Root River Fishing Report : 9/27/2010

An email rolled into my inbox today from someone who I've had the pleasure of talking to a couple of times through emails this year, who I hope to fish with this fall.  He's been making some sly moves on the Root River and you can find some gems of information in his blog.  Fish, though you may have to hike, climb, and search for them, are to be found in the Root River contrary to popular belief.

A great shot of a chrome Steelhead he picked out from between a King Salmon and a Brown Trout last week, you can see the fly in the mouth if you look very closely.

I'd recomend you have a look at his blog if you plan on hitting the South Eastern Wisconsin tributaries soon.

South-Eastern Wisconsin Steelhead Fishing Report : 03/21/2010

The Steelhead fishing has never been better in Southeastern Wisconsin if you are familiar with its water and know how to get away from crowds and fish a variety of water.

This past Sunday two friends and I made it out to a spot few make it to and managed to land 16 steelhead in under 3 hours. All were landed on flies, spawn sacs, and hair jigs. Fast water held steelhead that I plucked with a variety of flies swung swiftly through the minefield of fish. My friends pulled some wild fish out the slower moving tailouts with spawn and hair jigs.

I have never had such an action packed morning Steelhead fishing in my life. It is the kind of fishing everyone dreams of and when it comes you can barely stop smiling for a second. Fish ranged from 5-12 pounds and more males were caught than females, but only my a small margin. All but two of the females we caught had already spawned but were still very bright.

This is a good learning tool, above pictured are two Steelhead of almost exactly the same size, the top male and the bottom female. You will notice the male has a longer mouth, which extends much past the eye, while the females mouth is smaller. The male has the double red stripe, which develops deep into spawning. Males generally have larger heads, some develope a kype, or hooked jaw, you will notice the length of the gill plate is greater than that of the female.

Here is Mike with a larger male of the day.

We had multiple times during the morning in which we had two anglers hooked at the same time, we even landed a couple doubles and photo opportunities presented themselves! We took care to keep the Steelhead in the water at all times, even when unhooking and only lift them for a photo or two. All 16 fish were released.

Double steel next to my wonderful fly rod.

More double trouble.

All told we lost count of lost fish but I was broken off three times and had two more shake my hook. The action was non-stop and the fish were in the mood to pounce. At first light I made my first drift and watched a steelhead shoot up 3 feet to meet my fly and smash it, I missed that first hook set, but it got my adrenaline pumping so 5 minutes later I certainly hit my second.

We had three holes to share between the 3 of us and a 4th and 5th were downstream just about a quarter mile. It made for great rotation, hook up a few times, sit out for a minute and change places and start fishing again. A great way to share the water.

The male fish were certainly more aggressive and would charge streamers and jigs, females weren't shy, but would do little to meet you half way, casts needed to be landed with precision and depth perception while stripping the fly to their strike zone was crucial.

Get out if you can. There are fish to be taken from Sheboygan all the way to the state line and you'll be sorry if this season passes without getting your hands on some Lake Michigan Steel.

Wisconsin Tributaries Stabilizing, Expect Steelhead Soon

With a week of warm weather dumping thousands of gallons of water into the tributaries of Lake Michigan the flows have skyrocketed and water temperatures have warmed up.

This influx of water should directly correlate to numbers of fish pushing their way up from lake Michigan deep upstream.

Flows seem to have topped out and hopefully will recede over the next 5 days or so, when the flows get back down under 300 cubic feet per second and conditions have some stability we will be able to get out there and dance with Steelhead in some of the best river fishing of the year.

Keep checking in for more forecasts and conditions, I'll do my best to keep you updated.

Root River Steelhead Report : Early March 2010

Finally, it is here. I got up to Racine and onto the Root by sunrise this past Sunday to do a little breaking in of my new St. Croix 8 weight accompanied by my Hatch 7+. This morning was fruitful in sun, scenery, and isolation on the water. I did not manage to tango with any Steelhead though. I think I may have been too ambitious as I got after some deep runs that I hoped would be holding early steelhead jockying for position on the beds just upstream. I should have stuck to slow drifting through the deepest of holes... but that just isn't my style.

Photographs are forthcoming but I'm on lunch at work at the moment and don't have the files here.

I took a ride to a spot downstream where I met some friends to do some ice fishing on the deep slow areas of the river directly preceding the harbor. The action was steady, although landed fish were few. Here is a photo of Keith and I with the first Steelhead of the season from the Root River. Thanks to Dan for the photo from his cell phone we snapped just before releasing this chrome male Steelhead.


Steelhead are staging in Lake Michigan and in Harbors directly below our tributaries now. We should expect to see substantial pushes of fish into the systems over the next week as air temps flirt with fifty all week and ice thins as meltoff exudes from the banks. Next weekend is a good bet for getting your first river Steelhead of the year.

