Sheboygan Wisconsin Charter Fishing
Reports
Provided by Captain James Schlegel of Sea Dog Sportfishing
Charters of Sheboygan, with contributing reports from other area anglers.
|
|
2012 Fishing Reports
SHEBOYGAN CHARTER FISHING REPORT - by Captain James Schlegel, May 8, 2012
The 2011 Wisconsin DNR charter fishing harvest report was just released. Sheboygan charters caught 18,269 fish during the 2011 fishing season on 2028 trips. That's an average of 9 fish per trip and a 10% increase from the previous year. That’s a very respectable catch rate, with the majority of those fish being good sized salmon. In addition, 4 of the 5 big fish entered in the local “Big Fish Board” contest also beat the prior year’s entries which include a chinook salmon weighing almost 32 pounds. The 2011 fishing season was considered very successful by all measures. The Sheboygan charter fishing season is now just getting underway and all indications look promising for another record setting season. We had one of our best seasons ever, with an increase in bookings as well as a substantial increase in fish harvest. Sheboygan is still one of the best ports in Wisconsin for Lake Michigan charter fishing. This should not be a surprise considering how busy the port was with fishermen all season long. For many years I've provided a detailed report of the area's charter harvest to the local fishing club for review. I am again pleased to be able to submit a report that verifies a healthy and productive sport fishery. The Lake Michigan salmon fishing here in Sheboygan is still a Great Lakes success story and the envy of most sport fisheries in the world. Over the past 29 years as a Sheboygan fishing guide, it's been my pleasure to meet and visit with the thousands of fishing visitors to our area and wish all a very successful fishing season.
MAY 8, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
Well the boat is back in the water and the 2012 fishing season is underway. We fished this morning just south of the commercial fishing nets in 60 to 100 feet of water. Went 11 for 12 catching everything but a brown trout. The warmer cloudy water was as far out as 2 miles offshore. We decided to set up and fish the clear colder water. Our bigger kings were caught on a dodger fly combo set 60 feet deep on a downrigger. We also had some good luck catching several fish on a silver/green rattlesnake on 5 color lead trolled behind planner boards. This coming up Tuesday May 15th is our annual "Ride a Charter Boat Day" sponsored by the Sheboygan Area Great Lakes Sport Fishermen's club. Free boat rides will be provided by area charter boat captains starting at 6:00 pm along the boardwalk. Also present will be the Sheboygan Coast Guard and area commercial fishermen. Feel free to stop by and visit with our club membership, enjoy a few salmon recipes and enter our all new "Big Fish Challenge" fishing contest for your chance to win $500 in cash this summer.
View a short video of our fishing trip
MAY 14, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
Fished this morning near the commercial fishing nets in 80 to 130 feet of water. Went 11 for about 16 catching everything but a brown trout. Slow start to begin with, catching only 1 lake trout the first hour fishing in 80 to 100 feet between the nets. We moved out a little deeper and the action started. Had our best luck on the wire divers running the rotating dodger and flies. Also had some success with the downriggers and our high divers on a variety of green/glow Pro-Kings. I’ll be on the riverfront Tuesday May 15, 2012 at 6:00 pm for the annual "Ride a Charter Boat Day" sponsored by the Sheboygan Area Great Lakes Sport Fishermen club. Free boat rides, refreshments and salmon recipes.
View a short video of our fishing trip
MAY 16, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
More of the same fast action salmon fishing out of the port of Sheboygan. This is the hottest spot on Lake Michigan right now. Fished this morning south of town in 100 to 150 feet of water. Caught our 4 person limit catching a lake trout, 2 rainbows and the rest all chinook salmon. Caught fish on everything we threw at them.. This is by far, the best start to the fishing season I've witnessed in years. Magnum spoons set on downriggers at 100 feet deep were hot.
View a short video of our fishing trip
MAY 18, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
More of the same wicked salmon fishing. Fished just outside the lighthouse this morning. Caught our 2 person limit of all chinook salmon in just a few hours using all spoons. Started our trip with a triple and landing all three. Water temperature was 47 degrees and huge schools of bait fish were everywhere. Caught some of the larger king salmon of the year.
MAY 20, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
It sound like a broken record, but the fishing here in Sheboygan is simply the best. We were busy all weekend long and fished the harbor to 130 feet of water. Around the harbor we used all spoons, with our best luck on Pro-Kings. Out in the deeper water a variety of rotating dodgers and flies did most of the damage. Many doubles and triples were the norm and several limit catch trips. We caught mostly chinook salmon, but also a few cohos and rainbow trout. With all the boats on the water this weekend it seemed like mid summer fishing with nets flying in all directions. Water temperatures are still in the mid to upper 40's and huge schools of baitfish are all in and around the Sheboygan River. The pier fishermen are also having some success. I'm hoping this pattern continues all summer long, because it's sure been a lot of fun so far.
