Fishing_Content Page_Lake Michigan Outdoor Fishing Report

Lake Michigan Outdoor Fishing Report - Sept. 27, 2026

Fishing Wisconsin

Generally, fishing reports will be updated weekly on Tuesdays. This may change based on the availability of reports and the field staff's work schedules.

Unless otherwise indicated, this fishing report information comes from our creel survey clerks, who work in the lakeshore areas from March through October and in the tributary rivers seasonally in spring and fall. Creel clerk schedules are random and vary in the days and times they are scheduled to be in a specific location. This allows us to generate statistically valid fishing efforts and harvest information.

The information in these reports is based on the days and times of the week that creel clerks are present. You can obtain additional fishing information by contacting local bait shops, charter captains, guides and marinas.

Reminder: Anglers must carry a paper copy of their license/stamps while fishing on Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and the Wisconsin/Michigan, Wisconsin/Minnesota and Wisconsin/Iowa boundary waters.

 

Sept. 27, 2026: West Shore Green Bay Fishing Report

Brown County

Duck Creek: No anglers were interviewed at this location this week.

Fox River: Fishing was slow in the Fox River for both shore and boat anglers alike with low effort and catch. Species reported caught were only sheepshead and gobies. People who launched from Metro and fished Green Bay proper reported low to moderate success trolling for walleyes, while also catching sheepshead and perch. Reported water temperature was 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Geano Beach: Most anglers were targeting muskies throughout the week with little success. Walleye fishing was also quite slow. Yellow perch fishing improved throughout the week with most fish caught in 8-20 feet of water. Catch of gobies was up, with most boats using live bait reporting catching at least 10 gobies. Anglers also caught sheepshead, white bass, and smallmouth bass. Water temperature was down to 61 degrees Fahrenheit by week’s end. Some anglers reported marking fewer fish on advanced imaging compared to the previous couple weeks.

Longtail Point: No anglers were interviewed at this location this week. 

Suamico River: Most anglers launching boats from the Suamico River fished for walleyes and yellow perch. Yellow perch fishing was slow with the best action coming from anglers fishing in around 15 feet of water. Walleye fishing was comparatively better than Geano Beach, but still slow. Some folks also targeted muskies but had little success. Anglers reported marking fewer fish than the previous couple weeks. Some yellow perch are hanging out in the river, though catch is moderate, and fishing can be hit or miss.

Marinette County

Not much fishing pressure was seen this week with unfavorable weather. Pink salmon have moved into the rivers which was providing some opportunities near the dams. Peshtigo had a good number of fish located near the dam and downstream in the shallow rapids. Small spoons, spinners and small crappie size jigs were catching fish. Water temperatures cooled off with the recent weather and were in the low 60’s.

Oconto County

Anglers were fishing below the Stiles dam and around the County J bridge for pink salmon this week.  A few fish were caught on small spoons and stick baits. The river was low and very clear making fishing conditions difficult.  Anglers on the bay were finding some perch scattered around with reports of fish along the shore in shallow all the way out to 30 feet of water. Locations of larger schools of perch seemed to be changing daily as we transition into fall fishing. Oconto County Park 2 was still closed for dredging and repairs as of the end of September.

 

Sept. 27, 2026: East Shore Green Bay Fishing Report

Bayshore Park: Heavy fishing pressure was observed during the weekend. Anglers targeting yellow perch had the best success fishing near Red River. Some anglers also had success fishing just north of Bayshore, although these anglers had mixed results. Anglers using live minnows in around 15 feet of water had the best success. There were no reports from anglers targeting walleye, although there were undersized walleye being caught by yellow perch anglers. The reported water temperature was around 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Eagle's Nest: Moderate fishing pressure was observed this week. Anglers targeting yellow perch had the best success fishing near Vincent Point in around 15 feet of water using nightcrawlers. Anglers also had some success catching yellow perch a few hundred yards straight out from the Eagles Nest boat launch. Anglers also unintentionally caught some walleye near Vincent Point, although there were no anglers targeting walleye that were interviewed. The reported water temperature was around 66 degrees Fahrenheit.

Chaudoir’s Dock: Heavy fishing pressure was observed during the weekend. Anglers targeting yellow perch had the best success fishing just north of Chaudoir's Dock in around 15 feet of water using live nightcrawlers and minnows. Anglers did unintentionally catch a few walleye while targeting yellow perch, although there were no anglers targeting walleye this week who were interviewed. There were a few reports of muskies being caught south of Chaudoir's Dock in the weedbeds. The reported water temperature was around 64 degrees Fahrenheit.

