Lake Michigan Outdoor Fishing Report - May 9, 2022

Generally, fishing reports will be updated once per week, usually on Tuesdays. This may change based on the availability of reports and the work schedules of field staff.

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.

Information for 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, marinas, etc.

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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.

• Green Bay Fishing Report
• Southern Lake Michigan Fishing Report
• Northern Lake Michigan Fishing Report

May 9, 2022: Green Bay / Peshtigo Area Fishing Report

Fox River: 

• Fox River shore anglers: There was moderate fishing activity observed this week. Shore anglers mainly targeted drum/sheepshead and white bass. They had success using live worms.
• Fox River boat anglers: There was moderate fishing activity this week. Boating anglers targeting walleye in the bay successfully used flicker shad and flicker minnows fishing from 8 to 10-feet deep. Purple fire tiger was a successful color. Boating anglers also had success fishing for drum/sheepshead and carp using nightcrawlers. The reported water temperature was around 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

East Shoreline of Green Bay:

Bown County

• Bayshore Park: Boat anglers caught a variety of walleyes, northern pike, muskies, white bass and sheepshead at Bayshore Park this week. These species were all caught using crankbaits such as flicker shads and flicker minnows. The anglers reported that purple, pink and green were the most effective colors this week. The water temperatures were between 46 degrees and 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Door County

• Chaudoir’s Dock: Boat anglers reported catching walleyes and yellow perch. Please note that yellow perch is still out of season for a couple of weeks yet, so you cannot keep any right now. The walleyes and yellow perch were being caught on crankbaits. The anglers reported orange, purple and gold as being the most effective colors for this week. The water temperatures were between 42 degrees and 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Little Surgeon Bay: Boat anglers at this location reported catching walleyes, smallmouth bass, northern pike and round gobies. The smallmouth bass, northern pike and round gobies were mainly caught on tubes. The walleyes were caught on crankbaits, swimbaits and jerk baits. The anglers reported that there didn’t seem to be a color preference this week. The water temperature was around 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Sawyer Harbor: Boat anglers reported catching walleyes, smallmouth bass, northern pike and burbot this week. They caught the walleyes on hair jigs and the smallmouth bass and northern pike were caught on soft plastics and minnows. The burbot was also caught using a minnow. There didn’t seem to be a color preference this week at Sawyer Harbor. The water temperatures were reported to vary significantly, with locations from 42 degrees to 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

West Shoreline of Green Bay:

Brown County

• Suamico River: There was heavy fishing activity observed this week. Boating anglers targeting walleye had the most success using flicker shad and flicker minnow lures. Popular reported colors were purple/silver and black/silver. A couple of boating anglers also reported having success using crawler harnesses to catch walleye. The reported depths of the walleye caught were between 5 to 11 feet deep. The number of walleyes caught per boat ranged from 2 to 20 fish. Boating anglers also reported unintentionally catching northern pike while targeting walleye. The reported water temperature was around 52 degrees Fahrenheit later in the week.
• Duck Creek: There was limited fishing activity observed this week. An ashore angler reported catching seven bluegills and three perch using nightcrawlers. There was also one kayak angler who did not have any reported catches. 

Oconto County

• Geano Beach: There was limited fishing activity observed this week. Boating anglers targeting walleye did have success using crawler harnesses and flicker shad while fishing from around 10 feet deep. Of the two boats that were interviewed, one caught eight walleye and the other caught one. The reported water temperature later in the week was around 54 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Parking lots were full over the weekend with the walleye limit going to 5 on Saturday. Anglers reported clear and cold water making for a difficult bite. Success was fairly low, with most boats catching zero to two walleyes and a few northern pikes. Pier anglers on the Oconto River were having success on northern pike using dead bait. A few smallmouth basses were also caught along the pier and in the river. Water temps in the bay were in the mid-’40s to around 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Marinette County

• Walleye anglers were out in high numbers over the weekend. Most were fishing in the rivers. Both the Peshtigo and Menominee Rivers saw some good walleye fishing. Peshtigo River anglers were having luck out of the Municipal Garage launch below the dam and in the lower river from the launch at County BB to the mouth. Various tactics were working, but jigs with minnows or crawlers seemed best. Northern pike was also providing plenty of action on the lower Peshtigo, especially at the mouth. Menominee River reports were much of the same or better than the Peshtigo. Areas around the mouth and between the piers were popular spots. Anglers had success jigging with minnows and pulling three-way rigs with stick baits. Smithwick rouges and floating rapalas were working best for stick baits. Walleyes were also being caught further upstream with the area from the Hwy. 41 bridge to Marinette Marine is popular. Trolling stick baits and casting hair jigs were the most popular presentations.

May 9, 2022: Southern Lake Michigan Fishing Report

Kenosha County

• Kenosha Piers and Shoreline: The piers and shorelines in Kenosha didn’t see much angling activity despite better fishing conditions in the harbor throughout the week. Water in the harbor has remained relatively cloudy. The anglers that have been seen are targeting browns and cohos.
• Kenosha Ramps: The ramp in Kenosha saw a dramatic increase in boat activity during the middle of the week as a few calm days in a row allowed for perfect fishing conditions. West winds kept the lake calm for a short time during which many boats went out to try and catch some cohos. Even though plenty of boats got out onto the lake, success was mixed. A few boats didn’t catch anything while others were coming in with limits of nice cohos. Anglers reported catching fish on spoons, flies and flicker shads. All of the fish were caught in shallow water no deeper than 30 feet.
• Pike River: The Pike River continues to see light angling activity as the steelhead season is wrapping up. A couple of anglers were seen fishing near the mouth, while a few others were seen farther up the river. Anglers continue to use the fly fishing tackle to catch whatever steelhead remains in the river. Due to the recent rain, water levels on the river remain high, making fishing tough.