MAY 22, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
Fished the past couple of days in depths from 100 to 200 feet of water just south of town. Now were starting to catch a few more cohos along with the kings and rainbows. We are catching fish from the surface to 120 feet deep on downriggers. Still no real fishing patterns since the water is still cold and in the forties. The fish seem to be comfortable at all depth ranges. We have our best luck just trying to cover as much of the water column as we can. White dodgers and flies have produced fish consistently as have a variety of Pro-Kings.
View a short video of our fishing trip
MAY 26, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
Fished the past several days in depths from 120 to 160 feet of water straight out of the harbor. Had many limit catches while landing all Great Lakes species every day except for the elusive brown trout. We were able to land a number of larger kings weighing in the upper teens. Water temperature is still cold in the forties and the fish are still scattered all over the water column. We are catching fish from the surface to 120 feet deep on downriggers and wire diver set ups. A variety of green and white rotating flashers and flies have produced most of the fish down deeper. Some spoons such as rattlesnakes, hooksters and pro-kings worked well on our lead core set-ups and shallow divers. This has been by far my best start to the fishing season, as well as the most consistent fishing in many years.
View a short video of our fishing trip
JUNE 3, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
Fished the past few days with similar results. We have been fishing in depths from 70 to 120 feet of water straight out of the harbor. Worked between the commercial fishing nets where we marked plenty of bait fish and caught a variety of fish. Caught almost all 5 Great Lakes species every trip. Had some luck catching rainbows on the surface using old school rattlesnakes and wingbats trolled behind planner boards. Caught our kings on dodger/flies on downriggers set 50 to 80 feet down. Water temperatures are still in the upper forties.
View a short video of our fishing trip
JUNE 12, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
Still great fishing here in Sheboygan. We are now catching a variety of fish from Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Rainbow Trout and Lake Trout. We have been fishing in depths from 60 to 100 feet of water just south of the commercial fishing nets. Colder water moved in and the fish are now closer to shore.
JUNE 17, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
Fished north of town this morning in 50 to 60 feet of water. Had plenty of action on fathers day with a repeat group treating there dad to some outstanding fishing. The fish were very slippery today as we only landed about half of what we had hooked. Dad lost every fish he had on the line, but enjoyed the day being the target of all the jokes from his kids. The great fishing here in Sheboygan continues as we still managed to land 9 kings, 2 cohos and 2 rainbows. It was my pleasure to again to share this fantastic fishery with this group every year.
JUNE 20, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
The cold water has now been pushed to the shoreline and the salmon are in close. This has always been my favorite way to fish salmon. No copper, wire, lead, or 300 feet of line needed. Shallow water salmon fishing with minimum monofilament line is where the action is. Just head out of the harbor and drop a few lines.
View a short video of our fishing trip
JUNE 23, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
The great fishing here in Sheboygan continues. Fished the past few days near the Hetty Taylor ship wreck south of town in 90 to 120 feet of water. We've been consistently catching all Great Lakes species in the cold water all along the Sheboygan shoreline. Limit catches are now caught on almost a daily basis. Deeper downriggers and divers have been taking the majority of our salmon. Trolling rattlesnakes and wingbats behind planner boards near the surface are producing the rainbows and cohos. This is the best start to any fishing season I've ever experienced.
JULY 11, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
Despite the warmer surface water moving to our shoreline, the great fishing here continues. Fished the past few days in 80 to 140 foot of water. We are still catching a variety of fish including the larger chinook salmon, rainbow trout, coho salmon and lake trout. Fishing deeper with dodger and flies are taking the salmon and weighted planner boards are hooking the rainbow trout. Pictured is this mornings catch.
JULY 25, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
Continued east winds over the past few weeks are keeping our fish down deep. We have been fishing in 80 to 120 feet of water using downriggers and deep divers. The large rotating dodgers and flies in white and green have been producing most of our fish. Fished today straight out of the harbor with non-stop action. Caught 11 salmon and one rainbow trout. We are now catching the larger chinook salmon. This has been the best fishing season to date with consistent fishing all day long. Now is the time to get out on Lake Michigan to enjoy our natural air conditioning and catch some big salmon.
JULY 29, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
More crazy mid day fishing action. Non stop action all afternoon fishing in 80 to 90 feet of water just south of the harbor. This was Andy's second fishing trip with us this year with his grandchildren. Best action was on downriggers using the rotating dodgers and flies set deep. Caught all chinook salmon and one rainbow trout.
AUGUST 1, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
Well, we might as well start the month off right. After an unbelievable season all ready, we had insane fishing this morning catching 20 chinook salmon in just one hour. Every rod on the boat took off at least once and doubles and triples were common. Fished in 80 feet of water just south of the harbor. Surface water temperature was 69 degrees and the downrigger balls felt cold set at 60 and 70 feet deep. This is by far the best start to any fishing season I ever witnessed here in Sheboygan.
