Lake Michigan fishing report
Standard member
Kenosha Co.
- Ramp: No boats were interviewed this weekend.
- Piers: No anglers were interviewed. The water was very turbid from this weekend's north and east winds. Water temperature was 42F.
- Shoreline: No anglers were interviewed. Water temperature was at 42F.
- Pike River: Fishing pressure has remained low this past week on the Pike. Not many anglers were interviewed, but some had success catching steelhead. Anglers reported that most fish were done spawning and seemed to be heading back to the lake already. The rain last week had the water fairly high up through Saturday, but conditions should improve the next few days. The baits of choice were spawn sacs, egg pattern flies, and wooly buggers. Anglers also report seeing quite a few suckers in the creek now as well. Water temperature was up to 48F midweek, but dropped to 44F by the weekend.
- Ramps: Only one boat was interviewed this weekend. The anglers had some limited success fishing crank baits in 50 feet of water. They had caught 2 coho that day but reported that was the most they had caught in one day so far this year. Better fishing is yet to come.
- Shoreline: Very few anglers were interviewed this week around the harbor. Those interviewed had no luck. Baits of choice included Little Cleo spoons and a variety of crankbaits.
- Piers: No anglers were interviewed. The water was very turbid from this weekend's north and east winds. Water temperature was 42F.
- Root River: Fishing pressure on the Root stayed low this week. The high, muddy water through Friday made for much less than ideal fishing conditions. By Sunday, conditions had slightly improved, allowing anglers to catch a few steelhead. Most effort and success was upstream of Lincoln Park, primarily around Horlick Dam. Baits of choice were spawn sacs, egg fly patterns, and spinners. Water temperature was 42F on Sunday. DNR crews processed fish at the Root River Steelhead Facility on Monday, April 11. This was the last processing day of the spring season, and the facility is now shut down until the fall salmon run. Over 870,000 Chambers Creek strain eggs and one million Ganaraska strain eggs were collected, and 1,293 steelhead were passed upriver this spring.
- Milwaukee North: Rain, freezing rain, and snow flurries made fishing a challenge during the week. 10-20 mph north/northeast winds (gusting to 32 mph) and south/southeast winds gusting to 28 mph kept the fishing pressure low. The temperature dropped to the 20’s and 30’s with a wind chill as low as 10F. Gale warnings were in effect Friday and Sunday (April 10) with waves building to 6-8 feet. The water along the lakefront was cloudy/turbid 1-2 miles offshore all week long. Visibility was less than 12” on the lake side of McKinley Pier. Fishing pressure on McKinley Pier continues to be low with only 1-2 anglers occasionally seen on the pier. The surface water temperature on the lake side of the pier was 38-40F during the week. The gate to the McKinley Marina docks was still open for fishing during the week. A 12 pound brown trout was landed on the docks on Sunday (April 3) by an angler casting white gulp. Two anglers landed a couple of nice size browns in Lakeshore State Park lagoons on Easter Sunday while casting white gulp and a ko wobbler from the shoreline. 2-3 anglers on average have been fishing the lagoons during the weekdays and weekends. The water temperature in the lagoons was 42F on Wednesday (April 6) and 46F on Saturday. Brown trout, rainbows, and a couple of coho were landed in the harbor behind Summerfest over the past 2-3 weeks. Anglers reported good luck fishing with fathead minnows and shiners fished on the bottom. Rattling crank baits produced a few browns and rainbows as well. Activity at the McKinley and Riverfront ramps was low during the week but picked up on the weekend. Five boat trailers were counted at the McKinley ramp parking lot on Saturday afternoon and two at the Riverfront ramp. The majority of the boats trolled inside the break wall for brown trout. A couple of boats jigged white gulp and blade baits in the gaps for lake trout but only brown trout were landed on Saturday. The fish cleaning station at McKinley was still closed. One of the county parks employees reported that the fish cleaning stations normally open around the first week in May. The floating docks were in the water at McKinley boat ramp.
