Those early “kings” and some trophy lake trout, taken incidentally by anglers targeting brown trout with stickbaits, body baits and spoons behind planer boards in the nearshore shallows, could be a harbinger of what’s to come next month.
Forty teams took part in the Blue Door Brown Trout Tournament at Kewaunee last weekend, and 24 of them weighed 25 pounds or more on their allowed five trout. Nine of the teams put more than 40 pounds on the scale, and the top three averaged better than nine pounds per fish. The heaviest brown went 15.59 pounds, and 23 other teams had fish of over 10 to nearly 15 pounds.
Meanwhile, walleyes are wrapping up spawning duties in Green Bay rivers, and steelhead and suckers are finishing up in bay and lake tributaries.
Thousands of rainbows were seen at Department of Natural Resources egg collection sites on the Kewaunee and Root rivers this month. It was a record run on the Root, and a very good one at Kewaunee despite low water much of the past month.
Elsewhere, northern pike and walleye catches are starting to pick up along the shorelines, especially along Green Bay’s west shore and from Sturgeon Bay to Little Sturgeon. Many trophy smallmouth bass have been caught and released.
New for 2025, the DNR has launched the Wisconsin Fishing Finder. It’s a good tool for those looking for some new spots to try. Check it out at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/fishing/outreach/wifishingfinder.
The first major push of colorful spring migrants is underway, with dozens of species flooding southern and central Wisconsin this past week. Peak activity for many in our neck of the woods is often the first week of May.
Birders can pick up tips at Saturday’s World Migratory Bird Day Celebration from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Algoma High School. There will be educational presentations, live raptors, items for sale and much more. Read all about it at https://birdcityalgoma.com/wmbd-2025.html.
If you haven’t already done so, now’s the time to give your feeders and bird houses a good spring cleaning. Next, be sure you’re stocked up on black-oil sunflower seeds, the No. 1 favorite of many species of birds. Safflower, nyjer thistle, suet and peanut and sunflower chips are great, too.
Unless you want to draw flocks of sparrows and other less-desirable birds, steer clear of cheaper bags with fillers like milo or mixes dominated with red millet and cracked corn.
Pine cones packed with peanut butter and rolled in seeds are enjoyed by many species. Creating them and figuring the perfect spot to hang outside can be a fun family activity.
Cover is important, too. If you don’t have much, think about what you could plant this spring that’ll make your yard more bird-friendly. A mix of evergreens, trees and shrubs is ideal.
A great place to pick up tips and share photos and information is Wisconsin eBird at https://ebird.org/wi/home. You can also scour data and check out hotspots from around the state.
The Wisconsin Society of Ornithology is another good site to bookmark. It’s at https://wsobirds.org.
Stay abreast of the latest state bird sightings and other news with an automated email list sponsored by the Wisconsin Birding Network. Read about it or sign up at https://www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn.
The Merlin Bird ID app is an excellent, free app available for Apple or Android devices. It’ll help you identify birds you see or hear. Read all about it at https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/.
Learn about threats to Wisconsin birds and actions you can take to help at https://www.sossaveoursongbirds.org/.
Finally, check out the Cornell Lab of Ornithology if you want a deeper dive. Go to https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/.
Lake Michigan water levels have risen about seven inches in the past month, but are still more than a half-foot lower than this time last year. Water levels are about five inches below the long-term average, and have dropped 39 inches since the April record set in 2020. The lake is still about 27 inches above the record monthly low, set in 1964.
Check results online
The 2025 Wisconsin DNR and Conservation Congress spring hearing results, which are advisory only, are posted at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/about/wcc/springhearing.
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