Fishing pressure on the Manitowoc River near Cato Falls was high, with smallmouth bass being caught. Smallmouth bass were being caught on just a simple hook with a worm and were even hitting spoons while guys were casting for northern pike. Some northern pike were caught at Cato Falls as well. Anglers fishing at Manitou Park were catching a variety of fish; carp, suckers, and smallmouth bass were all caught there this weekend. There was no one fishing the Branch River or Silver Creek while on creel. The handful of anglers that I talked to did not have any luck for brown trout that ventured out onto Lake Michigan. Catfish are being caught inside the Manitowoc Harbor right now. The fishing pressure in Two Rivers was low this week with a few northern pike being caught off the north pier. Carp were being caught across from Seagull Marina. The flows on West Twin and East Twin are ideal, and some steelhead were seen swimming around in the water yet, however no such luck was had.
Door County
Door County Lakeside: Fishing pressure this week was the highest it was all year, due to the Bailey’s Harbor Brown Trout Tournament. The winning fish was 22.83 pounds measuring in at 33.5 inches. There was boat traffic at every port along Lake Michigan. The interviews that I collected all said that fish were caught between 10 and 40 feet of water using crankbaits. The water temperature ranged from 39 to 44 degrees depending on what port.
Northern Door County Bayside: All the launches have docks in along the bay, expect for Ephraim as the road is still under construction. Fishing effort was found throughout the bay, with majority of the effort focused on brown trout. Sister Bay and Fish Creek each produced brown trout while I was on creel route this week. There was a north wind the day I was on creel so not many anglers were found fishing on the bay. The water temps around Sister Bay was 39 degrees according to the anglers I talked to.
Chaudoirs Dock: The only time there was fishing pressure on this boat launch was on Sunday, but that was still light. I didn’t get a chance to do an interview at this location.
Sugar Creek: There was nobody launching their boats off of this launch. The only pressure this boat launch was getting was people walking the trails.
Door County Shipping Canal: No official creel routs were ran along the canal this week. There was a high number of trailers observed in the parking lot near the DNR office. No interviews were taken from anglers returning. We’re assuming there was high fishing pressure throughout the canal during the Bailey’s Harbor Tournament as the anglers were able to go there to get out of the wind.
Kewaunee County
Kewaunee County Lakeside: Fishing effort for steelhead decreased dramatically compared to the last few weeks. The water levels and flow were higher than preferred while I was at Kewaunee in the middle of the week. The only anglers I found fishing on the Kewaunee River were dip netting for suckers, and managed to get a few. There were anglers out fishing for brown trout with mixed results. The anglers I talked to did not have any luck. However, according to the results from the Bailey’s Harbor Tournament there were fish caught out of Kewaunee and Algoma. Smelt were caught throughout the week. Smelt were caught off the pier in both Kewaunee and Algoma. While, majority of the smelt were caught using beach seines.
Kewaunee County Bayside at Red River: There was no anglers using this boat launch or fishing from the shore.
Fox River and Green Bay Creel Report: April 29, 2019
Fox River
Traffic at launches was slow for most of the week with wind challenging boaters launching and loading. Shore angler numbers at Voyageur park were low with general traffic also decreased. Sunday showed an increase in launches but with little reported angler success. Docks at Metro are not yet in place, this location also showed light shore angling close to the mouth of the river.
Oconto County
Upper Oconto River sites had decreasing fishing pressure as the week progressed. Walleyes were being caught by Stiles Dam early in the week but by the weekend it was mostly suckers. The lower Oconto River had similar fishing reported with fair walleye catches with suckers, northern pike, and smallmouth bass also being caught.
The bay off of Oconto to Oconto Park II was busy this week with heavy fishing pressure observed at the boat launches. Anglers were using jigging and trolling techniques to catch walleyes along with the occasional pike. Oconto Park II was a good spot early in the week as several good reports from there were seen. Later in the week the mouth of the Oconto River was producing fish. Also a few small muskies were reported caught along with some large perch.
Geano Beach: The channel is open and dock in place, there has been some light use beginning at this location. A handful of boaters utilized this launch mainly during the weekend, some for recreation.
Brown County
Duck Creek, Longtail Point, Suamico River: Only a few kayakers and a couple of shore anglers were observed at Duck Creek. Longtail is not currently being used by anglers to launch. Longtail is popular for foot traffic and bird watching. Suamico River maintained a steady light use throughout the week, however angling success was low.
Bayshore: During the week the fishing pressure was low to none due to how rough it was out on the Bay of Green Bay. The fishing pressure picked up during the weekend especially on Sunday, with it being so nice out. The water temperature was between 48 and 50 degrees. Anglers who ventured out were picking up on average 3 walleyes. Most of them being between the size of 20 to 24 inches. Fishing at night has been the best for anglers to pick up walleyes. The anglers that I interviewed that said they fished the previous night were averaging 8 to 10 walleyes. Trolling has been the most effective way to pick the walleyes up. A few whitefish were also being caught while the anglers were targeting walleyes. There was nobody fishing from shore or from the pier the days that I had creel there.
Marinette County
Peshtigo River: Peshtigo River saw decreased fishing pressure this week upstream below the dam. Few shore anglers were out with limited success for walleyes. Suckers were being caught more often than walleyes. Boat anglers were having better success earlier in the week with good catches of walleyes reported from the Hwy. 41 bridge upstream to the train bridge. Jigs with minnows and plastics were the baits of choice. One lucky angler caught and released a rather large steelhead in its spawning colors this past weekend while walleye fishing. The lower Peshtigo River still had high fishing pressure this week. Most anglers were heading to the bay or the mouth of the river with scattered success. Fish were being caught with good success one day and limited success the next. Northern pike and smallmouth bass were also reported caught.
Menominee River: Menominee River anglers were in high numbers fishing from shore from the Hwy. 41 bridge upstream to the dam. Many walleyes were seen caught especially off Stephenson Island. Walleyes with spawn in them were still being reported throughout the week. Sturgeon and suckers have now entered the river also. Many sturgeon were snagged accidentally resulting in lost lures. No reports from the lower river as most anglers were fishing the bay.