Racine County

• Racine Piers and Shoreline: There was one day during the week when the lake was calm enough for a few anglers to get out. These anglers were throwing artificial baits and using slip bobbers to target coho. The lake is still fairly cloudy from the recent rain.
• Racine Ramp: The ramp in Racine experienced an increase in boat activity last week on the calmer days. The boats that went out were staying close to shore targeting cohos with various baits. Success was mixed. Some boats only came in with one or two cohos, while other boats came in with good numbers of fish. Anglers reported catching cohos on spoons, flies and flicker shads. All fish were caught in water no deeper than 30 feet.
• Root River: Last week, the Root River experienced a drastic decline in angling activity. Water levels once again rose significantly after high amounts of rain. The high-water levels have made the river very tough to fish for the few anglers who put in the effort. Fly fishing tackle is still being used to target the remaining steelhead in the river. A few common carp were all that anglers reported catching.

Milwaukee County

• Northern Milwaukee County: There was moderate fishing activity at Summerfest, where an angler caught a brown trout on alewives. There was minimal boating activity at McKinley. The Water temp was 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Southern Milwaukee County: There was moderate fishing activity at Oak Creek Power Plant, where coho could be caught on a shrimp jig and spoons.
• Milwaukee River: No report is available this week. Please check back again for more up-to-date information. Thank you.
• Menomonee River: No report is available this week. Please check back again for more up-to-date information. Thank you.

Ozaukee County

• Port Washington: No report is available this week. Please check back again for more up-to-date information. Thank you.

Sheboygan County

• No report is available this week. Please check back again for more up-to-date information. Thank you.

May 9, 2022: Northern Lake Michigan Fishing Report

Manitowoc County

• The beginning of the week was slow in all surveyed locations; however, there was a distinct change in both weather conditions (bright and sunny) and fishing pressure as the opening weekend approached. While suckers are still dominating the rivers, steelhead is still being caught from the East and West Twin Rivers at the first dam. With the warming of the waters, northern pike and smallmouth bass have been targeted more. Anglers were targeting these fish with spoons, spinners and crankbaits. A few brown trout were seen at the Manitowoc ramp this past Saturday, along with some size-able laker trout (both being weighed by a creel clerk at over 10lbs each). One of the two was caught on a spoon while trolling at 2.5mph while targeting brown trout.

Kewaunee County

• Kewaunee:
  • At the Kewaunee Ramp, a few brown trout and one lake trout were reported to a creel clerk as being caught using a brown/green spoon and a black/silver/gold challenger lure. Anglers reported catching fish in about 21 feet of water at a trolling speed ranging from 1.9 to 2 mph. Water temperatures ranged from 46 to 47 degrees with a mix of chop and rollers. Most boats reported going south of Kewaunee. At the Kewaunee River, one small rainbow trout was caught using a spinner, as well as some suckers using red-colored spawn. Anglers reported seeing a few fish species such as carp, suckers, minnows and chubs. Windy weather contributed to less angler pressure and ultimately fewer interviews.
• Algoma:
  • At Algoma shore, several northern pikes and one smallmouth bass were reported to a creel clerk as being caught. Biodata collected by creel clerks this week shows two northern pikes weighing 2.6 and 3.1 lbs. A variety of lures were used this week such as spoons, a green/silver/black crankbait and a green sparkly jig. Spoon colorations included: silver/green, silver/gold, blue/silver, gold/green and blue/pink/white. Current ranged from slow to a bit strong with 1 to 3-foot clarity. At the Ahnapee River northern pike were caught using blue/silver and gold/orange spoons near the bottom. At Stoney Creek, some groups had success catching rainbow trout using natural spawn near the bottom. Windy and rainy weather this week contributed to less angler pressure and ultimately fewer interviews.

Door County

• Spring weather has still been slightly inconsistent for the anglers of Door County, but perseverance has resulted in success. While fishing off the pier in Sister Bay, one angler caught three brown trout using a silver Little Cleo spoon. The largest of the trout was just shy of 4 pounds. On the Bay of Green Bay, anglers have been catching walleyes and smallmouth bass fishing from the Stone Quarry Park launch. Walleyes measuring consistently in the upper 20 inches were reported as catches from interviewed anglers and were caught on hair jigs, rippin’ raps and plastics. The smallmouth bass was being caught on a variety of lures, including jerk baits, tubes, swimbaits and hair jigs. One angler reported a bass that was roughly 6.5 pounds. On the Lake Michigan side of the peninsula, anglers fishing out of Rowleys Bay have also been seeing success catching smallmouth bass. Favoring olive-colored hair jigs, bass in the 18 to 19-inch range were the most common catches while casting in water that was around 4 feet deep. Anglers fishing the shores of Sturgeon Bay have still been catching northern pike around 20 inches using a variety of lures, including spoons and spinners. Rainbow trout and suckers have still been seen in creeks and streams, although the abundance of the fish seems to be decreasing.