Northeast Region Northern Lake Michigan fisheries team report - Compiled by David Boyarski, fisheries supervisor, Sturgeon Bay Marinette County - Peshtigo Harbor area anglers targeted pike in 4 to 12 feet of water using smelt fished on the bottom or large shiner minnows fished a foot off bottom. Some walleye and trout anglers fished around the dam on the Menominee River and were casting into open water. - Kevin King, fisheries technician, Peshtigo Oconto County - At Geano Beach anglers caught whitefish and walleye south of the landing out to the reef jigging stick baits tipped with minnow heads or wax worms. Pike and whitefish anglers from Oconto Breakwater Park to Oconto Park II had success fishing from the mouth of the Oconto River to Larsons reef. Pike anglers used large shiner minnows and smelt in 4 to 12 feet of water. - Kevin King, fisheries technician, Peshtigo Brown County - Walleye were caught by anglers fishing Voyageur Park and the Fox Point Boat Landing jigging stick baits in bold colors. Perch were caught using jigs and Swedish pimples tipped with wax worms in 9 to 15 feet of water. Sunset Beach anglers caught some whitefish and walleye jigging and using tip ups with small minnows. - Kevin King, fisheries technician, Peshtigo Door County - Temperatures increased substantially this past week creating slick and slushy ice conditions but anglers were still able to drive to their favorite fishing spot. Troublesome areas included Carmody Park, Wood Lane and Stone Quarry where most areas anglers accessed the ice by ATV or snowmobile. Anglers pulled shanties closer to shore in a lot of areas and fishing pressure was low this past week and picked up on the weekend. Anglers fishing in Little Sturgeon area reported 30 to 36 inches of ice while fishing in Rileys Bay, Sand Bay Resort and Carmody Park. Anglers targeted perch, whitefish and walleye. Whitefish anglers at Sand Bay Resort used wax worms and stick baits in 30 to 90 feet of water and reported good success. Anglers fishing for whitefish off Big Rock Place this past week used jigging stick baits to bring in a few whitefish. At Carmody Park some whitefish anglers reported success using panfish jigs. At Town Park Road perch fishing was good using minnows in 35 feet of water. Dykesville anglers reported low success rates and reported ice to be anywhere from 22 to 36 inches thick. Whitefish anglers fishing off Bayshore Park reported some success using wax worms in 15 to 20 feet of water. Many whitefish anglers fished off Volks Landing and had success in 5 to 14 feet of water using wax worms and stick baits. At Rites Cove perch anglers drove onto the ice and reported the most success in 40 feet of water using small minnows. - Bobbi Kolstad, fisheries technician, Sturgeon Bay Peshtigo DNR Service Center area Marinette County - Winter is still holding on in Marinette County. Open areas still have 10-12 inches of snow with a fairly heavy crust while the wooded portions have more than 20 inches with a light crust. Deer are utilizing swamp conifer stands heavily right now but also taking advantage of standing corn. Be especially careful while driving in areas with corn on one side of the road and conifer cover on the other. Spring is inching slowly forward and with it, sap is starting to flow on warmer days. Many taps were put in and buckets hung on maple trees over the weekend. Travel on area lakes has improved recently with much of the snow melted and refrozen and lots of roads plowed to sites of previous shacks. The ice is thick (around 24 inches) on most lakes and fishing is spotty, but promises to improve as we get into spring. - Aaron McCullough, wildlife technician, Wausaukee Oconto County - Snowmobile trails in northern Oconto County are still open and listed in fair to poor condition, but new snow was received on March 19. Panfish are biting on the Machickanee Flowage but the landing is in poor condition. The safest travel would be by ATV. There are reports of northern pike becoming increasingly active along the west shore. Reports came in of one fish over 40 inches this past week. There are also reports of some trout being caught below the Stiles Dam. - Mike Stahl, conservation warden, Oconto Falls Shawano County - The snow is melting but there is still plenty of ice for fishing. Access is bit easier as of late. Panfish, especially perch, are being caught on Shawano Lake. Most of the snowmobile trails are closed but a few remain open so check with the hotline to see which trails may still offer some snowmobiling. There