The Chicago Trout Bum on This Weekend's Steelhead Forecast

I say the fishing should be good this weekend, but the Chicago Trout Bum tells you why:

"Swinging streamers continues to be a productive method though fish in deeper pools behind large sections of shallow spawning gravel are keying in on eggs. Pink, chartreuse and orange egg patterns have all been producing but be sure you are fishing them at a proper depth."

Take a look at his full report here.

Additionally he sells some great Steelhead flies there that he ties himself, when it comes to hand tied flies, he's accomplished!

South-Eastern Wisconsin Steelhead Forecast : 11/19/2009

It's that time of year again, white knuckles, rosy cheeks, numbing feet in waders, frozen guides on the fishing rod... It can only mean one thing. It's steelhead time.

Things are looking good.

The image above shows exactly what you want to see if you are a steelheader who is confined to the weekends to chase these silver trout.

All the South-Eastern Wisconsin Tributaries are looking great for your weekend. The colder it gets, the less pressure there is on the fish, and the better your chances of hooking up. It is vastly different from King Salmon fishing during the fall.

Take a look at the Chicago Trout Bum, he has some great reports from his recent trips to swing flies and drift egg patterns in Wisconsin rivers. Looks like both Lake Michigan run Brown Trout and big Steelhead are looking promising this weekend.

Milwaukee Area River Fishing Report : 10/29/2009

The Milwaukee River and Root River remain high from saturating rains. We have had rain almost 2/3 days this month and there are no signs of the weather letting up. In fact severe thunder storms are expected this evening.

Tonight and tomorrow's storms are on the way.

Oak Creek and the Pike River remain the best Salmon and Trout fishing options at this time. Remember that smaller water sheds mean a fast spike in flow, followed by a fast withdrawal.

The King Salmon run is drawing to a close, but Coho are showing up in these rivers in small force and Brown Trout as well as a fleet of Rainbow Trout are on their way into the rivers as well. These fish are hard fighting, high flying lake run mammoths that are a blast on the fly or float rod.

Get out there and get them, rain or shine.

See ya out there.

Kenosha Area Salmon Fishing Report : October 2009

Kenosha Harbor : Kings are being caught nearly every night and morning on crank baits and glow spoons.

Pike River : the Pike River has a considerable amount of fish in it, but high pressure on the fish have made them tricky to successfully hook.

Racine Harbor : There are few reports to have come out of the harbor recently, but with fish in the harbor, hitting it on a good day could pay dividends in hard fighting salmon.

Root River : The root is fairly full of King Salmon and a few Steelhead. Fish have been passed upstream of the weir via opening the dam. Coho and Steelhead are mixed in with a full run of Chinook. Egg sucking leeches and yarn flies remain top producers.

Steelhead on the Root River : Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine

I found a great article in an old WDNR Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine from April 1997.

Have a read:

Fly-fishing for steelhead

Most steelheaders use fly rods to pursue rainbows in medium or fast water. Load the fly reel with 100 yards of fly line backing (20-30 pound test dacron line) then 100-200 yards of six- to 10-pound monofilament line. Fly line is rarely used because you are typically casting only 10 to 20 feet of line upstream and drifting through runs and rapids. Rainbows prefer to lie in current breaks near fast water.

The fly rods we see anglers using for steelheading are nine- to 10-feet long and usually seven, eight or nine weight. Remember, fishing the Root might yield a 20-pound trophy fish and the odds of landing such a huge fish are greatly increased if you have a stout rod. Also consider a fly reel with a disk drag and multiple retrieve. These reels can be pricey. An affordable favorite I've seen on many rigs of experienced steelheaders is the Martin, Model 72R. The disk drag will allow you to play a large fish with one hand while freeing up the other to help you keep your balance and wade downstream.

For tackle, try yarn, egg imitation flies, spawn and various streamers, nymphs and wet flies. We like to drift a homemade yarn fly, a piece of colored yarn tied to a size 4 or 6 steelhead hook. Varying amounts of split shot are added to make sure the yarn fly drifts through the run near the bottom, in the zone where the steelhead lie.

As a general rule, fish yarn early in the season and when sight-fishing for trout near their spawning beds. I prefer brightly colored yarn unless the water is very clear, which is rare for the Root. Productive colors included chartreuse, orange and hot pink. You can combine one of these bright colors with a softer color in infinite combinations. I pre-cut one-inch pieces of several yarn colors and compose new flies as I go. Some folks use a vise and pre-tie the yarn on the hook shank. I use a snell knot and slip the yarn through the loop as I fish to find combinations that produce strikes.

