Wisconsin enjoyed some very pleasant weather over the July Fourth holiday weekend that brought out many people to enjoy the state’s lakes and rivers. Following a cold spell at the end June, water temperatures on some northern lakes had dropped back down into the 60s, but with the warm-up over the weekend, water temperatures returned back into the 70s.
Conditions have remained very dry, with most of the state receiving less than a quarter of an inch of rain in the last week. The northeast in particular remains very dry with lake and river levels low. The Bois Brule River in Douglas County was running at a record low this week. Vegetation in the area is also showing signs of the drought, with grasses along roadsides looking more golden than green and trees showing early signs of stress. Fire danger levels moved into the moderate level across much of the state, and wildfires were reported this week in several different areas.
This increase in water temperatures spurred on bass activity and anglers have continued to see good action. Musky action has also improved with the warmer weather and many anglers have reported a lot of follows. Some decent catches are also being made, with most fish in the mid 30-inch range and a few up to 44 inches being reported. Panfish success has also been good, with crappies found on deep weed edges or suspended near any mid-depth cover. Some bigger bluegill were still being caught in shallower water and some even have been noted to still have eggs. It appears that with the cold spring and late warm-up of the water, some panfish and bass may have foregone spawning this year. Walleye action slowed on Lake Winnebago this week, but perch fishing picked up.
Along Green Bay, both walleye and perch anglers were out in good numbers this week, but action was spotty. Anglers took advantage of the nice weather this past week to get out on Lake Michigan with some very nice fish being landed from the northern harbors. Anglers trolling for trout and salmon were the most successful in the early morning or in the late afternoon, with mixed catches of chinook salmon, rainbow trout and a few coho salmon. Action was slower along southern Lake Michigan with trollers out of some harbors struggling to find fish while other reported chinooks, coho, lake trout, and rainbows scattered in anywhere from 45 to 400 feet of water. In Milwaukee anglers have caught perch both from piers and boats.
Water levels on the Mississippi River also continue to be low. The river was at 7.2 feet this week at Prairie du Chien. Boaters need to use caution when operating outside of the main navigation channel as many submerged obstructions now pose significant hazards. The lower Wisconsin River is also low, with many sandbars now exposed for camping.
Reports of turkey and grouse broods are becoming more numerous. Monarch butterflies are being seen.
Summer wildflowers are now in full bloom with white wild indigo, spiderwort, harebell, prairie larkspur, butterfly weed, coneflowers, common yarrow, bouncing bet, hoary alyssum, sweet clovers, Queen Anne's lace, fleabanes, elderberry, hawkweed, common yarrow, lanceleaf coreopsis and common milkweed are currently blooming. Wild parsnip, stinging nettle and poison ivy are also out, so outdoor users should take appropriate precautions.
A three-minute audio version of this report can be heard by calling (608) 266 2277.
A new report is put on the line each week.
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Statewide Birding Report
No really big bird reports as this is the slow time of year. Lots of young birds are being seen. Shorebirds have already started to return from the arctic!
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NORTHERN REGION
Superior DNR Service Center area
Brule River State Forest - With just a quick glance when driving down the roads one could almost believe that we have skipped the summer season and autumn is now upon us. Dry conditions have the roadsides and fields looking more golden than green. Even the large vegetation such as trees are showing signs of stress. The Bois Brule River is feeling the effect of the dry spell with low water flow. As of July 9, the Bois Brule River was flowing at 100 cfs (cubic feet per second)...a record low for July 9, the previous record low was 111 set in 1963. The 64 year average is 149 cfs. Even though the river may not be at ideal levels, people are still able to paddle the river...there may just be more rocks to paddle around or times where paddlers may need to get out to move their canoe. With the dry fuels such as grasses and other vegetation land owners are reminded to be extra cautious with burning. Burning is allowed with a permit from 6pm to midnight. It is very important to make sure the fire is entirely out with no chance of restarting. Another thing to keep in mind is that with the lower lake levels more lake beds have been exposed giving the area time to grow vegetation. There was a recent fire in Burnett County that have involved a exposed lakebed...just another thing to be cautious about. Something else to be cautious about is use of ATVs during this dry spell. When riding on the trails the ATVs are kicking up a lot of dust making visibility difficult, making for potentially dangerous conditions.
