Fish Milwaukee Fishing Report 9/13/2006
By Capt. Jim Hirt
Fishing report for Lake Michigan Milwaukee, Wisconsin The four year old Chinooks are coming up the rivers. This year, if it is like most years, the peak of the run is mid September. Good fishing with near shore opportunities for all size boats is now! Look for exciting action on the biggest fish of the year in the warm water outside the break walls, in the harbor gaps and around the harbor. My first choice for tackle is the Vulcan magnum spoon. A close second and third choice are the Nestor Wobblers magnum size and size #4 J-plugs. When the water is clear go with all silver, silver/green, silver/blue. In low light or cloudy stained water, run the glow in the dark spoons. Vulcan and Nestor Wobblers you can get from Badgertackle.com J-plugs you can get anywhere. Downriggers 15 to 30 down are the way to go. Run your corner downriggers at 12 to 22 feet with 60-foot leads and cover the deeper water with the remaining downriggers. The Slide Divers are taking a lot of fish with the large ring set to #2 and 50 foot leads at 37 feet of line out. I used 50-pound Power Pro on all my divers this year and it allowed for better hook sets and deeper running with less problems.
If the two and three year old Chinooks are the way you want to go, look for the temp break to 50-degree water. The wind has been out of the East. When the wind blows east, go deep over 140 feet for fish. Reaper magnum Spoons, J-Plugs and Rotators with blue or green flies are steady producers. I like to run a mix of rotators and spoons. The rotators will attract the fish to your downrigger presentation. As always check the water temperature as the first thing you do. Find the 50-degree water and you will most likely find fish. If you fish at first light, you may find fish in the warm water above the temperature break to 50 degrees. When the water is above 50 degrees from top to bottom, continue to deeper water in search of colder water for two and three year old salmon. Action has been steady and predictable. All presentations are working early in the day. Downriggers are better later in the morning or mid day. Try Slide Divers set to #2 with 65 feet of Power Pro line out or conventional mono divers with 80 to 100 feet of line out for Rainbows. Temperature is the key. Find the break and work above and below it for salmon. If it’s clear and calm, you may have to run long leads of 50-100 feet on the Slide Divers and downriggers. Good Luck!! Jim charters out of Milwaukee, WI. with Blue Max Charters. He can be reached at 414-828-1094 or visit his web site at http://www.bluemaxcharters.com Copyright© 2006, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved