REMEMBER THIS WEEKEND IS FREE FISHING WEEKEND, JUST FOLLOW THE RULES AND LAWS

Outdoor Report

May 31, 2018

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June 2-3 is Free Fun Weekend in Wisconsin, which includes free admission to all Wisconsin State Park System properties. No state park admission stickers or trail passes are required. Many properties take advantage of this weekend to hold special events. Some highlights include Discovery Day at the Pike Lake Unit of the Kettle Moraine, with archery, t-shirt painting, a wildlife show, kayak demos, and more. This event concludes with a grand opening ceremony and dedication of a new outdoor amphitheater featuring live music and guest speakers. On Sunday, Willow River will host Art Along the Willow, featuring more than 40 art and craft vendors, kids activities and concessions. Kohler Andrae and Mirror Lake will host music concerts, and because it is also free fishing weekend, about a dozen fishing clinics and fishing activities will be held across the state, including a live fish aquarium at Peninsula State Park.
Make it a free fun “fit” weekend! There’s no better time to find a fresh and fun way to wellness. Try stand up paddle boarding for the first time, master a new hiking trail, or break out onto a new bike route. The choice is yours!

It's fawning time and does are leaving their newborns hidden for protection. Can you spot the fawn?

Flowers are in bloom as yellow and blue flags, false lily-of-the-valley, forget-me-nots and others boldly display their colors. Fronds are opening into ferns as the surroundings seem to get greener by the day. The woods are also full of newborn wildlife as reports are rolling in describing baby birds, turkey poults and numerous fawns. Wildlife are also grazing in the forests and fields and the banks and shores of area waterbodies are playing host to waterfowl.
Anglers on the Menominee reported success on walleye, crappie, northern pike and bass, as well as a couple musky. On the Oconto were similar reports, with pike, perch and channel catfish being mentioned by those off the boat launch. In Door County anglers are having consistent luck with bass, with many reporting upwards of 20. In Kewaunee, parties reported hitting limits on coho from the ramp and while they haven’t made their way to Manitowoc piers yet, alewife are still around, as is the occasional brown trout.
Anglers targeting chinook and coho near Plymouth are still waiting for the bite to improve, while pressure in Port Washington this past weekend was at peak. Daily limits were reached consistently, with rainbow trout, coho and chinook all landed in abundance. A similar story was reported from the McKinley Ramp in Milwaukee County, with numerous limits reached for salmon, although more sporadic success for trout despite some sightings of small schools of young swimming near the surface.
Weather looks to be sunny, with chances of thunderstorms for pieces of the state this weekend, and the temperature has eased off a little bit. All in all, it’s looking like an excellent weekend to get out into Wisconsin’s outdoors!