Park Falls DNR Service Center area
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - The pleasant weather of the July Fourth weekend made for increased recreational and fishing activity on most local waters. Water temperatures on many lakes had dropped into the upper 60s with the previous cold snap, but they did climb into the 70s over the weekend. This increase did spur on bass activity and anglers have continued to see pretty good action. Quite a few largemouth bass are still relating to weeds and lily pads, but many have moved to more ‘firm' overhead cover such as wood, brush and bog edges. Smallmouth bass are also becoming more wood oriented and look for this to increase as the water further warms into the summer. Plastics worked slowly around this cover have produced the best success for bass in the past few days. Musky action has also improved with the warmer weather and many anglers have reported a lot of follows. Some decent catches are also being made, with most fish in the mid 30-inch range and a few up to 44 inches being reported. Many different types of baits have been successful, but top-waters and jerk baits seem to be the favorites in the past week. With the cool water temperatures, northern pike action continues to be good. Good numbers of pike are still being found along and in the weed edges and spinner baits have been the hottest lure. Walleye action has been a bit erratic with some fair catches being made in and around the mid-depth weed beds. The best success continues to come on a leech or piece of night crawler fished on a slip bobber or small leadhead jig (1/32 or 1/16 oz) and dropped into pockets in the weeds. This pattern should hold up for the next several weeks for mid-summer walleye on many northern waters. Panfish success has also been good and crappie have been found on deep weed edges or suspended near any mid-depth cover. Some bigger bluegill were still being caught in shallower water and some even have been noted to still have eggs. It appears that with the cold spring and late warm-up of the water, some of our panfish and bass may have foregone their spawning period this year.
Woodruff DNR Service Center area
Fluctuating weather patterns has led to fluctuating fish patterns as well. Some catches of panfish continue to be the savior for many of this week’s anglers. The bluegills are done spawning and can be found along shallow weed edges. Crappies are now being found along the deeper weed edges. There are numerous reports of active bass; however most are sub-legal in length. Musky anglers have reported fairly good action over mud flats on area flowages. Weed growth and water temperatures are still behind for this time of year. Be sure to check your boats and trailers for any types of weeds that may be attached prior to launching. Playing your part by removing this aquatic vegetation could be the difference between keeping a lake free of invasives and infesting the water. In addition there are some restrictions on transporting fish, bait and water. Please check with a DNR representative for details. Antler development on the bucks is now very visible. There have been numerous reports of turkey and grouse broods seen in the area. As you travel the area be cautious of deer crossing the roads, more often than not the fawns are close behind.
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NORTHEAST REGION
Peshtigo DNR Service Center area
Marinette County - - Dry conditions have led to several small grass fires this past week. Much needed rain is forecasted before the weekend. Inland streams are decreasing in water levels and increasing in temperatures. Trout will be moving upstream to feeder creeks. The Fourth of July celebrations opened many opportunities to fish the rivers without seeing other anglers. Water level on the upper Menominee is low with many sand bars appearing again. People fishing the Peshtigo Harbor area are catching catfish using crawlers fished on bottom. Smallmouth bass and northern pike are also present with plugs, stick baits, and spinners the baits of choice. The Menominee River landings are seeing both walleye and salmon anglers becoming more active in their pursuit. Success up to this point has been hit and miss. Reports from the Little River boat landing show some perch were starting to be caught in the weed beds in 8 to 12 feet of water using crawlers and minnows fished near bottom.