- Milwaukee South: The fishing pressure and catch rate tapered off this week due to strong northeast and southeast winds and freezing temperatures. Ice formed on fishing lines and spools over the weekend. The water in the harbor was cloudy/muddy all week long. The water outside the break wall was cloudy/turbid nearly 2 miles offshore. Anglers under the Hoan Bridge at Jones Island landed nice catches of brown trout 2-3 weeks ago on spawn sacks and shiners but reported very few fish landed this week. The largest fish caught during the week was a 10-15 pound carp. A couple of anglers on the Grant Park shoreline were fishing for carp with corn and bread dough at the mouth of the Oak Creek. The Grant Park anglers reported that they started catching carp last year around the last week of April. Nice catches of rainbow trout continue to be caught on the Oak Creek. Anglers had good luck drifting spawn sacks and small tube jigs tipped with wax worms under a slip bobber. A fly fisherman caught 4 rainbows and released 3 of them while drifting a trout bead on Monday (April 4). The water temperature in the creek was 41F on Saturday. The fishing pressure increased on the Oak Creek Power Plant fishing pier. 12-14 anglers were seen on the pier on Wednesday (April 6). A large number of gobies were caught in the discharge chute during the week along with a couple of carp. One angler landed 4 browns (up to 12 pounds) while jigging white gulp in the discharge chute. Another angler landed a 9 pound rainbow while drifting a white tube jig tipped with shrimp under a slip bobber. The power plant pier was closed Friday and Saturday due to large waves and ice. Boats out of Bender Park have been targeting coho and brown trout in 20-30 feet of water in front of the Oak Creek Power Plant. Very few boats were launched at Bender during the week due to the rough weather. Most of the boats launched at South Shore Park fished inside the Milwaukee boat harbor. One of the South Shore boats landed a couple of browns and lake trout on Saturday while fishing inside the break wall. The floating docks were in the water at the South Shore boat launch.
- Milwaukee River: The water level and flow rate decreased during the week but the river was still running fast. The fishing pressure and catch rate has been very low over the past two weeks due to the poor water conditions. The flow rate at Estabrook Park decreased from 2800 cfs last week to 1710 cfs on Sunday (April 11). The water level decreased from 4.52 feet to 3.73 feet. The water temperature decreased from 45F to 38F. The flow rate jumped to more than 2300 cfs after .55” of rain fell on Wednesday (April 6). The water was cloudy/muddy most of the week but started to clear up by the weekend. Visibility was 12-18” on Sunday. Only one fly fisherman was seen at Kletzsch Park on Sunday morning with no reports of fish landed. The angler reported seeing a large number of northern pike jumping below the Kletzsch Park waterfall during the week. No anglers were interviewed at Lincoln Park, Estabrook Park, Hubbard Park, or North Avenue. A large number of suckers were stacked up below the Estabrook Park waterfall a couple of weeks ago along with northern pike (up to 40” in length). Brown trout (around 20” in length), a small northern pike, and a few large carp were landed below the former North Avenue dam fishing area last week. Fishing pressure on the river side of Summerfest continues to taper off with only 1-2 anglers seen during the week. Anglers at Summerfest reported that the catch rate was low due to the high water level and the fast, cloudy water.
- Menomonee River: Approximately .8” of precipitation (snow and rain) fell during the week. The water level and flow rate spiked after .6” of rain fell on Thursday (April 6). The water was clear on the weekend with visibility over 24” at Miller and Three Bridges Park. The water had a copper colored stain. The water temperature decreased from 45F last week to 38F on Sunday (April 10). Fishing pressure decreased again this week with only 2 fly fishermen from Minnesota interviewed on Sunday. The anglers reported no luck casting egg pattern yarn flies for rainbows from Three Bridges Park to Miller Park for 3 hours. The anglers saw lots of suckers on Sunday but no rainbows. One of the anglers caught and released one rainbow at Three Bridges Park on Friday. Most of the fish landed at Miller Park over the past 3 weeks have been suckers and northern pike. A few crappies, bluegills, and rock bass were caught recently at the MMSD fishing site with fathead minnows under slip bobbers. Anglers at the 11th & Bruce Street fishing area landed large carp (10-15 pounds) over the past 2 weeks.