AUGUST 7, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
Same old story, caught our 2 person limit in just an hour this morning. Set up in 80 feet of water and trolled north. Caught every species but a brown trout. We have been using a variety of dodgers and flies on the downriggers, wire divers and deep divers. I custom make my own colors using tape purchased at the Wharf. I prefer the white and green dodgers with some UV tape, and surprise my first mates every day. We have been catching our limit of fish daily now and fishing could not be any better. Fishing remains hot just in time for the Coho Derby scheduled for this weekend. Purchase your derby tickets now and plan on stopping by to view the fish on display and enjoy a Sheboygan brat sandwich and beer!
AUGUST 13, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
Despite the warmer surface water along our shoreline, the great fishing here in Sheboygan continues. We had double digit catches all day long. Fished today in 120 to 150 foot of water just south of the harbor. Had some good fast paced fishing action with several doubles and triples. Fishing deeper with dodger and flies using downriggers and wire divers have caught most of our fish today. Trolling planner boards with 2 color leadcores are hooking a few rainbow trout. Pictured is this afternoons catch.
AUGUST 21, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
The fantastic fishing continues here in Sheboygan. Caught our 2 person limit in less then an hour and a half this morning. All three trips went well today catching mainly the larger chinook salmon. We started in 100 feet of water and just trolled east. Our best action was on downriggers set deep using a variety of rotating dodgers and flies. We also had some good action on our wire divers and copper line rigs. The surface water temperature remains warm and the fish are being hooked from 50 to 120 foot deep were the water is still cold. Make sure to register your big fish in the Sheboygan Area Great Lakes Sport Fishing club contest for your chance to win the cash prize of $500 this season.
AUGUST 27, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
The recent winds have cooled down our shoreline water and brought the fish in closer to shore. Had a blast fishing the harbor area this morning with a couple from Minnesota. We caught all chinook salmon and 1 brown trout. It was their first visit to the area and couldn't believe the action with our near shore sport fishery. We used a variety of plugs as well as some standard size pro-kings trolling back and forth in front of the light house. Water temperature today was in the mid fifties..
AUGUST 30, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
I fished the harbor area all week long from sunrise to sunset. The Sheboygan salmon fishing has gone from good, to great, to just plain insane. The cold water close to shore has brought all the larger salmon right to our doorstep in front of the harbor. It's been a feeding frenzy all day long. I think I've witnessed every type of reeling method imaginable and it's been a blast. Our best action was during the mid day trip when we had as many as five fish on at once. The water temperature is in the low fifties and it really does not matter what baits you are running. We had fish bite on every rod we ran in the water. I have been running mostly a variety of plugs and the larger magnum spoons when fishing this area. Be aware that the harbor area can be congested at times as everyone is fishing the same resource. During this full moon cycle the action can be just as productive fishing during the middle of the day.
SEPTEMBER 10, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
I fished the harbor area now for days and we are still catching the bigger chinook salmon. Went 8 for about 15 this morning trolling the gap. The water temperature has again warmed up along our shoreline, but the larger salmon are still here in good numbers. We have had some good action using a variety of plugs trolled on diver rods and planner boards. There has also been plenty of bait fish in and around the harbor keeping the salmon close to shore for all area anglers to enjoy.
View a short video of our fishing trip
SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
The unbelievable fishing continues here in Sheboygan. I am still fishing the harbor area where the larger king salmon are staging for their fall migration up the river. The early morning bite has been like feeding time at the zoo particularly with the current clear water conditions. The past couple of days every rod on the boat has taken off even with the heavy boat traffic. I have been running all plugs on every rod, mostly green and glows. Once the sun comes up we have to work a little harder for a bite. This is my favorite time of year catching big fish on light tackle close to shore.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
Here we go again. Fast paced salmon fishing around the Sheboygan harbor. Cooler water moved into shallow water and the fish moved in with it. All plugs this morning on all our rods. This is by far the best salmon fishing here in Sheboygan in years. Had all kinds of fun catching 16 big kings with a local group from Sheboygan.
View a short video of our fishing trip
SEPTEMBER 17, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
Non-stop action during our afternoon trip today with some return guests visiting from Florida. The water temperature cooled down and the fish moved in shallow. Used all plugs today on every rod in the water. It may sound like a broken record, but what else is there to say. This years salmon fishing here in Sheboygan doesn't get any better.
OCTOBER 3, 2012 - Captain James Schlegel
Fished offshore the past few days in 100 to 140 feet of water just south of the harbor. Caught a good variety of fish using dodger and flies on deeper downriggers and deep divers. Caught our 2 person limit this morning.
View a short video of our fishing trip
Or call 920-918-2628 for reservations
Sea Dog Sportfishing Charters Home Page