Oconto County - Water temperature at the landings is close to 72 degrees, with fishing pressure moderate. Walleye anglers were out in good numbers pre-fishing the bay in preparation for this weekend’s tournament. Water clarity is good. Stiles Dam area anglers are reporting some panfish success using slip bobbers and crawlers. Casting surface plugs for smallmouth bass has been slow. The landings at Pensaukee, Oconto Breakwater Harbor, and Oconto Park II are seeing both walleye and perch anglers numbers increasing. Success has been spotty up to this point.
Green Bay DNR Service Center area
Manitowoc County - Anglers enjoyed the nice weather this past week and had a good week of fishing. Favorable wind conditions allowed anglers out on Lake Michigan most of the week which resulted in some very nice fish being landed. Manitowoc anglers trolling on Lake Michigan for trout and salmon were the most successful in the early morning or in the late afternoon. Many successful salmon anglers were trolling in 70 to 90 feet of water while steelhead anglers were traveling out farther. Spoons seemed to the preferred bait over the weekend with mixed catches of chinook salmon, rainbow trout and a few coho salmon. Anglers fishing the south pier had a slow fishing week. Although fishing the piers was a little slow, a few nice brown trout and one rainbow trout were caught. Successful trips have been mostly before sunrise or during the late afternoon. In Two Rivers, anglers also had a good week of fishing. Boat anglers had success trolling Lake Michigan in 60 to 120 feet of water. Mixed catches were common with anglers landing chinook salmon, rainbow trout, coho salmon and a few lake trout. Few anglers were fishing off the piers during most of the week; however, on Saturday morning the south pier was busy with many anglers casting spoons or fishing off the bottom with alewife. Unfortunately fishing was slow with only a few fish caught.
Sturgeon Bay DNR Service Center area
Door County - Sunny skies and seasonal temperatures made for a great week; however, high winds during the middle portion of the week made fishing conditions difficult. The salmon action on Lake Michigan was good to very good this week. The bank reef north of the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal continued to produce kings and lake trout, with anglers trolling in 75 to 100 feet of water early in the mornings, and late in the evenings. Later in the day the successful anglers were moving out to much deeper waters, like last week the top 20 to 30 feet of water continued to produce lots of nice rainbows, while most of the salmon were coming 80 to 120 feet down. Fly and dodger combinations as well as spoons seem to be the key out on the big lake. Good success was also reported out of Baileys Harbor. Up north salmon were being taken from the waters on both sides of the peninsula, with the areas around Sister Bay, Ellison Bay and Washington Island all producing some nice fish. Smallmouth bass fishing was good throughout most of the county. Little Sturgeon, Riley’s Bay, Sand Bay and the Sturgeon Bay flats, along with the shoreline off Potawatomi State Park were all producing some smallmouth. Tube jigs, stick baits, grubs, and Katelands remain the baits of choice. Up north, Anderson’s dock in Ephraim, as well as Baileys Harbor, Rowley’s Bay, Egg Harbor and Sister Bay were all producing fish. Some nice smallmouth were taken off the pier at Murphy County Park by anglers fishing leeches. The nighttime walleye action continues to be good with anglers trolling sticks and jerk baits in 10 to 25 feet of water. Henderson Point, Sherwood Point, the Sturgeon Bay flats and Dunlap Reef all remain good spots to try for walleye. The daytime action for walleyes continued to be good with some nice fish being taken from areas north and south of Chaudoir’s dock and off the reefs. Anglers trolling crawler harnesses in 8 to 20 feet of water accounted for the majority of the walleyes taken. Up north the walleye action was still on the slow side this week. Perch fishing seems to be picking up, try the area off of Chaudoir’s dock and the weed beds in Sturgeon Bay and Little Sturgeon Bay with minnows and slip bobbers.
Peninsula State Park - Peninsula is having a busier than average summer, with camping reservations up close to 8 percent. Sites with electricity are filling daily. There remain small, short-term vacancy rates during the week, with weekends at capacity. Reservations are strongly recommended. Trails are now dry and in good condition. Watch for squadrons of white pelicans, bald eagles, great egrets and osprey.