- Sauk Creek has lowered and cleared up slightly from last week, and the water temperature is around 35 degrees. Fishing pressure has been picking up, many anglers were out on Sunday late morning/afternoon and had some success catching steelhead with spawn sacs and flies. Some reported a few suckers being caught in between. In the harbor, some brown trout and occasional coho have been caught by the north slip using crankbaits. A few brown trout have also been caught near the power plant discharge using shiners.
- Water levels on the Sheboygan and Pigeon Rivers have dropped to a more normal level, but both are still slightly murky. Both rivers were measured at 34 degrees over the weekend. Fishing pressure has been very low and the few anglers that were interviewed this weekend had no catches. The South pier in Sheboygan had some higher fishing pressure on Saturday, but all anglers interviewed reported no catches.
Manitowoc Co.
- No report.
- Fishing pressure has varied throughout the week mostly due to cold and windy weather. On the Kewaunee River the Steelhead bite has been slow, but a number of Steelhead are being caught each day. Anglers are finding Steelhead in both riffles and pools using either spawn sacs, streamers, or egg patterns. The water cleared up substantially in the past few days.
- Fishing pressure has been very low, due to a combination of cold temperatures, recent rain and snow, and ice forming in many of the harbors.
- Lake side of peninsula: Some Brown Trout were caught trolling in Baileys Harbor area along the shorelines in around 10-12 feet of water.
- Sturgeon Bay: Boats have been catching small Brown Trout trolling along shorelines in shallow water, but the bite has been slow in the last week. A few small Northern Pike were caught in town casting small rapalas and spoons along shore.
Brown Co.
- Walleye catch rates on the Fox River was low and fishing pressure was light this week. The majority of fish being caught were between the late evening and early morning hours. Highest catch rates were either in deeper holes or near-shore slack water. Crank baits, jigs and minnows are all being used. Around 25 percent of the female walleye are ripe. Most of the rest are hard. Some Whitefish are still lingering in the river. A couple sturgeon were identified near the De Pere dam. Fox River water temperature was in the upper 30s. Due to rain, and the fact that five locks were open on the De Pere dam, water flows were high, fast and turbid. Wading anglers should be careful in these conditions. Ramps are in at the Fairgrounds and Fox Point.
- No anglers were observed at the Suamico launch, Suamico River and Duck Creek.
- Last week's weather was a mixture of snow, wind, and cold, dropping the water temperatures into the mid to upper 30's. Fishing pressure at the dams at Menominee, Peshtigo, and Oconto was high with decent catch rates. Most female walleye had not spawned yet, and most anglers were releasing these fish. Anglers from the Dam at Stiles to the Highway 141 Bridge on the Oconto River were have good success fishing walleye using stick baits, zip lures, and jigs. In the last few days large numbers of suckers have started to appear at the Dam. Anglers on the lower Oconto River and boaters from the Pensaukee Boat Landing to Oconto Park II have been catching fewer walleye but are catching some brown trout and northern pike; water temperatures on the Bay are being reported in the upper 30's. Boaters are trolling in 6 to 10 feet of water using stick baits or small spoons.
- Geano's Beach: No anglers were observed at the Geano’s Beach launch.
- Last week's weather was a mixture of snow, wind, and cold, dropping the water temperatures into the mid to upper 30's. Fishing pressure at the dams at Menominee, Peshtigo, and Oconto was high with decent catch rates. Most female walleye had not spawned yet, and most anglers were releasing these fish. Fishing pressure at the Dam in Peshtigo has been high this past week with some very nice walleye being caught using stick baits, zip lures, and jigs. Even with the cold weather the parking lots have been full. Suckers are also present at the Peshtigo Dam in large numbers. Less fish are being caught from the 41 Highway Bridge to the mouth of the Peshtigo River. Brown trout are still being caught out of Little River by boaters when the weather permits. Most boaters are fishing in 6 to 10 feet of water trolling stick baits and small spoons. The best action for walleye on the Menominee River has been from the Hattie Street Dam to Stephenson Island, with zip lures, jigs, and stick baits working the best. Some brown trout are also being caught in the same area. As with the Oconto River and the Peshtigo River, fishing success has been lower the farther away from the Dam you get.
http://www.postcrescent.com/story/sports/outdoors/fishing/2016/04/14/lake-michigan-fishing-report/83050004/
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