Little Sturgeon Bay: Many anglers stayed in the calmer bays and fished yellow perch this week. Yellow perch fishing picked up with several boats reporting catches of 30-50 perch. Anglers who had the best success were using live minnows and worms and fishing weed lines. Pier anglers in Little Sturgeon Bay also caught some yellow perch using worms and live minnows. Walleye fishing slowed down this week. All boats that were targeting walleyes reported catching two or fewer. Trolling purple or green crankbaits produced the few walleyes there were caught. Interestingly, almost every boat that was targeting reported catching at least one northern pike while fishing for walleyes. Smallmouth bass anglers were able to catch a few fishing with jigs in 10-20 feet of water. Other species that anglers reported catching this week include freshwater drum/sheepshead, bluegill, white perch, and largemouth bass.
Geano Beach: There was heavy fishing activity observed this week. Boating anglers were targeting walleye and muskies. The walleye anglers reported catching up to five walleyes, with most anglers reporting no catches. Walleye anglers had the best success trolling hard plastics and crawler harnesses in about 25 feet of water. Four boats targeting muskies were also interviewed. Two out of the four boats reported catching a single muskie using a bucktail. The water temperature was between 70 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit.
Fishing pressure was rather high, given the heavy winds this week. Many boats were out pre-fishing for a walleye tournament and could be seen at the area launches. The walleye bite was up and down with the changing water temps at the end of the week. Most anglers were using crawler harnesses or shiver minnows. Best luck seemed to be in deeper water this week, with most reports coming from 10-plus feet of water. Average catches were 2 to 4 fish per person, with various sizes being caught. White perch and sheepshead were also caught.
Manitowoc County: Anglers are still bringing in Chinook salmon and rainbow trout from Lake Michigan, along with a few Coho salmon and lake trout. Water depths of 60-100 feet have been the target for anglers. Anglers reporte4d catching more fish higher up in the water column, and some specified that they did well 30-40 feet down from the surface. Anglers continue to catch fish on a combination of both spoons and flasher flies, and are still using blues, greens, silver, and glow. Anglers have been trolling at speeds of 2.3 to 3.2 mph, depending on the wind, water conditions, and direction of trolling. Surface water temperatures on Lake Michigan ranged from 65 to 69 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures within the water column were a range. Anglers reported that the water temperature 35-70 feet down from the surface ranged anywhere from 45 to 56 degrees Fahrenheit.
Dumper Dan: Dumper Dan fishing, lodging, and riverfront store were fishing just outside of Sheboygan in and around the harbor. They were doing very well. The largest salmon caught was 24 pounds. They were fishing by the lighthouse in 20 to 40 feet of water. J-plugs worked out well. Silver hordes. Magnum spoons in salmon candy or pro king. Good colors: white-green, glow-in-the-dark white, and white-orange. Chartreuse green also did very well. 2.1 was a good trolling speed. Crank baits on planer boards did very good. Going out further would also get good results. Good depths were around 150 feet of water fishing down 50 to 100 feet down with flasher fly combo9s and spoons.
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