Door Peninsula Fishing Report: October 2014

October brought in foul weather with infamous winds off Lakes Michigan and Superior which affected the wind down of the 2014 fishing season. This month you will see the boats docked at marinas begin to dwindle as their owners stow them for the winter season. Fall colors have begun its annual display in the abundant forests of Door Peninsula and Washington Island. It's time to winterize your boat.
One Door Peninsula annual visitor wrote an article of his fall visit being a family tradition, which this year included his six-year-old daughter with her assessment through a child's eyes. 

Anglers have reported a fairly consistent action with Musky, the most successful baits are still the artificial baits; but some anglers have made catches with large suckers. Most Musky catches have been between 34 to 40-inches, with an unsubstantiated report of a 46-inch Musky caught last week.

Water levels have dropped a little on some rivers, despite the heavy rainfall accompanying foul weather and sturgeon anglers have caught an average of 40 to 54-inch sizes, with a couple of 60-inch catches.

Lake Michigan tributary fall trout and salmon runs begun in September has action on Door Peninsula tributaries, as well as northward up the Kewaunee, Manitowac, Sheboygan, Root rivers as well as Sauk Creek. 105 Steelhead were caught with a mixed bag of chinook and coho salmon, as well as brown and rainbow trout.

Brook trout bites have picked up in central Wisconsin streams, where water levels remain at optimum levels. The general inland season closed on September 30^th.

Cooler mornings have started the white-tail buck season, active despite some warm days. Archers have registered some decent bucks last week.

Local fishing reports reveal that smallmouth bass opportunities remain good.

Chinook salmon have been caught at the tip of the peninsula (Gills Rock) in 100 to 200 feet of water using spoons and flasher flies. Bites have been best in early morning or late evening.

Anglers fishing the piers from Egg Harbor to Sister Bay have had general success using worms to catch smallmouth. Boat anglers have had success for Bass at different depths using tubes, drop-shots, and crank baits. Sawyer Bay remains to be clear, but the recent north winds has begun to stir the water.

Sturgeon Bay anglers have had success catching smallmouth bass and northern pike using various artificial lures as well as worms at varied depths.

Anglers have been using the canal to catch salmon from the shore and boats as the spawning season continues. Once again, best results were early morning and late evening. One boat reported 19 perch caught until a cloud of turbid water entered their fishing spot. The average size of caught perch were 7 inches, with the largest being 9 inches.

Summer on the Peninsula

Kayaking has become a popular thing off the shorelines of the Peninsula and Washington Island. Some bass fisherman have begun to use kayaks as their means to fish from. Soon all will be covered with snow and ice, which makes way for the ice fisherman with their fishing shacks and tents dotting the frozen shoreline. Kayaking provides 'therapy' as one soldier once said when canoeing/kayaking the Missouri River in Kansas when I was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas. It provides physical therapy in paddling and fishing and mental therapy, relaxing amidst nature and the mental peace of angling.