Lake Michigan Outdoor Fishing Report - May 16, 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 16, 2022: Green Bay / Peshtigo Area Fishing Report

Fox River: 

• Fox River shore anglers: There was heavy fishing activity observed this week. Shore anglers were mostly targeting white bass and had the best success using live worms. Some of the anglers reported catching around 7 to 10 white bass.
• Fox River boat anglers: There was moderate fishing activity this week besides the metro launch, which had heavy boating activity. Boating anglers targeting walleye in the bay had success using crawler harnesses and flicker shads fishing from 6 to 8 feet deep. A couple of popular colors were blue/silver and ghost color. One angler reported catching 4 walleye by jigging minnows from 25 feet deep. The number of reported walleye caught per boat ranged from 0 to 4 fish. Sizes of the walleye kept ranged from 15.5 to 28.5 inches. The reported water temperature was around 58 degrees Fahrenheit early in the week.

East Shoreline of Green Bay:

Bown County

• Bayshore Park: Shore anglers had some success catching walleyes this week. They reported catching the fish on jigs with soft plastics. Boat anglers caught a variety of walleyes, whitefish, a bowfin, white bass, white perch, white bass, yellow bullheads, round gobies and sheepshead at Bayshore Park. Crankbaits were successfully used to catch walleye, whitefish, smallmouth, white bass, white perch, and sheepshead. Crawler harnesses were used to catch walleyes, white bass, bowfin, yellow bullheads, and round gobies. Purple was the most effective color this week, but people also had luck using pinks, greens, and blues. The water temperatures were between 60 degrees and 68 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the weekend. The walleyes caught this week were mostly between 19 and 25 inches.

Door County

• Chaudoir’s Dock: Boat anglers from Chaudoir’s Dock reported catching walleyes, rock bass, and white perch. The walleyes were caught on both crankbaits and crawler harnesses. The rock bass was caught on crankbaits, and the white perch were caught on crawler harnesses. The anglers reported purple, pink, and black as the most effective colors for this week. The water temperatures were between 58 degrees and 63 degrees Fahrenheit. This week, the fish harvested at this location were around 18-25 inches.
• Little Surgeon Bay: Boat anglers at this location reported catching walleyes, smallmouth bass, northern pike, and burbot. The smallmouth bass, northern pike, and burbot were mainly caught on soft plastics. The walleyes and some of the northern pike were caught on crankbaits. The anglers reported a variety of effective colors this week, including blue, green, gray, black, and white. The water temperature was around 60 degrees Fahrenheit, with notable variation depending on the location. This week, the walleyes caught at this location were mostly between 20 and 24 inches.
• Sawyer Harbor: Boat anglers reported catching walleyes, smallmouth bass, northern pike, largemouth bass, rock bass, suckers, and bullheads. They saw the walleyes on blade baits, and the other species were all caught on soft plastics, swimbaits, and minnows. This week, anglers reported having the most success when using purple, dark greens and natural temperatures. The water temperatures varied by exact location, from around 50 degrees to 65 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 best success using crawler harnesses, and some anglers reported having success using flicker minnows fishing from 8 to 14 feet deep. The number of reported walleye caught per boat ranged from 0 to 9 fish. Sizes of the walleye kept ranged from 18.5 to 22 inches. An angler targeting smallmouth bass reported catching 30 smallmouth bass using a green plastic tube. The reported water temperature was around 64 to 68 degrees.
• Duck Creek: No report is available this week. Please check back again for more up-to-date information. Thank you.

Oconto County

• Geano Beach: There was heavy fishing activity observed this week. Boating anglers targeting walleye had the best success using crawler harnesses fishing from 6 to 10 feet deep. The number of reported walleye caught per boat ranged from 2 to 13 fish. Sizes of the walleye kept ranged from 16 to 24 inches, with the average around 18 inches. The reported water temperature was around 64 degrees later in the week.
• Walleye fishing started a bit slow at the beginning of the week. High temps warmed up the water by the weekend, and a few more good reports were seen. Anglers had some success trolling crawler harnesses off Oconto Park II and to the north. Fish were scattered as anglers reported catching walleyes in the shallow water of 4 to 7 feet and 10 to 12 feet. A few northern pikes were also caught. Areas outside the river mouths were very muddy and had some logs and sticks floating down from storms at the end of the week.

Marinette County

• Fishing was good early in the week in the Menominee River and Peshtigo River. Anglers were catching walleyes in the Menominee, jigging during the day and trolling stick baits at night. Various sizes were caught, with anywhere from 15 to 28 inches reported. Walleyes and smallmouth were caught on the Peshtigo. Upstream areas below the dam were good for smallmouth, while the downstream areas near the bay were best for walleyes. Bass was hitting plastics such as paddle tails and twister tails. Walleyes were caught on crawlers, either on floating jigs or on harnesses. Storms late in the week increased the flow and dirtied the water dramatically, causing difficult fishing. Water temps had a big range this week, with temps around 60 reported in the bay by the weekend. Cooler water is still present in the bay.