Popular flies for steelhead include Woolie Buggers, stone fly patterns, mudler minnows and Woolie Worms among others. Local patterns vary, but I've learned that darker patterns work well on the Root. Fish nymphs, streamers and wet flies later in the spawning run, in deeper pools and especially after the suckers enter the river. Suckers will dominate your catch when fishing yarn once they move into the river.

Whatever your methods, you're bound to have action if you can find fish in the river and you are persistent. The Root River and other Lake Michigan tributaries offer wonderful opportunities to teach kids the thrill and satisfaction of hooking, playing and landing a silvery, magnificent steelhead.

How to Tie a Yarn Fly : A Root River Classic

From the WDNR's website.

These can take early season Steelhead, fished by adding weight and swinging through the very bottom of a fast bend in the river or when Steelhead are bedding. I know a fellow who landed a Brown Trout on the Root river that topped the scales at 30 pounds. Impressive.

South-Eastern Wisconsin Salmon Report : September 27th 2009

Sheboygan : Chinook Salmon and Steelhead have entered the river and can be found in some numbers in the lower sections.

Milwaukee River : Nearing a prime state of fresh fish entering the river, and not a whole lot of angler pressure. Next weekend looks promising after low pressure, west winds, and recent rain.

Grant Park : Oak Creek : Fish can be found in very small numbers and are holding only in the deepest of the holes, more water will greatly improve fishing if we get some rain this week. Fish that are in the river now are still silver though and should be very good eating.

Root River : Salmon are trickling in, cover ground, work deep holes and you might find yourself with a lively King Salmon with your hook in it's mouth.

Pike River : Reports from friends say there are a few fish in the very lowest sections of the river, it may be worth fishing by next weekend, I'd be hesitant to try it if more rain doesn't get the flow up. Casting from shore may be a better option at it's mouth.

Waukegan, IL : Some trout have been caught recently from the South Rocks and from Government Pier. Action is still spotty.

User submitted photograph of a King Salmon caught this weekend. Way to go Keith!

Wisconsin Salmon Fishing Report : Late September

Finally, the rain has started to fall. Last night we got a better than forecasted downpour of rain. This new flow of cool water out of South-Eastern Wisconsin tributaries will push staging salmon up the rivers.

Salmon feed heavily the first 8-12 hours they enter rivers so directly after rain the lower sections of the Root, Pike, Oak, Milwaukee, and Menominee rivers are sure bets for fresh from the lake Salmon.

Drifting spawn, casting spinners, spoons, and crank baits in deeper pools will all take Salmon in these stretches.

If you can find a spot where a river empties onto a beach instead of into a harbor that would be a perfect location to surf fish for staging salmon. My friend Keith landed this nice little 4 pound King from a beach in Wisconsin just this weekend. Way to go Keith!

This should be the whistle that starts the yearly salmon run. The next 5 or 6 weeks should sport rivers bulging with fresh (followed by not so fresh) King Salmon. They will fight their way upstream until they find a suitable spot to spawn (or hit a dead end) they will then spawn and pass away.

I'm planning a great trip to Kenosha and on up to Milwaukee this weekend. There will be photographs and stories here. Thanks for reading and if you are able to get out and fish in the southern harbors tonight, I would highly suggest it.

See ya out there!

-Tom Harris

South-Eastern Wisconsin River (Salmon) Fishing Report : Low Flow

Grim news for anglers across Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. The rivers have all but dried up this fall. Southeastern Wisconsin on around the tip of Lake Michigan into the state of Michigan are finding their favorite fall Salmon rivers barely trickling.

The Root River, in Racine Wisconsin, which normally sports one of the healthiest runs of salmon around is barely moving at just 5 cubic feet per second.

Oak Creek, which is one of my favorite streams to fish for migratory Salmonids has also just about stopped moving. It's putting along at 2 cubic feet per second.

My original home turf, the Milwaukee river, which I like to fish late in the run at 120-140 cubic feet per second is running right now at about 100 cf/s. This river needs a bump up to around 200 cf/s for a bit to really get the King Salmon cruising up the rapids.

Letting you all in on some little secrets, my favorite stretch of the Milwaukee river to fish (both with spinners and while fly fishing) is the water north from the Locust Street bridge on up into the lower rapids of Estabrook Park. I like staying away from the areas further North at Kletzch Park.

Your best bet may be throwing glow spoons at fresh King Salmon at night, and fishing for the elusive and nocturnal Brown Trout in any of the Harbors that these rivers and creeks enter into.

I'm going to do my best to get out this weekend and find something biting. If I do, you'll be the first to know.

Glad to be back in Chicago and out of Orlando, FL...

-Tom Harris