Residents around the Madison area lakes have access to many fine locations where fish can be caught on shore, but sometimes they find themselves in different areas of Wisconsin – and you can successfully fish without a boat in those places, too! Check out some of the good options below you might want to try.
Shore Fishing for Trout
A few waters not far from Madison worth investigating are Black Earth Creek, the Sugar River, Rowan Creek, Castle Rock Creek, the Kickapoo, Mill Creek, and the Pine River. Access can be tricky, however – your best bet is to use the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ T.R.O.U.T. Regulations & Opportunities User Tool to be fully aware of rules around public access, seasons, and limits. The rules are much less consistent than for warm-water species due to the more complex and exploitable nature of small streams.
Catch and release (artificial baits only) starts in most places on the first Saturday in January. Harvest is typically from the first Saturday in May through October 15 – but use the tool linked above to be sure around the waterway you’re interested in fishing!
Shore Fishing in Door County
About three hours from Madison you can find one of the premier fishing spots in all of North America – the waters of Door County, particularly Green Bay. And as luck would have it, shore fisher people can catch smallmouth bass and other species just as impressive as the ones the guides go hunting for in their boats.
An absolute must location is George K. Pinney County Park (simply known to locals as “the quarry”). There is a long embankment adjacent to the boat launch from which you can fish in water that holds big smallies from spring through most of the fall. Part of that embankment has a protective rail that even has built-in rod holders! (At that particular spot, which produces some great fish, a long net is a necessity.) There’s also a pier not far from where the boats come in where you can fish for smallies, pike, and the occasional perch. As always, just be careful not to get in the way of boats heading into and out of the launch. Conveniently, there’s a parking lot for just cars (i.e., those without boat trailers) just yards from where you can fish. And this should go without saying, but always remember to have your fishing license with you – the game wardens patrol this area rigorously. For good reason, the fishing here can be terrific. When the smallie bite is on, and everyone around you is pulling in big bronzebacks, fishing the quarry is a sight to behold.