May 16, 2022: Southern Lake Michigan Fishing Report

Kenosha County

• No report is available this week. The Wisconsin DNR is currently accepting applications for an LTE creel clerk in Racine and Kenosha Counties. For more information or to apply, please visit wisc.jobs and search for job ID 6088. The deadline to apply is May 30.

Racine County

• No report is available this week. The Wisconsin DNR is currently accepting applications for an LTE creel clerk in Racine and Kenosha Counties. For more information or to apply, please visit wisc.jobs and search for job ID 6088. The deadline to apply is May 30.
• Root River: As water levels on the river drop and the water temps continue to rise, most of the steelhead have made their way back out to the lake. Anglers were seen fishing both above and below the steelhead facility. The couple of anglers that were out were using fly fishing tackle with flies as bait. Despite low angling numbers, a few steelheads were still caught at the dam using flies. Water levels in the river continue to drop. Flow has decreased while water clarity has improved.

Milwaukee County

• Boat anglers have been catching decent numbers of coho using standard coho rigs. Depending on the day, fish are being caught in the top 20 feet of the water column, anywhere from 30 feet of water to 120 feet of water.

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 16, 2022: Northern Lake Michigan Fishing Report

Manitowoc County

• The warming weather has brought out many anglers looking to capitalize on the smallmouth bass bite, many of whom succeeded in the Manitowoc River with artificial baits (plastics, crankbaits and spinners). The odd pike was also caught. One fishing party coming in off Lake Michigan from the Manitowoc harbor described everything as being “a month behind” concerning fish behavior/activity. Nevertheless, many boats have been coming out of winter storage in preparation for the coming season – the Veterans Park ramp in Two Rivers is seeing more activity than usual, and more slips are being filled daily at the Manitowoc Marina.

Kewaunee County

• Kewaunee: At the Kewaunee River, a few northern pikes and rainbow trout were caught this week. Two northern pikes weighed by a creel clerk were 2.2 lbs. and 7 lbs. Northern pike was caught using blue/white and a gold spoon near the bottom. Rainbow trout were caught using varying colors of beads and a gold spinner. Successful bead colors included gold, red and green/orange. Water clarity ranged from 2 to 3 feet. At the Kewaunee Ramp, anglers reported water temperatures ranging from 40.9 to 52 degrees Fahrenheit. Boat anglers were marking a few fish this week; however, there was lower fishing pressure due to windy conditions throughout the week. Lastly, anglers reported muddy water with maximum water clarity of about 2 feet at the Kewaunee pier. Anglers reported some algae coming in on their lines this week as well.
• Algoma: At the Ahnapee River, several northern pikes were reported to a creel clerk. One northern pike was recorded weighing 3.1 lbs. Anglers successfully catching northern pike used several spoon colors as well as worms. Spoons colors include: red/white, silver/blue, perch colorations and chartreuse. Several bullheads were also caught while using worms. Water this week ranged from a 1 to 2-foot clarity with a calm current. Anglers reported little to no vegetation and low water levels. At Algoma Shore, several pikes were also caught using spoons, a red/yellow spinner and minnows. Successful spoon colors include red/white, silver/blue and perch colorations. One rainbow trout was also reported being caught on a copper/yellow/brown spinner. Water clarity ranged from 1 to 4 feet with no vegetation. At the Olson Park ramp, a few pikes were caught using Little Cleos of varying colors and an orange/yellow sparkly Rapala lure near the bottom. Successful trolling speeds ranged from 2 to 3 mph. Some vegetation was reported this week, as well as low water levels. Lastly, at Algoma piers, one angler reported catching a brown trout using a blue/silver crocodile spoon. Anglers reported seeing a lot of baitfish with the 1-foot water clarity.

Door County

• Warmer weather appears to have finally broken through the cold. Few anglers were still fishing streams, but a group fishing Heins Creek caught some rainbow trout that had not yet spawned out. The largest of these fish was just over 8 pounds, while the rest were between the 3.5 to 5-pound range, and they were caught on black flies. Anglers fishing out of Rowleys Bay have been catching smallmouth bass that the anglers estimated the average fish to be in the 3 to 4-pound range. Anglers used tube jigs, swimbaits, jigs, and plastics while bass fishing Rowleys Bay, and the water has significantly warmed up to the 60-62 degrees Fahrenheit range. On the Bay of Green Bay, anglers have also been consistently catching smallmouth on the same lures. Anglers fishing out of Ephraim and Egg Harbor have been catching bass in the 3 to 4-pound range, and those fishing the Ephraim piers have seen the same successes. The water on the Bay remained a little cooler in the 50-52 degrees Fahrenheit range.