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Current West Central Wisconsin-Baldwin-La Crosse-Crawford County-Eau Claire-Wisconsin Rapids Fishing Reports- Click Here

Fishing Reports - Baldwin-La Crosse-Crawford County-Eau Claire-Wisconsin Rapids
West Central Wisconsin Fishing Reports - Click Here to sponsor this report.
WI DNR
July 17, 2008

La Crosse-Warmer water temperatures, dropping water levels and the mayfly hatch on the Mississippi river, pool 8 in the La Crosse area has changed where the fish are and how they are biting. Bluegills and other fish have moved to summer areas often in light current, on wing dams and rocky areas. Anglers were getting nice size bluegill right off Riverside and Pettibone parks in downtown La Crosse. Many of the bass and walleye have also moved to areas with more flow due to warmer waters. The spillways at Onalaska and French Island are producing crappie, bluegill, bass and a variety of fish species. Night fishing for flathead catfish is heating up with anglers often trying areas near deep cut banks and or snags. Blackberry plants are setting their fruits, and it looks like the upcoming blackberry crop will be above average. Look for blackberries to begin ripening in about a month. Blackberries are common along roadsides, field borders, fencerows, and forest openings. Blackberries are of great importance to a wide range of wildlife for food and cover. Two reasons for the importance of blackberries are their widespread occurrence and palatability. In excess of 100 bird species eat blackberries, including such species as the ruffed grouse, robin, catbird, cardinal, and brown thrasher. Raccoons, chipmunks, squirrels, and black bears are fond of blackberry fruits, while deer and rabbits consume the leaves and stems. Thorny blackberry brambles provide ideal cover and security for many types of small mammals, birds, and reptiles. Cedar waxwings, pewees, nighthawks, and whip-poor-wills have been very active lately, feeding heavily on flying insects.

Mississippi River - Several hundred white pelicans have again decided to spend the summer near La Crosse. They can often be seen herding schools of fish, their usual feeding strategy, or soaring gracefully along the bluffs. Pelicans feed mostly on fish that occur in large schools near the surface, like gizzard shad. Cats and dogs should always be kept under control, but it is especially important when young, vulnerable wildlife is around.

Perrot State Park - All the trails are in good condition. Fishing is very slow and the water level is normal. Summer wild flowers are dominating the park now. The prairie flowers are really starting to blaze and butterfly weed is the star of the show right now! Canoe and kayak rentals are available at Headquarters and Trempealeau Bay is a terrific place to beat the heat.

Great River State Trail - The trail is open and in good condition. Enjoy the unique character of remnant prairie habitat along the old railway beds as the prairie flowers really show off their stuff.

Buffalo River State Trail - ATVs are allowed year around on the Buffalo River Trail. Grading has begun on the trail. New surfacing will be laid down between Eleva and Strum - sections may be posted as Closed as needed. Check with counties for their trail conditions and opening dates.

Crawford County - Scattered but strong storms entered the area this past week dumping a substantial amount of water in some areas. The Mississippi River was down close to 8 feet earlier in the week but rose after the rain. The current stage in the Prairie du Chien/Mc Gregor Iowa area is 9.0 feet. The forecast for the Mississippi River is for steady decline down to around 8 feet by next weekend. The Wisconsin River rose somewhat but has been slowly dropping early this week. Many sand bars on the Wisconsin River are usable. The Kickapoo River on the other hand rose considerably. Last week the river was “in it’s banks”. The Kickapoo River rose to 12.55 feet which entered the action stage. Water clarity is very poor on the Kickapoo. The forecast for the Kickapoo is favorable however. It is expected to fall drastically this week. All of the boat landings in the Crawford County area are open and usable. All the trout streams in the area are back to near normal conditions but some, early in the week, were running a little muddy. Boaters are still urged to watch out for floating debris as recent rains washed down debris. Mississippi River boaters will have to be cautious of wing and closing dams once the water drops this week. Bluegill, perch, and crappie action is starting to pick up on the Mississippi River. Fishing Lock and Dam #9 was fair this week with some decent catches of bluegills coming off wing dams and the slack water near the dam. Most anglers are using a chunk of nightcrawlers fished off the bottom. Whitebass action has been spotty. Fishing at Cold Spring was spotty. Some days anglers found some decent bluegill and crappie. Anglers are targeting the shallows because the receding water and warmer temperatures are causing the bluegill and crappie to head into those areas. The boat ramp at Cold Spring is usable and the water has receded out of the parking area. Late in the week however a large mass of weeds floated into the boat landing making launching tricky. The Ambro Slough complex is starting to pick up. Access to boat landings is good. Anglers fishing Big Lake, Fish Lake, the Upper and Lower Doubles, Big and Little Missouri, and Spring Lake have found decent fishing at times. One might have to move around to find decent size and active fish. Horseshoe (McGregor or Sturgeon) Lake is also getting better because the water is warming and receding. Fishing for sauger and walleye picked up a little late in the week. Try trolling crank baits in deeper water sloughs. Black Slough, Roseau Slough, and Big Lake produced some fish. Another tactic is drifting with leeches or nightcrawlers. Once a walleye or sauger is caught target that area. The S curve by Harpers Ferry was pretty good to this week. There has been some fair walleye/sauger action on wing dams. Northern Pike action has slowed a bit. Look for northerns in slack or slow moving water near weeds or downed trees. Casting crank baits, spoons, or spinner baits have worked the best. Look for northerns in medium depth areas without heavy current. Bass (both large and smallmouth) fishing has been fairly good. Anglers are can find active bass in shallow backwater areas, on wing dams, and in the timber. Some pretty good action for bass was found outside Ferryville and on the wing dams upstream from Prairie du Chien. Turtles continue to be on the move so be cautious traveling the local highways. Many baby or young wild animals are out and about this time of year. They should be viewed from a distance and not disturbed or picked up. Many song birds and upland game birds have fledged. A chorus of frogs can be heard in the river bottoms. A large hatch of mosquitoes and gnats still exist. Mosquitoes have been terrible in the river bottoms and some upland areas. Gnats have also been a nuisance on the higher ground. Stinging nettle, poison ivy, and parsnip await outdoor users to be careful and dress accordingly.

