Lake Michigan Outdoor Fishing Report - October 26, 2020

In general, fishing reports will be updated once per week, usually on Tuesdays.  This may change based on availability of reports and work schedules of field staff.  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, which allows us to generate statistically valid fishing effort and harvest information.  Information for these reports are only based on days and times of the week that creel clerks are present. Additional fishing information can be found by contacting local bait shops, charter captains, marinas, etc.

REMINDER - Anglers must carry a paper copy of their license/stamps while fishing on the waters of Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and the WI/MI, WI/MN and WI/IA boundary waters.

• Southern Lake Michigan Fishing Report
• Northern Lake Michigan Fishing Report
• Fox River and Green Bay Creel Report

October 26, 2020:  Southern Lake Michigan Fishing Report

Sheboygan County

• Sheboygan Ramps: No boaters were observed launching out of the 8th street, DeLand, or North Point ramps.
• Sheboygan Harbor, Piers, Shoreline: Fishing pressure was low along the shoreline this week and no anglers were observed fishing during creel times.  Water temperature at the mouth of the Sheboygan river hovered in the mid to low fifties throughout the week.
• Sheboygan River:  Fishing pressure on the river has begun to decrease as the fall salmon continue to expire in higher numbers.  Anglers were interviewed fishing the Kohler dam and Town of Kohler sheds access sites.  Over the weekend anglers reported catching brown trout as well as a few coho and king salmon using spawn sacs. Fly fishermen reported successful catches using wooly buggers, beads, and tube flies.  Rains late in the week created elevated river conditions and turbid water.  Water temperature was 52 at the Kohler dam going into the weekend.
• Pigeon River:  Fishing pressure remains low on the Pigeon river and no anglers were observed fishing it during the creel shifts.  Recent rains have caused the river to rise and water clarity is poor.  The water temperature at the county road Y access was 50 degrees mid-week.

Ozaukee County

• Port Washington Harbor, Piers, Shoreline:  Angler continue to have success fishing for chinook salmon in the north slip as sailboats are moved around and taken out.  The bait of choice remains skein or spawn sac’s fished below a float 9-13 ft down. A few chinook salmon were also caught on vertical jigging spoons and white tube jigs along the dock edge. No anglers were observed fishing along the east wall of the marina nor the floating dock.
• Port Washington Utility: The utility discharge at Coal Dock Park saw very little activity over the course of the week.  High east winds and rainy conditions late in the week limited angling opportunities at this location. Over the weekend anglers chose to fish nightcrawlers for rainbow and brown trout, but reportedly only caught king salmon.  Throughout the week large numbers of gizzard shad and alewive’s could be observed at the discharge.  Anglers reported catching bait fish while fishing for salmon and trout using skein and spawn sacs. One angler has been fishing cut bait on the bottom specifically targeting channel catfish and reported catching two early in the week near the end of the lower wall.  Water clarity remains great even after the recent rains and a mudline is visible at the creek mouth.
• Port Washington Ramps:  No boaters were observed launching from the Port Washington Marina ramp this week.
• Sauk Creek:  Recent rains have raised the creek levels and chinook and coho can be seen in good numbers all the way up to the nature preserve access.  Water is turbid and creek levels are moderate for Sauk creek.  Spinners casted and spawn sacs floated near the mouth of the creek produced fish throughout the week.  Fly fisherman near the mouth of the creek reported successful catches of coho and chinook salmon using dark colored streamers early in the week and brighter colors after the rain. An angler reported seeing at least one brown trout shooting through a pool behind Ewigs, but none were landed during the creel shift. Large numbers of gizzard shad and alewives can be seen at the mouth of the creek near the utility discharge.  Water temperature was 53 degrees going into the weekend at the nature preserve.

