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‘Free Fun’ today and Sunday in Wisconsin

Outdoors report

IRON MOUNTAIN — This is Free Fun Weekend in Wisconsin, with state park admission fees, fishing licenses and trail passes all waived.

Residents and non-residents will not be required to have a fishing license or trout/salmon stamps. However, fishing regulations still apply, including bag and length limits.

Vehicle admission stickers will not be required today and Sunday for admission to Wisconsin state parks. Trails will be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

“We’ve seen a lot of growth in state parks, forests, trails and recreation areas over the last 10 years,” said Steve Schmelzer, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources bureau director of parks and recreation management. “Free Fun Weekend is always a great opportunity for the parks crews to welcome summer visitors back.”

Anglers this past week were landing crappies and bluegills, and walleye action has also picked up, said Fay Whisler at Whisler Outdoors in Florence, Wis.

“Minnows and leeches have been working for crappies,” Whisler said. “Bluegills are in 2 to 3 feet of water. Try using a small jig tipped with worms.”

Fathead minnows are producing the best walleye bite. Many of the fish are 16 to 18 inches.

June 11-12 is “Three Free” weekend in Michigan. Residents and nonresidents can fish, ride off-road trails and visit state parks and boating access sites — all free of charge.

The Michigan DNR is lowering the water on a 400-acre impoundment on the Net River in Baraga County to make repairs to a dam that partially failed in late April. The dam is on the south outlet of the Net River Flooding.

“The water hasn’t come down much yet, but the public can expect the water to be drawn down this summer and will likely be down into 2023,” said Bill Scullon, DNR wildlife field operations manager.

The drawdown will affect the boating access site. Other nearby boating and fishing opportunities on the Net River corridor include Wide Waters and Snake Rapids.

The DNR reported this Upper Peninsula activity:

Little Bay de Noc: Walleye fishing was good. Anglers reported success when trolling or drifting crawler harnesses. Primary areas of focus for walleye anglers included south of Gladstone, out of the Ford River, as well as near the mouth of the Whitefish River. Additionally, some anglers had success at the first reef. Smallmouth anglers reported good fishing when casting soft plastics or crank baits. Perch anglers had mixed results fishing the upper portion of the bay.

Manistique: Steelhead anglers reported a slight decline in success, but there were still some fish in the river. Walleye anglers had some success, although fishing was generally slow.

Keweenaw Bay/Huron Bay: Anglers had success in both bays over the past week. Multiple catches of Chinook, coho and lake trout were reported. Most successful angling was while trolling however some anglers did have luck jigging. Most trolling was done in water between the depths of 40 and 170 feet. Anglers had luck trolling with artificial baits as well.

Marquette: Fishing pressure remained slow. Anglers were switching from salmon fishing to lake trout fishing as the Chinook and coho seemed to be slowing down. There was relative success catching coho, Chinook and lake trout offshore trolling in between the Carp and Chocolay rivers. Anglers should try trolling using a spoon while moving at a speed of just under 2 miles per hour. Anglers had success catching lake trout and brown trout from near the break wall in lower harbor. Try trolling near the break wall moving at slow speeds using spoons, stick baits or flickers. Lake trout were also caught from the upper harbor area. Lake trout were caught in a variety of depths of water but try fishing deeper water for better success.

Munising: Anglers were targeting coho with reports of a few Chinook being caught averaging around 5 to 9 pounds. Anglers were mainly trolling within the bay and the west channel areas and then towards Five Mile Point and in the Au Train area. Shore fishing pressure was low due to low water conditions on Lake Superior.

Grand Marais: Whitefish anglers continued to do well with limits as long as there was a northwest wind. South winds were not favorable for any kind of bite. Anglers reporting limits in the early morning and were also doing well at dusk and just shortly after. Anglers were using mainly single eggs with a few anglers trying spawn, or worms and also casting with assorted spoons or heavy jigs. Whitefish were averaging around 13 inches with some incidental fish over 15 inches. Boat anglers were starting to target lake trout and did well with some reports of limits near the drop off just outside of harbor to the Five Mile reef area and shipping channels with most fish averaging around 3 to 4 pounds.

Au Train: The salmon fishing slowed down, but there were some anglers with some success at catching coho and Chinook salmon. For best chance at catching Chinook or coho salmon, try trolling or casting using flickers or spoons. For Chinook and coho, try fishing east of the Brownstone Boat Launch as that seemed to be where most of the success has come from.

Les Cheneaux/Detour: Anglers were catching pike off the pier in Hessel. In Detour, anglers were catching Atlantic salmon and lake trout around the lighthouse. Anglers were also catching walleye and smallmouth bass around Drummond Island.

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