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Welcome to fall on Green Bay! A time of transition, as walleyes one day make themselves scarce, and hit everything in the water the next! Fishing on the Bay for the last week was, as before, inconsistent. Some walleyes were active in amongst the rocks of College reef and Kidney, with crankbaits taking these fish. The big issue is the amount of baitfish in the lower bay. Best bites have occurred early and late, with some finding walleyes more active after dark along rocky shores. Best bets for this type of fishing would be around Eagles Nest, Point Comfort, Bayshore, Barrett etc Point, Macos Reef, Chaudoirs Dock, North-South Reef and Henderson Point. Trolled crankbaits with planer boards is the best presentation for this, and I recommend fishing water shallower than 10’ for the most success. If you’ve seen enough of the Bay and want to try a different area, the Fox River should start seeing an influx of walleyes. Last year, my groups did well pitching hair jigs, blade baits, and jig/crawler on current breaks in late September and into October. Favorite areas were by the red can at the mouth, the rail bridge shoreline, below Walnut St bridge, Main St bridge, and up on the flats below the 172 bridge. For trollers, the flats and adjoining areas should also be heating up. Perch fishing has been also very hit and miss, as these finicky characters have been hard to entice. There are several schools around Vincent Point rocks, up around Dykesville and in around Oconto. These fish should start moving shallower soon, setting up in their fall/winter areas. I catch more on fathead minnows, but some days night crawler pieces and red worms put plenty of perch in the boat. Musky fishing is going well, with casters and trollers putting big fish in the nets more consistently now that water temps are falling. Rapala Super Shad, Tyrant Shads, and Mollybaits have been best. If you go, as always, please be safe, and take a kid fishing!
Capt Jerry Ruffolo
Anglers Plus Guide Service
920-973-2868

Walleye fishing over the last week could best be described as inconsistent, with periods of multiple fish and other times of few to zero fish. The one truth I’ve found was fish on rocks, with a good bite going if we had wind. University Bay, Vincent, Point Comfort, Macos, Geanos, Deadhorse and the shipping channel edges all put out fish for us last week, with no area far dominant over another. Trolling crankbaits and casting ripper minnows were our 2 best presentations, with most fish coming on perch or fire tiger patterns. To the north, guys are still getting a few fish off Chaudoirs Dock, North-South reef, Little Sturgeon, Young’s Reef, and Oconto shoal. Trolled crankbaits and casting Ripper minnows worked best. Perch fishing was also inconsistent, with great days and others with a few to no fish. When they were active, minnows and crawlers both took fish. Musky have been very active, with quite a few fish taken both trolling and casting. Big fish activity has been good near Geanos reef and the gravel humps near the county line on the west side, with good action on the east side near Vokes reef and between Vincent and Pt Comfort. Tyrant Raz Shads, Rapala Super shad, Hunsytails, Spanky Bucktails and Madussa’s are all taking fish. If you go, please be safe, and take a kid fishing!
Capt Jerry Ruffolo
Anglers Plus Guide Service
920-973-2868
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Walleye fishing on Green Bay during the last week was good, with seasonal bites starting to take place, as fish migrate to higher forage areas. This time of year, young of the year (YOY) perch, drum, white perch, goby, shiner and alewife are moving around shallow rock areas, creating a smorgasbord for walleyes and other species. To the south, anglers are finding a good bite around rock areas of University Bay, Vincent Point, Point Comfort, Bayshore, Little Tail, and Geanos reef. Trolled crankbaits, pitching jig/crawler, or working ripper minnows are all taking fish. Further north, anglers are still finding walleyes around Oconto Shoal, North-South reef, off Chaudoirs Dock and Young’s Reef. Trolled crankbaits and casted ripper minnows are best. Further north, in Door County waters, smallmouth bass and walleyes are active around Hat Island, Horseshoe Reef, Sister Bay, and Washington Island. Ned rigs and sucker minnows on a live bait rig are taking these fish, as they prepare to settle into their fall/winter patterns. Perch fishing has been excellent around Bayshore, with limit catches (15) common among anglers. Minnows, crawler pieces, and thunder bugs are best for perch. The musky bite remains inconsistent, with peak periods putting big fish on the feed, and other times not quite so active. Casting bucktails, rubber baits and trolling with body baits such as Tyrant Raz Shads, Czars and Big Guy lures are a good choice. If you go, as always please be safe, and take a kid fishing! Yah, only at Smokeys!!!
Capt Jerry Ruffolo
Anglers Plus Guide Service
920-973-2868