Potawatomi State Park - Monarch butterflies, eastern kingbirds, and rock bass have been seen in the park and surrounding waters. There have been a couple of fawns hanging around within feet of the park entrance drive-up window. Naturalist programs this week include a Learn to Hoot! Great horned owls program Friday, July 10 from 7-8 p.m.: and Birding for Kids on Sunday, July 12, 10-11 a.m.:
Kewaunee County - This week brought cooler temperatures to the area to begin the week, with some windy days in the middle, and ended with some very nice warm days for the weekend. Anglers have been reporting some success in the morning casting spoons for trout and salmon off of the piers in Algoma and Kewaunee. Anglers that have been going out on the lake were again finding some success. Most fish were being found in depths between 80 feet and 130 feet. Steelhead have been hanging higher in the water column with the kings hanging out in the deeper water. Catches this week were not as good as last week, but kings and some steelhead were still being caught. Most anglers have been using a combination dipsies and flashers. Action this week started off good, but slowed down in the middle of the week when the winds picked up. Action remained somewhat slow over the weekend, but most boats were reporting that they have been catching some fish.
Oshkosh DNR Service Center area
Fluctuations in temperature this past week have slowed walleye fishing on Lake Winnebago. The best place to find the walleye are in the mud flats or in the reefs, if the wind is blowing correctly. Use of crank baits and crawler harnesses are still the optimal choices for anglers. Perch fishing appears to be picking up! We are happy to say that there were no boating fatalities on Lake Winnebago over the busy Fourth of July weekend.
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SOUTHEAST REGION
Havenwoods State Forest - Oxeye sunflower, purple coneflower, pale purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan, New Jersey tea, butterfly weed, and common milkweed are all in bloom. Deer, coyote, mink, owls, turkey, hawks, ducks, bluebirds, heron, kingbirds are being seen. Trails are in good condition.
Kettle Moraine State Park - Pike Lake Unit - All trails are open to hiking and in good condition. The lake water is tested four days per week for elevated bacteria levels. Any advisories will be posted. Work has begun to remove damaged portions of the beach wall. This will not result in major changes to the beach area and should not impact visitor use, but please use caution in areas where the wall is being dismantled. Portions of the beach wall that are in good condition will remain. Join the forest volunteer naturalist on Saturday July 11 at 9 p.m. for a hike to learn about creatures of the night. Meet at the nature trail parking lot on Powder Hill Road.
Kettle Moraine State Forest - Southern Unit - Hiking trails are open. Wildflowers are in abundance along the trails. Be prepared to encounter all types of conditions from dirt, grass, mud, and even water on the trails. Dogs are allowed on all hiking trails, except Nature trails, and must be kept on a leash. Insect repellant and proper clothing is highly recommended as the mosquito and tick populations are in full force. Horseback riding trails are open. Equestrians are asked to refrain from using the trails after heavy rains to help preserve their condition. John Muir and Emma Carlin biking trails, as well as the connector trail, will be open if weather conditions permit. Please keep in mind that due to changing weather conditions their status could change. Trails will be closed for a period of time after heavy rains to allow the trails to dry out and thus help keep the trails in the best condition possible. Call the Trail Information Line, (262) 594-6202, for the most current trail conditions.
Kohler-Andrae State Park - A wren has started nest construction in the office bluebird house. Come watch the progress on the office bird cam. Flowers blooming in the park include spiderwort, orange hawkweed, common yarrow, and lanceleaf coreopsis. The field of coreopsis is located on Beach Park Lane to the north of the North Beach parking lot. This year’s display is beautiful. Nature trails and hiking trails are open. The Wisconsin Great Lakes Beach testing is conducted Monday through Thursday. Results can be viewed at
http://www.wibeaches.us.