Little Sturgeon Bay: Heavy fishing pressure was observed during the weekend. Anglers targeting yellow perch had mixed success fishing within Little Sturgeon Bay. The sizes of the yellow perch ranged from too small to keep to the biggest being 13.5 inches with most of the yellow perch that were caught being too small to keep. There were no anglers interviewed this week who were targeting walleye. Anglers unintentionally caught smaller northern pike. The reported water temperature was around 63 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sawyer Harbor: Moderate fishing pressure was observed during the weekend. Anglers targeting yellow perch had mixed success fishing within Sawyer Harbor and were able to catch some larger-sized yellow perch, although most of the yellow perch were too small to keep. Anglers had the best success using live minnows. There were no anglers interviewed this week who were targeting walleye. Anglers unintentionally caught smaller northern pike. The reported water temperature was around 62 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

Sept. 27, 2026: Northern Lake Michigan Fishing Report

Door County

Northern Door County: At Ellison Bay, pier anglers targeting smallmouth bass had success with drop shots and flatworms. Boaters targeting walleye had success using minnowbaits, catching fish weighing 5–10 pounds. At Egg Harbor, pier anglers caught smallmouth bass and yellow perch using jigs and worms. Anglers also targeted king salmon with minnowbaits and spoons. Boaters targeting walleye and smallmouth bass had success in depths ranging from 4–24 feet using jigs tipped with crawlers and artificial baits. At Ephraim, boaters targeting walleye and smallmouth bass had success with artificial jigs in 12–20 feet of water. In Sister Bay, boaters caught smallmouth bass using Ned rigs and stickbaits in 10-12 feet of water. At Peninsula State Park, boaters targeted smallmouth bass with worms, while pier anglers had success using goby-pattern tubes. At Sister Bay Pier, anglers caught a king salmon weighing approximately 12 pounds on a spoon while targeting salmon and smallmouth bass. Water temperatures ranged from 56–63 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sturgeon Bay: Along the shorelines, most anglers were out fishing for northern pike. Both northern pike and round goby were caught while using small spoons and worms. In the canal, most groups were going after smallmouth bass, yellow perch and northern pike. All three of these species were caught along with walleye and freshwater drum. Smallmouth bass boaters were mainly fishing in around 10 feet of water using dark colored soft plastics. Yellow perch groups were primarily in 15 to 20 feet of water using mostly minnows and occasionally worms. Northern pike were biting in around 8 to 15 feet of water with anglers using stickbaits. Lastly, walleye boaters were typically set up in 25 to 30 feet of water. The surface temperatures in the canal were around 62 degrees Fahrenheit.

Kewaunee County

Algoma: Anglers fishing the piers and shorelines were targeting Chinook and coho salmon. Chinook salmon were caught from between the mouth of the river to Olsen Park. Spinners and spawn sacs were the preferred lures and bait used. Perch and largemouth bass were also reported caught by other anglers throughout the week. Boaters were mostly fishing in shallow water going after Chinook and coho salmon. Surface temperatures were about 62 degrees on Lake Michigan.

Kewaunee: The pier and harbor shorelines had a similar number of anglers looking for Chinook and coho salmon. Glow spoons were the most common lure used by those who caught chinook salmon. Boaters were mainly fishing inside the harbor or just outside of it also targeting chinook and coho salmon. The surface temperatures were around 58 degrees Fahrenheit.

Manitowoc County

Angling effort stayed consistent for Chinook and coho salmon with groups averaging 1-2 fish per group. A couple of groups caught 5 and 6 fish. Most anglers have been fishing the river and harbor. The most consistent bite at the end of the week was in depths from 180- 200 feet. Flasher flies were the best bait. Effort has been high on the piers and in the harbor. Anglers have reported a few coho, with an occasional Chinook salmon and carp. The best option is still spoons. The best bite in the harbor has been for smallmouth bass. A couple of groups reported 6 or more fish. Suckers have produced some good catches, along with a drop shot rig. A couple of northern pike have been caught, along with bullhead. Northern pike, mostly taken on spoons, with live bait producing bullhead.

 

Sept. 27, 2026: Southern Lake Michigan Fishing Report

Kenosha County

Wednesday evening was blustery and cool in Kenosha, with waves crashing along the piers and the channel in Kenosha being choppy.  Anglers reported salmon catches early in the morning, before 8 a.m., and earlier in the week. By Saturday evening and Sunday morning, weather calmed down and was much warmer, with water temperatures hanging around the mid 60s nearshore. Anglers focused their efforts on shore and from the piers, with fewer boats going out. Catches were much the same as earlier in the week, mostly occurring before noon, and with the preferred bait being skein/egg sacs.

Milwaukee County

North Milwaukee: Boats out of McKinley have mostly stopped fishing the gaps or river mouths close to shore.  A handful of boats continued to fish these areas but they did not report many fish caught. Boats trolling out on the lake were mostly in deeper water 8-10 miles offshore. 90-200 fee of water was the range most boats out of McKinley were fishing and the majority of fish caught were reported in 150-175 feet. Temperatures in this location were reported as 60-61 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface, which was 1-2 degrees colder than the surface temperatures in 90-100 feet of water. Downriggers and diving baits were being used a lot again, and many anglers reported using 7 color leadcore lines. It was similar to what was being used at the beginning of the season in May. Green flashers with pink or white flies were popular, as were spoons in blue/chrome, blue/green and bloodynose. Boats fishing close to shore did not report many fish landed and so their tackle was not recorded to share with those reading this report. Shore anglers decreased in number this week. Spoons and jigging spoons in silver or blue and silver made up about one third of lures used by shore anglers, bobbers and skeins made up another third of efforts, and crank baits and tube jigs rounded out the field. There was a wide range in types (and colors) of lures used and success in landing one had a lot more to do with timing, location and dumb luck than it did with choosing the "correct lure.  Very few fish were observed landed by anglers fishing from shore.  

South Milwaukee: A few boats out of the South Milwaukee Ramps fished headed out onto the open lake and trolled in similar depths to boats out of the north. 150-190 feet of water was the range for boats out of the South Shore and Bender Park ramps, with the most successful efforts being between 160-180 feet. Trolling with a flashers/fly combo or spoons seemed to work well here as they did further north. Anglers here reported similar color choices for spoons as boats from McKinley (Blue/Green, Glow, Bloodynose). Anglers using the Oak Creek Power Plant Pier had the pier and shoreline closed to public use every day except Sunday, but this location did not draw a lot of fish or fishermen at the time surveyed. Anglers interviewed from the location landed less fish than in previous weeks and a couple round gobies made up the entirety of fish witnessed.

Ozaukee County

Pier/Shore: Fishing effort and overall success declined this week compared to the previous week. Many anglers were targeting Chinook and coho salmon, with only a handful leaving the piers with fish. Coho salmon were the most frequently harvested species throughout the week. Pink spawn sacs and light-colored spoons were commonly used by anglers targeting salmon. Despite anglers spending extended periods of time fishing from shore and the piers, overall catch rates remained low.

Ramp: Boat fishing effort was relatively low throughout the week, with only a small number of boats observed leaving and returning to the ramp. Those who did venture out generally returned with only a few fish. Chinook salmon were among the more commonly harvested species and were primarily caught using spoons. Anglers were fishing at depths ranging from approximately 50–80 feet. Overall, fishing success from the ramp remained limited throughout the week.

Racine County

Wednesday evening was blustery and cool in Racine, with waves crashing along the Racine shoreline and the channel in Kenosha being choppy.  Anglers reported salmon catches early in the morning, before 8 a.m., and earlier in the week. By Saturday evening and Sunday morning, weather calmed down and was much warmer, with water temperatures hanging around the mid 60s nearshore. Anglers focused their efforts on shore and from the piers, with fewer boats going out. Catches were much the same as earlier in the week, mostly occurring before noon, and with the preferred bait being skein/egg sacs. Salmon and a few rainbow trout are also being caught on the Root River.

Note: The Racine cleaning stations and public bathrooms are currently closed.

Sheboygan County

Pier/Shore: Extremely low fishing effort was observed throughout the week, with most anglers leaving without harvesting any fish. Numerous anglers spent several hours fishing before ending their trips without success. Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and Brown trout were the primary species being targeted. Anglers used a variety of colored spoons, although little to no success was reported regardless of lure color. Overall, both fishing effort and catch rates remained low throughout the week.

Ramp: A small number of boats were observed throughout the week, resulting in very low fishing effort from the ramp. Anglers experienced limited success, with a few boats returning primarily with Rainbow trout. Small numbers of Chinook and coho salmon were also harvested. Many anglers were trolling south in approximately 70–90 feet of water while using primarily light-colored spoons. Despite anglers targeting multiple salmonid species, overall catches remained relatively low.