Wisconsin Fishing Reports

LAKE MICHIGAN OUTDOOR FISHING REPORT – JANUARY 25, 2021
FISHING WISCONSIN
In general, fishing reports will be updated once per week, usually on Tuesdays. This may change based on availability of reports and work schedules of field staff. 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, which allows us to generate statistically valid fishing effort and harvest information. Information for these reports are only based on days and times of the week that creel clerks are present. Additional fishing information can be found by contacting local bait shops, charter captains, marinas, etc.

DNR does not verify or guarantee the reported ice conditions, and anglers should proceed at their own risk. Please use extreme caution as conditions can change rapidly.

ICE SAFETY
There is no such thing as safe ice. You cannot judge the strength of ice by one factor like its appearance, age, thickness, temperature, or whether the ice is covered with snow. Ice seldom freezes uniformly and can vary greatly in different areas of the same waterbody. It is important to know before you go. The DNR does not monitor local ice conditions or the thickness of the ice. Local bait shops, fishing clubs, and resorts serve winter anglers every day and often have the most up to date information. If you’re heading out onto a frozen lake for the first time, check the ice yourself and check it often.
Ice Safety Tips:
Carry some basic safety gear: ice claws or picks, a cellphone in a waterproof case, a life jacket, and a length of rope.
Dress warm in layers
Don’t go alone. Head out with friends or family. Carry a cell phone with you and make sure someone knows where you are and when you are expected to return.
Know before you go. Don’t travel in areas you are not familiar with and don’t travel at night during reduced visibility.
Avoid inlets, outlets, or narrows that may have current that can cause thin ice.
REMINDER – Anglers must carry a paper copy of their license/stamps while fishing on the waters of Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and the WI/MI, WI/MN and WI/IA boundary waters.

JANUARY 25, 2021: WEST SHORE GREEN BAY ICE CREEL REPORT
MARINETTE COUNTY
Menominee River: Best activity was seen off Six Street landing with many anglers targeting northern pike. A few fish were being caught with size being in the mid 20 inch range.
Red Arrow: Not much activity seen here with only a couple anglers seen over the weekend.
Peshtigo River: No activity here with mostly open water seen during the week. Piles of ice blew in for the weekend.
OCONTO COUNTY
Oconto Parks: Oconto Park II was rather quiet this week with only a couple of anglers seen. Ice outside the landing area was moving all week.
Oconto Harbor: A few anglers were targeting northern pike by the city docks. Open water was present outside the river mouth both north and south. Ice was present about 3/4 the way out the pier on the bay side and in the marsh to the south but no activity was seen.
Geano’s Beach: Ice blew out early in the week and refroze by the weekend. Only about 100 yards of ice was fishable with ice beyond that seen moving and creating shoves over the weekend.
BROWN COUNTY
Hook Rd: High angler activity all week with good catches of perch and northern pike reported during the week. Weekend catches were much lower. Tip downs with minnows were catching perch while tip ups with large minnows were best for pike. A few pike over 30 inches were reported caught this week.
Suamico: A few anglers were out over the weekend chasing northern pike and perch. Action was slow with only a couple perch caught.
Long Tail Point: Many anglers were out throughout the week targeting perch and northern pike. Good catches of perch were reported during the week with far less over the weekend. Northern pike were providing slow but steady action throughout the week on tip ups.
Duck Creek: Perch were being caught with tip downs and minnows being popular. Most fish are running on the smaller size with a few as large as 7 inches.
Fox River: Open water was present early in the week in the main channel. Cold weather later in the week brought out a few anglers on the ice off Voyageur Park. No reports on any success.

JANUARY 25, 2021: EAST SHORE GREEN BAY ICE CREEL REPORT
Shipping activity and strong winds have kept much of the Sturgeon Bay shipping canal open and north of Sturgeon Bay is still open water. Anglers report changing ice conditions with some locations with thicker ice than last week and some locations with less ice. Large cracks were reported in a couple of locations limiting the already limited access even more.

LITTLE STURGEON BAY AREA
Carmody Park: Anglers report okay action on perch with a lot of sorting to get a handful of keepers. Fast action was seen by anglers that could find the schools, while other anglers reported slow fishing. A few smaller pike on tip-ups were also reportedly caught as well.
Clafins Lime Kiln and Big Rock Place: Fishing pressure slowed down at these locations with the changing ice conditions. A few anglers stayed close to shore at Lime Kiln but with few fish to show for it. Big Rock and Clafins had an ice crack form out from these locations limiting access.
Sand Bay Resort: Rough/Cracked ice was seen from the landing. No one fishing, Some open water/soft ice conditions
Rileys Bay: A few shacks were seen out at Rileys Bay. No ice conditions or fishing reports though
Wood Lane: Heavy fishing pressure was seen at Wood Lane. Anglers report catching a few whitefish and perch on jigs tipped with waxies. The ice further out is reported to be moving a lot and is unstable. Most whitefish were caught in the 15-18 foot of water.
BAYSHORE AREA
Rites Cove: A few shacks were seen out at Rites Cove but those anglers were sticking close to shore as well.
Volks Landing: A few anglers were seen out on Saturday. They reported slow fishing and scary ice conditions, with some leaving soon after arriving due to unsafe ice conditions.
Bayshore Park: Heavy Pressure was seen at Bayshore over the weekend. Anglers report very slow fishing, with many groups coming in with 1 or 2 whitefish for an all days effort. Lots of fish were seen and marked on electronics but very few takers.
Dyckesville: A few anglers were seen out at Dyckesville. They reported slow fishing for whitefish, with the average angler catching 1 or 2 fish for an all day sit.
Red River: Red River saw heavy fishing pressure over the weekend. Anglers report very slow fishing with only a handful of whitefish reported caught. Lots of groups came in with zero to one fish per angler for an all day’s effort. Those that were successful report catching fish on small goby looking plastics and pink and gold jigs tipped with waxies.
Chaudoirs: Large piles of ice make access and travel difficult.

NOVEMBER 1, 2020: SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN FISHING REPORT
The 2020 open water creel season has ended for Southern Lake Michigan including Sheboygan, Ozaukee, Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha Counties. Thank you to all those who participated in the survey this year. We look forward to seeing everyone again next spring!

NOVEMBER 1, 2020: NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN FISHING REPORT
The 2020 open water creel season has ended for Northern Lake Michigan including Manitowoc, Kewaunee, and open waters of Door Counties. Thank you to all those who participated in the survey this year. We look forward to seeing everyone again next spring!