Lake Michigan fisheries team report
Sheboygan County - In Sheboygan shore fishing has been generally slow, but an occasional chinook or rainbow has been caught off the piers on spoons. Sheboygan trollers have been struggling to find fish, with most boats only catching a couple. A mixed bag of chinooks, coho, rainbows, and lake trout has been taken in 80 to 100 feet of water.
Ozaukee County - Shore anglers in Port Washington have been catching perch off the pier on both minnows and jigs. Trollers out of Port have reported chinooks, coho, lake trout, and rainbows scattered anywhere from 45 to 400 feet of water. Most fish have been caught from the surface to 70 feet down, and both spoons and flasher & fly combinations have been productive.
Milwaukee County - In Milwaukee perch anglers have caught fish early in the morning off McKinley pier, with white jigs producing the most. Boaters fishing for perch have been catching them at the boils and near the Oak Creek Power Plant, and minnows fished on the bottom have taken most. Shore anglers have also caught a few rainbows and browns on alewives fished off McKinley pier. Trollers out of Milwaukee have been catching a few chinooks and coho, but fishing has been tough overall. Most fish have been caught 40 to 60 feet down in 100 to 200 feet of water.
Racine County - Shore fishing in Racine has been slow for both perch anglers and trout and salmon anglers. Boaters have been able to find some perch on minnows and crab tails along the rock breakwall south of the harbor. Trolling out of Racine has improved recently, with decent numbers of chinooks, coho, and rainbows taken 30 to 50 feet down in 60 to 90 feet of water. Spoons, flies, and J-plugs have all been productive at times, and the best bite has been early in the morning and again later in the evening.
Kenosha County - In Kenosha shore angling has slowed, but trollers have been catching salmon in 60 to 90 feet of water. Boaters fishing for perch have had some success fishing at the bubbler and along the rock breakwall in front of the harbor. Minnows and crab tails have produced the most perch.
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SOUTH CENTRAL REGION
No reports.
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WEST CENTRAL REGION
La Crosse DNR Service Center area
Water levels on the Mississippi River in the La Crosse Area are low. Boaters are cautioned to use special caution when operating outside of the main navigation channel as many submerged obstructions pose significant hazards. Sport fishing action in the La Crosse Area has been relatively light with a recent mayfly hatch slowing action substantially. Panfishing and bass fishing action should improve in coming days. Some fishers have had decent action trolling for walleyes in backwater sloughs and wing dams. Northern pike action continues to be good with fishers having success using various lures and baits.
Crawford County - The Mississippi River continued to slowly drop this week. The current river stage is at 7.2 feet. The forecast for the Mississippi River is for it to remain fairly steady or slightly drop. Boaters on the Mississippi River should use caution now that the river is closing in on the 7 foot mark as wing dams, closing dams, and sunken logs are now dangerously close to lower units. Boaters unfamiliar with the area should stay in the navigation channel or slow down and trim up their motors. The Wisconsin and Kickapoo Rivers are at normal summer time flows. The sand bars on the Wisconsin River are in great shape for camping. All trout streams in the area are in good shape with normal flow and water clarity is good. A new slow no wake zone in now in effect on the Mississippi River’s main channel. The slow no wake zone is approximately half a mile long and is located adjacent to the City of McGregor Iowa. The area is marked with slow no wake buoys that line both sides of the navigation channel. For reference the area affected is in the area of river mile 633.5 Therefore boaters must maintain a slow no wake speed through the entire length, shore to shore. Bluegill, crappie and perch fishing continues to be very slow. Many anglers are reporting that the larger bluegill are extremely hard to find. In the Prairie du Chien area anglers have been fishing Horseshoe (aka Sturgeon, aka McGregor), the Lower Bottoms, Garnet Lake and wing dams with some success, but again smaller size fish. The Ambro Slough complex north of Prairie du Chien has seen a fair amount of fishing pressure however success has been spotty. The most popular bait has been a chunk of night crawler or garden worms. Panfishing at the dam has been spotty with reports of some bluegill and perch being taken primarily on night