Walleye fishing on Green Bay, over the last week, remained inconsistent, with times of good to great fishing, along with periods one would swear the walleyes disappeared. To the south, a few fish are being caught in University Bay, Vincent Point, Bayshore, Macos Reef and Geanos Reef with trolling crankbaits or casting ripper minnows around rock structure the best approach. In the mud, anglers are finding that slow trolling crawler harnesses are enticing more walleyes and jumbo perch than trolled crankbaits. The best bite for a mixture of eating size walleyes and big fish remains in the Oconto/southern Door County waters, with North-South reef, Chaudoirs, and Oconto shoal putting out good numbers of fish. Trolled crankbaits, crawler harnesses, and casted ripper minnows have worked best. Perch fishing is very good, with perch activity peaking early and late. The areas around Dykesville, Oconto, Bayshore, and Sturgeon Bay are best for these jumbos. Live bait such as minnows, crawlers, red worms, and helgramites are taking perch. Musky fishing remains good, with peak activity around moon phases creating the most big fish activity. Trolled crankbaits and bucktails, or casted big plastics such as Bulldogs and Medusas are triggering the most action. If you go, please be safe, and take a kid fishing!
Capt Jerry Ruffolo
Anglers Plus Guide Service
920-973-2868

Green Bay walleye fishing over the past week was as much a roller coaster as the weather and wind! With one day in the low 90’s, followed by NE winds and temps in the 60’s, the fish have been very difficult to pattern, especially in the southern Bay waters. The mud bite has faded, with fish still not hard to find, but tough to get to bite. I spent 3 trips working shallower areas of rock and weeds, finding a few walleyes each time, but still unable to put a consistent pattern together. From my perspective, the best approach is to remain versatile, and be ready to switch techniques often. We had fish jigging ripper minnows on 2 mile reef, along the edges of Pensaukee shoal, Geanos reef, North-South reef, Larson’s reef and Oconto shoal. For trolling, all the same areas apply, with crankbaits and crawler harnesses taking fish. Perch fishing was very good last week, especially IF you could find the weather cooperative. We had several nice 9-12” perch on minnows and crawler pieces when the wind laid down and the sun came out. Musky have been excellent, with a good casting bite going around Pensaukee shoal, Charles Pond, Geanos reef, and Chaudoirs Dock. Big plastics like Bulldogs, Medusas, and Swimming Dawgs were excellent choices, and bucktails, as always, took some giant fish. The trolling bite for musky is also good, as the west shore weed edges and gravel bars are holding active fish. Bucktails, shallow invaders, and diving crankbaits were best. If you go, please be safe, and take a kid fishing!
Capt Jerry Ruffolo
Anglers Plus Guide Service
920-973-2868

Walleye fishing over the last week has been below average for this time of year, with successive cold fronts hitting the Bay and putting fish in a neutral to negative mood. My best bite last week was up on shallow rocks where wind was blowing in, creating current and semi-aggressive fish. Vincent point, Point Confort, and Macos reef had some active fish when the wind was right. Finding fish in the mud was not difficult, but coaxing them into taking our offerings was difficult. In the lower bay, a few walleyes are active on Kidney rocks and College reef. To the north, Oconto shoal was still a good bet for a few fish, with a few large perch mixed in.
For big fish, trophy hunters are finding giant walleyes up on Door County reefs. Strawberry islands, Advenrure Island, Chambers Island and Horseshoe reef were hotspots for trolling crawler harnesses or cranks, and deep casting with Ripper minnows. Perch fishermen are finding perch in and around the rocks near Dykesville, Vincent Point, and up in the Sturgeon Bay shipping channel
Night crawler pieces and minnows are best. Musky continue to be active, with big fish found on the west shore from Pensaukee to Geanos. Bucktails and big plastic baits like Bulldogs are best for these big fish. If you go, please be safe, and take a kid fishing.
Capt Jerry Ruffolo
Anglers Plus Guide Service
920-973-2868

