Sturgeon Bay
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Sturgeon Bay Fishing Reports
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Reports from all past years within a 60-day time frame
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Pre-Spawn)
Technique
Finesse Hair Jigs
Structure
Boulders
Water Temperature
47°
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Pre-Spawn)
Technique
Hard Jerkbaits
Structure
Rock Pile
Forage
Minnows
Water Temperature
44°
John Reim
Bronze Ambassador
4/30/23
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Pre-Spawn)
Technique
Soft Swimbaits (Sm/Md)
Structure
Boulders
Water Temperature
46°
Group of 10 guys in 4 boats fishing Sturgeon, Little Sturgeon, and Sand Bay area for 4 straight days 4/24-4/28. Smallmouth are scattered, not concentrated in any one area to speak of. Action was slow, however the fish we did manage to catch were absolute toads, fattened up getting ready to spawn. Wind played a key role, as calm conditions did not seem to produce much at all. The hot bait was a 3" Keitech Easy Shiner swim bait on a 1/8 oz jig head. Painfully slow retrieve, just enough to keep from getting hung up on bottom. Small swimbaits produced best, followed by tubes, neds, and hair jigs. Picked up several bonus Walleye while casting for smallies. We ran up North one morning to Egg Harbor, saw some fish, however the water temps up there are still below 40, and the fish were not feeding at all due to the cold water. The week prior temps were in the 70's and down into the 30's and 40's the week we were there. Some steady warmer weather should really lock them in and improve the fishing in the next couple of weeks.
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Spawn)
Technique
Hard Jerkbaits
Structure
Rock Pile
Forage
Minnows
Water Temperature
47°
Tough couple of days in Sturgeon Bay but the bites we got were big. Put a 6lb 6oz Door County mega in the boat! 6th Provoke jerk baits were the deal!
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Spawn)
Technique
Soft Swimbaits (Sm/Md)
Structure
Rock Pile
Forage
Perch
Water Temperature
50°
Pretty typical pre-spawn Sturgeon Bay bite. The big ones were up and biting. Ned rigs with the 3/32oz hail mary ned hed and the 1/8 oz scope tg with the little swimmer were definitely getting the most bites. The ned was getting the bigger bites though worked real slow. Those Rock sand transitions really hold all the big ones this time of year.
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Pre-Spawn)
Technique
Soft Swimbaits (Sm/Md)
Structure
Baitfish
Water Temperature
55°
Casting small swimbaits on isolated pods of fish that are cruising the flats. Great way to put up some numbers in early May when the bottom baits just don’t seem to work like they should.
HotbaitShimano Mastiff FC Fluorocarbon 10lb
Out of Stock
Daiwa Procyon MQ LT Spinning Reel 2500 / 6.2:1
Out of Stock
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Pre-Spawn)
Technique
Tubes
Structure
Rock Pile
Water Temperature
50°
7.4 pound personal bests certainly make it worth it to get out on the water on those cold rainy days in the spring time! The 2 1/2 inch Howie's tube is a proven bait in the Door County peninsula for butterball smallmouth time and time again. When using it be sure to adjust the weight of the tube head to get optimal casting distance because with these tubes, the name of the game is casting them as far as possible over the shallow rocks.
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Pre-Spawn)
Technique
Soft Swimbaits (Sm/Md)
Structure
Boulders
Forage
Minnows
Water Temperature
50°
Prespawn smallmouth have moved up onto the flats and shallow spawning areas in Sturgeon bay/Door county. Fishing small swimbaits and hair jigs near bottom in 2-8 feet of water slowly is one of the best ways to cover these expansive flats and slowing down with a light Howies tube on the sweet spots to help get a few “bonus bites”. Light braid to light leaders for long casts and stealth is necessary to fooling these heavily pressured fish.
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Pre-Spawn)
Technique
Soft Swimbaits (Sm/Md)
Structure
Boulders
Forage
Alewife
Water Temperature
50°
Casting small swim baits around flats and staging areas is a great way to locate groups of smallmouth bass in Sturgeon Bay.
HotbaitMegabass Spark Shad Swimbait Real / 3"
Out of Stock
Shimano Vanford FA Spinning Reel 3000 / 6.4:1
Out of Stock