Milwaukee County

• Milwaukee Co. Ramps:  No report is available this week.
• Harbor and Piers:  No report is available this week.
• Milwaukee River: Earlier last week, the salmon were thick in places such as Estabrook Park where many Chinook and a few brown trout were taken. However, fishing conditions tapered off as the week went on. The weekend saw decreased water visibility, fast flows, and a higher than usual water level due to rains earlier in the week. Cold temperatures kept many anglers away, but some had luck catching a few steelhead, coho, and late stage Chinook. Expect to see more coho and trout in the coming weeks. Rooster tails, spoons, spawn sacs (especially pink color), crankbaits, and marshmallows produced bites.
• Menomonee River: A few anglers tested the waters of the Menomonee this weekend, but most were disappointed with the number of fish seen. One group caught quality Chinook salmon on flies.
• Oak Creek: No report is available this week.

Racine County

• Root River:  The Root River experienced heavy and steady angling activity over the past week.  At the beginning of the week most anglers were still fishing Lincoln Park heavily.  Low water levels and low flow bottled up a bunch of the salmon just below the gates of the steelhead facility.  Most anglers were targeting salmon and were seen using mainly fly-fishing tackle.  Anglers caught a good amount of chinook salmon along with a few cohos.  All of these fish were caught using flies or spawn.  River conditions by the end of the week were drastically different.  Rain in the area during the week raised water levels by a few feet.  The increase in water levels led to an increase in flow on the river.  Water clarity also suffered.  The change in river conditions also caused most anglers to stop fishing in Lincoln Park and start fishing at the Horlick Dam.  Anglers began targeting steelhead and brown trout along with the spawning salmon.  A healthy mix of brown trout, steelhead, coho, and chinook were caught on flies, yarn, and fake eggs.  Fishing should continue to improve as coho, browns, and steelhead continue to come into the river.  The water temperature near the mouth at the end of the week was about 46 degrees.
• Racine Piers and Shoreline:  The piers and shorelines continue to see little to no angling activity as most anglers are targeting the fish farther inland.  A few anglers were spotted fishing with spawn and skein on the bottom as well as casting spinners.  Steelhead and salmon were the fish being targeted.  Unfortunately, no catches were recorded.  The fall weather on the lakefront has made for cold and windy conditions.  
• Racine Ramp:  The ramp in Racine continues to see no use as the fishing season is coming to an end.  Wavy conditions on the lake only further deter anglers from giving fishing one last try for the season.  The water temperature at the ramp was 48 degrees at the end of the week.

Kenosha County

• Pike River: Angling activity was absent on the Pike River during survey times this week.  Cold and windy conditions by the river mouth seemed to keep the anglers at home.  Angling activity on the river should continue for a few more weeks as the salmon run continues.  Water levels have gone up on the river due to the rain over the last week.  The water temperature at the mouth was 46 degrees.
• Kenosha Piers and Shoreline:  The piers and shorelines in Kenosha experienced a major decrease in angling activity this week.  Only a few anglers were spotted throwing spoons and crankbaits.  Any trout or salmon that would bite the hook were being targeted.  No catches were reported during creel shifts.  Angling interest seems to be winding down as fishable weather is getting harder to come by.
• Kenosha Ramp:  The ramp in Kenosha continues to see no trailers as the fishing season is wrapping up for the year.  The rough fall weather only further keeps anglers off the water.  The water temperature at the ramp at the end of the week was about 48 degrees.   

Northern Lake Michigan Fishing Report: October 26, 2020

Manitowoc County

• Due to the salmon run most anglers were located on the West Twin River and East Twin River.  According to anglers at the East Twin River the amount of salmon running in the river has decreased significantly. Despite the few salmon still running at the East Twin River several chinook salmon were caught using orange yarn balls. At the West Twin River anglers had luck catching chinook and coho salmon using imitation and fresh spawn.

