Vander Logt Outdoors: SPORT FISHING REPORT FOR MAY 23, 2018

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Manitowoc Ramp – Water temperatures have stayed steady over the past week. The water temp ranges from 43 to 47 degrees depending on depth. In 130 feet of water the temp is 39. A few fish have been caught, with some of the success happening around the 60-80 feet of water mark.
Manitowoc Harbor & Piers – The pier fishing for trout has decreased and is hard to come by. The number of anglers fishing has decreased compared to last week. In addition, a few catfish have been caught along the south pier on spawn sacs. Fishing pressure in the harbors have been low in the last week. Anglers trying for bass have had no luck. A few sheepshead have been caught.
Two Rivers Ramp – Anglers who have gone out on the Lake haven’t had any success. Water temperatures are 43 to 47 degrees near shore. The further out you go the cooler the temps are. The parking lot at Vets Park is paved finally. The fish cleaning station is also opened and operational.
Two Rivers Harbor & Piers – The anglers who have ventured out to fish the Piers did not have any success this past week. The few anglers that were found fishing within the harbor had decent success this week catching bullheads. A catfish was mixed in here and there but most of fish that were caught were bullheads.

Kewaunee Ramp – Low fishing pressure was had mid-week with very little wind and still water. A few trailers were out with a little luck on brown trout. Saturday rains kept folks in.
Kewaunee Shore & Piers – Very few anglers are out. Water temperatures are still warming and should be better for casting from the shore or piers in another week to two weeks.
Algoma Ramp – A couple trailers were out mid-week. The lake has completely cleared out from storm debris. Very good visibility was had and a slight wind.
Algoma Shoreline and Pier – Small amount of wind mid and late week. One brown trout hit.

Rowelys Bay bass action has remained consistent with anglers catching and releasing 20+ fish per trip depending on conditions. Wind direction is a major factor as a south east wind can blow water in directly from the lake making boating conditions rough and the water murky. No fishing pressure out of Gills Rock yet. No word on any brown trout or salmon action north of Sturgeon Bay. Shore fishermen have been catching pike in the Baileys Harbor Marina but fishing pressure has been very light.

The two days that were surveyed few Walleyes were harvested due to the cool water temperatures and windy conditions. Those that were catching walleyes were harvesting keepers and were finding them in pockets of warm water at the mouth of the bay. Few were harvested while jigging. While on the Fox river near Voyager park, boaters and shore anglers reported catching white bass, carp and a few catfish.

Duck Creek up to Geano’s Beach – The two days that were surveyed few Walleyes were harvested due to the cool water temperatures and windy conditions. Those very few fish were harvested believed to be due to the cool water temperatures from the cold front. The only other species that were reported being caught was a few freshwater drums and northern pike. Shore anglers fishing at Suamico were unsuccessful. Longtail, Duck Creek and Geanos Beach locations only had a few anglers observed but no interviews were taken.

Brown County - The walleye bite at Bayshore has been consistent the previous week. Many of the boats interviewed caught close to their limit worth of fish for a day spent on the water. Harvested fish had lengths from the mid teens to low twenties. Anglers found success on both flicker shad/minnow. While out anglers also caught the occasional northern pike. The lot was over 75% full over the weekend.
Door County – Fishing action slowed down at the end of last week with the cold front but smallmouth action is slowly getting better. There are no reports of bass on beds north of Sturgeon Bay yet but anglers are catching them in many areas as they move up into shallow water. Bass can be seen around most marinas and have been caught on small jigs, worms and minnows. The occasional pike has also been caught. No word on any walleye or perch. Angler pressure and tourist activity will increase as we move toward Memorial Day weekend but has been very low up to this point.

The spring Sturgeon Bay Open Bass Tournament brought many competitors from the Winnebago area, as well as Illinois and Michigan. It was windy for most of the weekend, however tournament anglers still were able to find the fish. Tournament pressure was heaviest from just south of the Stone Quarry Ramp up toward Egg Harbor.
Little Sturgeon - Bass fishing has started to heat up with some anglers report fish moving to beds in the shallow bays. Reported catch was from 10 to 50 fish for 5+ hours out on the water. During the week the lot averaged 10-12 trailers in it by lunch time. During the weekend it was full but that was primarily due to the bass tournament. A few walleye anglers were out but no one interviewed landed a fish. While out anglers also caught the occasional northern pike.
Sawyer Harbor - Similar trends compared to Little Sturgeon. Bass fishing is becoming more consistent as the water warms and as more fish move to their beds. Anglers reported catching 10-40 fish for half a day out on the water. Walleye anglers have moved on to other launches as none were seen during interviews at Sawyer Harbor. The parking lot averaged a dozen trailers in it around noon throughout the whole week.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018