Green Bay continues to keep putting out great fishing, with walleyes, perch, and musky all being caught by many anglers. The walleye bite in the deep mud and on Door County reefs is on fire. The mud bite was best for anglers trolling crankbaits or crawler harnesses, while the Door County reef bite was best with ripper minnows and trolled crawler harnesses. Along the Bayshore launch shore, anglers are finding good perch and walleye fishing. Macos reef, 2 mile reef, Point Comfort, Vokes reef and Vincent point are all putting out walleyes and perch. Casting ripper minnows or trolling crankbaits are the best presentations for walleyes, while deadsticking crawler pieces, minnows, or helgramites are best for perch. On the west shore, musky activity has really picked up, with these big predators showing themselves by Pensaukee shoal, Geanos reef, and Charles Pond. Casted bucktails, bulldogs, medusas, and swimming dawgs have been best. With the warm weather we are having, Musky fishermen need to take special care of these fish. Please have the proper equipment, hold the fish horizontally for pictures and take your time reviving the fish when releasing it. Some times it is better to take the fish to shore , wade out to chest high water and hold the fish below the surface in the cooler more oxygenated water.We need to protect this great resource that we have on the bay of Green Bay. Walleyes and perch are also being caught on Geanos reef and Pensaukee shoal. To the north, Oconto shoal continues to churn out walleyes. Trolled crankbaits and crawler harnesses for the trollers, and casted ripper minnows are all taking fish. If you go, please be safe, and take a kid fishing.
Capt Jerry Ruffolo
Anglers Plus Guide Service
920-973-2868

Walleye fishing on Green Bay remains hot, with several different bites going around the Bay. Oconto shoal continues to put out walleyes, with trolling crankbaits, crawler harnesses and casting ripper minnows being the best presentations. Nearby the areas of Pensaukee shoal and Geanos reef are also good excellent choices for both perch and walleyes, with the same presentations mentioned earlier. In University Bay, walleyes are being caught trolling on College reef and the rocks near Kidney Island. Around Bayshore, a good but inconsistent bite exists on Vincent point, 2 mile reef, and Point Comfort. Trolling crankbaits, dragging bottom bouncers with crawlers, and casting ripper minnows. In the deep mud the bite was great last week. Big fish and great eating size walleyes, along with the occasional big perch are taking trolled crankbaits. The perch bite off Dykesville also picked up over the last week, with good catches of 9-12” on minnows, crawlers and helgramites. Musky fishing has been good too, with big fish getting actine early and late. Casting bucktails has been the ticket for these big fish. Overall, we are blessed with one of the best fisheries in the country. If you go, please be safe, and take a kid fishing.
Capt Jerry Ruffolo
Anglers Plus Guide Service
920-973-2868

Great walleye fishing continues, with a variety of presentations and size in walleyes! Last week we found a mix of smaller and bigger walleyes on shoals and rocks along both shorelines. We trolled these fish with crankbaits, using planer boards at 2-2.2mph with snap weights to get baits down deep and without weights when positioning baits higher in the water column. The best areas along the east side include Point Comfort, Vincent Point, Chaudoirs Dock and North-South reef. On the west side, Oconto Shoal, Pensaukee shoal, and Geanos reef. have all put out walleyes and perch. In the deep mud, crawler harnesses and crankbaits are both excellent choices for walleyes. Muskie fishing has also been good, with casting bucktails, medusas, and bulldogs working best. Pensaukee shoal and the rock/weed edges around Chaudoirs Dock are great choices for musky. The perch bite off Dykesville has picked up, with many anglers taking these great eating fish on crawler pieces, helgrammites, and minnows. If you go please be safe! A shout out here to Leo, a big fan of our reports! Keep fishing Leo! Capt Jerry RuffoloAnglers Plus Guide Service 920-973-2868

Walleye fishing during the past week was first on fire, and then slowed a bit for some, and remained hot for others. Best early week reports were coming from the mud, with a great bite for both smaller and larger fish. By Wednesday, that bite cooled, and a bite developed on the west shore. Geanos reef, Pensaukee shoal, and Oconto shoal were all putting out fish, as trolling crankbaits, dragging crawlers with bottom bouncer, and jigging all took fish. Since that 3-4 day slow period, the mud has once again started putting out fish, with crawler harnesses trolled along bottom the best technique. Over the weekend, good fish were starting to show up at 2 mile reef, Point Comfort, North-South reef, and Vincent point. Dragging crawlers with bouncers and jigging Ripper minnows were best bets. Perch fishing continues to give mixed results, with some decent sized perch being taken in weeds along Suamico, Geanos reef, Pensaukee and the inner bay north of Oconto. Muskie fishing has been good, with a steady casting bite along west shore weed edges. Smallmouth bass are still going well in Door County on Ned rigs and jerk baits. If you go, please be safe, and take a kid fishing!
Capt Jerry Ruffolo
Anglers Plus Guide Service
920-973-2868