Door County

• In Door Co this week the fishing pressure was low as well. The ports that saw the most fishing pressure were Ellison Bay and Gills Rock as on Saturday October 24th there were over 5 trailers at each of those ports. No interviews were conducted in Gills Rock. However, one group was interviewed at Ellison Bay. The group of anglers interviewed reported catching four smallmouth bass in front of the Ellison Bay Bluffs. The anglers were targeting 25-30 feet of water using drop shots and paddle tails. Most of the fish that they caught were between 3.5-4.5 lbs. The anglers also reported catching fish near the Sister Islands earlier in the week. One group of anglers fishing out of Sister Bay reported catching two smallmouth bass in two hours before the rain and wind picked up on Thursday. There were no anglers fishing in the creeks this week or along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
• Chaudoir’s Dock:  No report is available this week.

Kewaunee County

• Algoma:  Most anglers this week were located on the Ahnapee River and Stoney Creek Shore.  At the Ahnapee River several chinook salmon were caught using imitation and fresh spawn. Additionally, chinook salmon were reported being caught using green/silver, silver/gold and copper colored spoons. At Olson park two groups of boat anglers reported catching northern pike using a gold/orange cleo as well as minnows. A few yellow perch were also reported being caught using minnows as well.
• Kewaunee:   This week I had one creel route in Kewaunee and then 3 days in Door County. While in Kewaunee the fishing pressure was low on Friday October 23rd. There were couple conditions that may have contributed to lower fishing pressure. One of the conditions that may have resulted in lower fishing pressure was the 4 inches of rain Kewaunee received on Thursday and into Friday. One group was interviewed, and they said the water was flowing too fast for ideal fishing, so they did not fish too long. One group targeting salmon in Salmon Harbor was able to catch one chinook salmon on a spawn sac. They had another fish on a crankbait but were unable to land the fish.

Sturgeon Bay Area

• Little Sturgeon Bay:  Little Sturgeon Bay was monitored on Wednesday and Saturday. At count times there were a total of 11 trailers this week. Most boats arrived late in the shift, so interviews did not occur. The one boat that was recorded was fishing for yellow perch on Saturday. This person caught and kept one perch.
• Sawyer Harbor:  Sawyer Harbor was also monitored Wednesday and Saturday. The docks were scheduled to be removed on Wednesday, but they were still in the water on the weekend. I only interviewed 2 shore anglers at Potawatomi Park on Saturday. This pair were aiming for yellow perch but caught 1 northern pike (kept) and 1 round goby.

Fox River and Green Bay Creel Report: October 26, 2020

Fox River and Metro Boat Launch

• No report is available this week.

Oconto County

• Fishing activity picked up a little this week even with some rain and high winds throughout the week.  Most anglers were after perch with Oconto Park II and the docks at the Oconto Breakwater seeing the most action.  Some limits of perch were seen with anglers having to put in their time to get them.  Most anglers were out several hours with an average of 10 to 15 perch caught.  Minnows were the best bait with most perch running 6 to 9 inches.  A few boats were out trying for bass along the piers and at the mouth of the Oconto River with light catches reported.
• Geano Beach:  No report is available this week.

Brown County

• Bayshore: Bay Shore Park was slow.  The weather was chilly with temperatures mostly in the high 30s to low 40s. It was cloudy and windy. A storm rolled through midweek that caused a lot of debris to accumulate on the launches and the water has been brown and green through the weekend. Not many boats braved the choppy water during the week, but a handful had shown up on the weekend. Tuesday had 8 trailers during the count, and there were 3 interviews. All 3 boats were fishing for yellow perch and had at least 1 catch and keep. Tuesday reported 10 perch caught and 6 kept with lengths of 7-9”. These were caught with minnows. The rest of the week had no interviews or trailers to record during count times.
• Suamico: No report is available this week.
• Longtail:  No report is available this week.
• Duck Creek:  No report is available this week.
   

Marinette County

• Most activity seen this week was below the dam and off Hattie St.  Whitefish have moved in providing decent action with anglers reporting 2 to 4 fish per outing.  Jigs with nightcrawlers were producing best with the occasional walleye being caught on this presentation also.  Anglers using rapalas and other stickbaits were having some luck catching walleyes and brown trout.  Anglers reported having fast action for a short period of time and then going hours without a bite.

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