crawlers. Fishing at Cold Spring continues to be slow. Most of the bluegill are running on the small side. Boaters should also be aware that Cold Spring is a designated slow no wake area. Walleye and sauger action was generally good. Trolling and casting crank baits or drifting with live bait is the primary method of taking walleyes. Some of the hot spots have been on the Roseau Slough, Harpers Ferry Slough, and on the wing dams up and down the river. Night crawlers and leeches have been the best live bait so far. Walleye activity seems to be the best early and late in the day. Smallmouth bass have been very active on closing dams and wing dams. Live bait and artificial baits have worked well. Largemouth bass action has been good also. Largemouth bass can be found in a variety of habitats. Plastics, spinner baits, and crank baits have worked well. Catfish, both flathead and channel, activity was pretty good. A variety of live baits have produced cats. Move around until active fish are located. Channel cats have been a bit more active than the flatheads. Sheepshead have become very active. A piece of night crawler fished off the bottom has been the best tactic. There was some pretty decent white bass action at the dam last week. Angler are casting small crank baits or using One-Eyes. Trout fishing has been very good even though vegetation and insects are staring to make fishing a bit more difficult. Many local streams produced some very nice brown and brook trout. Insects like mosquitoes and deer flies are out in large numbers. Mosquitoes are really a problem in the river bottoms while the deer flies are in the wooded areas. Parsnip, stinging nettle and poison ivy are out so outdoor users should take appropriate precautions.
Perrot State Park - Trails are in good condition. All campsites and facilities are open. Water levels are close to normal. Fishing is slow. White wild indigo, spiderwort, harebell, prairie larkspur, butterfly weed, coneflowers, common yarrow, bouncing bet, tickseed trefoil, hoary alyssum, sweet clovers, Queen Anne's lace, fleabanes, elderberry, and common milkweed are currently blooming in the park. On July 11 at 7 p.m. there will be a “Bald is Beautiful!” naturalist program where visitors can meet a live Bald Eagle.
Great River State Trail - The trail is open and in dry condition. Prairie wildflowers are really shining! White wild indigo, coneflowers and butterfly weed are the current standouts!
Black River Falls DNR Service Center area
Black RIver State Forest - All ATV trails were groomed within the past week. A section of trail from Campground Road to the Clay School Parking Lot continues to remain closed due to several areas with excessive water covering the trail and damage due to heavy ridership on Memorial Day Weekend. We are waiting for this area to dry up before we re-open this section. A temporary bypass route has been authorized with the Town of Komensky. Riders can travel north on Campground Road up to Clay School Road where they will turn west and meet up with the current ATV route. Please use the utmost respect while driving on this temporary route. Stay on the road at all times and be mindful of speed. The 2.2-mile portion of the trail from Highway 54 to Bartos road undergoing rehabilitation this spring has been completed. This project will protect the long term sustainability of the trail system and lessen the frequency of trail closings due to large rainfalls.
Wausau DNR Service Center area
Rib Mountain State Park - Trails are in good condition. Plenty of deer can be seen while in the woods along with other wildlife such as turkeys, fox, woodchucks, etc. The Friends of Rib Mountain State Park and Park Staff completed the development of a new hiking/snowshoe trail this past year. This new "Quarry Trail" leads to the old 3M property purchased by the state several years ago, while the trail is accessible and useable from the red trail we are in the process of putting in trail markers. A new trail map showing these trails is available at the park office. Please note that Mountain Bikes are not allowed on the trails at Rib Mountain. Mountain Bike trails are available at the nearby Nine-Mile County Forest Recreation Area, this facility is managed by Marathon County Parks, Recreation and Forestry. The campground is open with all sites available on a first-come basis for camping. The park was able to get a naturalist this year through the generosity of the Friends of Rib Mountain, please check with park staff or call 715-842-2522 for an updated schedule of events. Friends of Rib Mountain State Park Concert in the Clouds on July 18 will feature the Wausau Symphony Band
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/news/or/#top