Black River Falls-Black River Falls State Forest - Two sections of the ATV trail system are temporarily closed due to heavy rainfall received on July 11. More than 7 inches of rain fell washing out several culverts on the Jackson County and State Forest ATV trail system. The entire Oak Ridge trail is closed from the Seventh street parking lot to the Highway 12 parking lot. This is a 15.4 mile stretch of which 4.8 miles is state trail and 10.6 is Jackson County trail. In addition a 7.9 mile section of the Millston loop on the state forest is closed. Repairs will take at least a month to enact. The major impact to this closure is that there is now only one access route to the town of Millston. Riders can still park in the North Settlement parking lot and access Millston or ride north to Black River Falls. A map of the closure can be seen here (provide link). The northern section of the trails received considerably less rain and are in fair condition. Trails were last groomed in the beginning of July. More than 200 miles are still available for riding in the Jackson and Clark County trail system. We recommend riders use their headlights at all times and bring a dust mask during drier conditions. Please help protect the sport of ATVing by staying on the trails at all times, reminding others to do the same, and please report any off trail or inappropriate riding.

Eau Claire-Brunet Island State Park - Park trails are generally dry and in very good condition. The open water game fish and pan fish action has been good with warm water temperatures. The small mouth bass have been hitting surface baits. Large mouth bass and northern pike action has been moderate, and there has been good musky action in the area. Catfish are being taken from the upper reaches of the flowage. The fireflies and a variety of dragonflies and damselflies are out in abundance. Species of birds seen or heard include: a few pelicans that have decided to visit the flowage, rose-breasted grosbeaks, belted kingfishers, ruby throated hummingbirds, scarlet tanagers, a variety of wrens, red polls, bluebirds, lake gulls, golden finches, mallard ducks, common loons, great blue herons, red winged blackbirds, phoebes, Canada geese, sandhill cranes, robins, mourning doves, nuthatches, ravens, black capped chickadees, pileated woodpeckers, great horned owls, barred owls, and bald eagles. The painted and snapping turtles have been digging nests throughout the park property. Plants in bloom at the moment are blue flag, marsh marigolds, dog violet, wild columbine, bellwort, false rue anemones, orange hawkweed, ox eye daisy, wooly yarrow, grove sandwort, harebell, spiderwort, and butterfly weed. The blackberry and raspberry vines, along with the common and wood strawberries are producing fruit. The milkweed plants are up but not flowering yet.

Wisconsin Rapids-Buckhorn State Park - Mosquito numbers are going down but may be numerous during hot humid weather in the park right now so remember to bring bug spray. Lake breezes kept them away at times at campsites. Visitors have been enjoying the picnic areas and beaches and renting canoes/kayaks. Remember, park stickers are required for Launch C and D and there are no additional launch fees. Deadline for the youth deer hunt is July 15. A small black bear was spotted Sunday evening near the T intersection. Saturday, July 19 is a candlelight hike at the park from 8-10 p.m. There is a "Night noises- music for the brave at heart" presentation at the amphitheater at 8 p.m. A campfire, food and refreshments will be provided by the Friends of Buckhorn State Park.

Roche-A-Cri State Park - Campsites and trails are dry. There are many quiet sites available during the week and on the weekend. There are a few mosquitoes so remember your bug spray. Trails are in great condition for hiking. Wildflowers are blooming in the prairie. If the office is closed, please self-register in the parking lot. If you self-register for an annual sticker, it will be mailed to you.

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