still seems to be plenty of snow in the wood. As folks start to venture out please call if you are finding dead deer or turkeys. - Jim Horne, conservation warden, Shawano Green Bay DNR Service Center area Manitowoc County - Anglers have begun to see and catch rainbows and a few brown trout at the Shoto dam on the West Twin River in Manitowoc County. Only several hundred yards of open water exists from the dam down river and water levels continue to rise. - David Allen, conservation warden, Mishicot Sturgeon Bay DNR Service Center area Door County - Sunny days and milder temperatures are exposing many high points in southern Door County fields; much to the joy of wildlife, and much to the dismay of snowmobilers. Deer and turkeys are now taking advantage of these open areas, but those open areas have also caused southern Door County snowmobile trails to close. Ice on Green Bay will be fishable for some time, with northern pike, walleye, and whitefish seasons still open. Despite the nearly 3 feet of ice in some areas, the shoreline ice in many places is starting to deteriorate due to vehicle traffic, warm water run-off, and heating of the adjacent land. Anglers need to be cautious using vehicles in these near shore areas. Also, the U.S. Coast Guard has begun ice breaking operations in many areas, including Sturgeon Bay proper, to prepare for the start of the commercial shipping season. For more information on exact timing of Green Bay ice breaking operations contact the USCG; Sault Vessel Traffic at 906-635-3232 or via e-mail at [email protected]. - Christopher J. Kratcha, conservation warden, Sturgeon Bay Peninsula State Park - Snow depth varies up to 18 inches, with 3 inches new snow on March 19. Watch for icy/slippery conditions throughout the park. Ski trails are in poor to good condition. Yellow, Orange and White loops were groomed on March 20. Snowshoe and hiking trails are open. Sledding Hill is open. The parking lot across from the hill is closed. Please park in the clubhouse lot (stickers required). Snowmobile trails are open and in fair to good condition. For more information check Door County Parks map.co.door.wi.us/parks/snowmobile.htm (exit DNR) This report will be updated when conditions change. - Jane Barnowsky, visitor services associate Whitefish Dunes State Park - Trail Conditions are fair, good to very good where last groomed March 20. Track was reset on the main Red Trail Thurs morning. Temp was right at 32 and rising fast so plans to groom rest the trails were abandoned because of the balling up of snow in the groomer. The new tracks are excellent in some areas but fair to marginal in others. Bottom of the track had considerable debris embedded in it. Cooler temps this weekend might make for some enjoyable skiing as we move into spring. Trails have been groomed 30 times this season - probably a record. Wautoma DNR Service Center area Waupaca County - Snowmobile Trails within Waupaca County are now all closed. The spring migration is beginning. Some people have sighted sandhill cranes, turkey vultures, red shouldered hawks, woodcock, and red-winged black birds. Catch and release trout season has not generated much interest this year, possibly due to the snow and below normal temperatures. - Ted Dremel, conservation warden, Wautoma The snow has settled quite a bit and trails are now mostly closed. Turkeys are now gobbling, and sandhill cranes are arriving back. Some trout streams are now open, with no reports on early season success. There is very little ice fishing pressure right now. Deer active is high during all hours on newly thawed fields. - Karl Kramer, wildlife technician, Wautoma Waushara County - Snow was beginning to melt quite well and we were beginning to think spring until Tuesday night and another inch of snow hit. The snow may help Zone 1 of the snowmobile trails stay open a few more days at least. The trails here are in poor condition, but are still open as of Wednesday (Mach 19). Ice conditions are beginning to deteriorate. Some folks are still venturing out, but not having too much success. Some of the spring lakes and lakes with a current are really starting to become questionable so always be careful before you venture out. Reports are coming in of turkeys starting to strut and folks starting to hear gobbles in the mornings. This is a great sign with the youth season less than a month away. - Ben Mott, conservation warden, Wautoma
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 15:39:29 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015