the other one was jigging for the walleyes. There were several boats that came in that were just pleasure boating and enjoying the morning.
Kewaunee County
Kewaunee: Fishing pressure was low during the start of the week and moderate towards the weekend. Chinooks were caught between 300-400 feet of water using spoons. The majority of anglers had some success targeting rainbows between 500-600 feet of water, with many bites coming on spoons in the top 40 feet.
Algoma: Fishing pressure was low during the start of the week due to poor weather conditions and increased towards the weekend. Salmon were harder to find this week, and inconsistent winds have caused some fish to move out to deeper water. Anglers who had some success were fishing anywhere from 400-600 feet of water, primarily catching rainbows using spoons in the top 30 feet of water. The chinooks that were caught this week came in that depth range as well.
Fox River and Green Bay Creel Report: August 19, 2019
Fox River
Fox River: Water clarity was low and a green hue. The Metro boat launch showed the highest use especially into the weekend. Use was dominated by pleasure boaters. A few people were shore angling for Freshwater Drum by the mouth of the river. An angling party of five was targeting Walleye however caught and released four Freshwater Drum. Fox Point showed light use with an increase into the weekend. The Fairgrounds are hosting the fair, however access remains open and a couple of trailers could be consistently observed but were recreational. The river remains popular for jetskis, with most access points utilized. Voyageur Park there was low shore angling effort with no parties interviewed.
Oconto County
Walleye fishing remained good this week with better catches during the week than over the weekend. Anglers at Oconto Park II were targeting walleyes by Young’s reef in waters 20 to 30 feet deep trolling crawler harnesses. Other anglers were casting shiver minnows in various depths of 8 to 20 feet. Both techniques were successful with 3 to 5 walleyes caught per angler during the week and 1 to 3 caught over the weekend. Perch anglers were still having success with 20 to 30 perch caught but very few were kept. Most were averaging around 5 inches. Perch were being caught in weeds on crawlers and minnows. Shore anglers were having success catching bluegills and the occasional bullhead on crawlers.
Oconto breakwater had many boats out especially on the weekend due to a walleye tournament. Most anglers were fishing the shoal off Oconto for perch and walleyes. Trolling crawler harnesses and casting shiver minnows were equally successful with some limits caught during the week and lesser numbers of 1 to 2 walleyes caught per boat over the weekend. Perch were being caught in numbers of 20 to 40 per boat, but fish of keeper size were hard to come by. Perch anglers were using minnows and crawlers fishing in the weeds and by the rock pile north of the Oconto River in various depths of 8 to 15 feet.
Walleye anglers and a few muskie anglers were using the ramp at Pensaukee this week. Walleye fishing was very good during the week with limits being reported. The Pensaukee shoal had the most fishing pressure with anglers trolling crawler harnesses and casting shiver minnows with success. Most anglers were targeting shallow, weedy areas during the week in 8 to 10 feet of water. Water temps throughout the area were in the low 70’s this week.
Geano Beach: There was steady light traffic usually <10 parties utilizing this launch, angler effort increased into the weekend to around 30 parties. Anglers were observed trolling for Walleye, others remaining near reefs and opting to jigg. Parties were not available for a complete trip interview.
Brown County
Duck Creek, Longtail Point: The majority of use was small recreational vessels such as kayaks and canoes; during the weekend 3-4 smaller trailers were observed. Only party available for interview was targeting Smallmouth Bass; having caught and released a couple of fish under 10 inches. There was a light shore angling effort with focus on Bluegill and Smallmouth Bass, parties had low success. Aquatic vegetation growth persists at these locations with trailers accumulating significant amounts of plant matter.
Bayshore Park: During the week the days I had my shifts for this launch it was very slow with only an average of 2 to 3 boats launching out. On August 11 there was a total of 51 trailers I counted during my count time. Most of the anglers were trying for walleyes. The number of walleyes that were brought in averaged between 4 to 5. A few non-targeted species were caught like freshwater drum and northern pike. Most people were trolling with flicker shads. I also interviewed 2 boats that day that were targeting musky only one of the two boats caught one musky. Both boats were trolling for muskies. There was no shore or pier anglers at this launch during my shifts.
Suamico: During the week there were a consistent handful of anglers utilizing this location. The only parties available for interview had caught and released Bluegill and Black Crappie from along the channel. Another shore angler was catching Smallmouth Bass with lengths less than six inches. Weekend traffic increased, with an influx of recreational boaters
Marinette County
Anglers in the Menominee River were catching a few smallmouth bass and sheepshead while trolling crankbaits upstream from the Interstate Bridge. A few boats were going out to the bay in search of brown trout both in WI and MI waters with very little luck. However, the few that were caught were rather large. Trolling spoons around the Trout Bar in water 50 to 60 feet produced a couple fish mid-week. Perch anglers were fishing between Little River and Red Arrow launches in waters less than 5 feet. Success was had on minnows and crawlers around weeds but many fish were small. Water temps throughout the area were in the upper 60’s to low 70’s this week.
