Door County Advice?

[Pat Magee]

I am thrilled to be heading up the Upper Peninsula of Door County over the 4th of July.  It is always a trip I look forward to every year, even more so now that I take my kayak and rods.  I was curious if anyone has some suggestions on certain areas to target up there?  @jpb2187 has been kind enough to share some of the spots he had success at but I would love to have a few other places to check out as time allows.  

We are staying in Egg Harbor and I currently plan to fish around the harbor there as well as the Peninsula State Park area.  Last year I went out in Rowley's Bay where Lake MI feeds into the Mink River and had some good success but nothing nothing to brag about.  I am hoping to change that this year! I have been studying my maps for good places to try but figured I would try here as well.

Before anyone suggest hiring a guide, I did last year and it was pretty disappointing.  We only fished about 4 hours and I only netted 3 fish (I had already caught more than that from the pier that morning!)  My guide was one of the top guides in the area (Brett Alexander) but we just couldn't get anything going sadly. 

Any advice is welcome and appreciated.  Feel free to PM me if you'd like

 

[moguy1973]

How does that area handle an 18' aluminum boat like a Bass Tracker?  Would be a place I'd like to go someday for a trip if my boat could handle a big body of water like that.

[Pat Magee]

Don't see many small aluminum boats out there.  Anything out of the bays or harbors can get pretty dicey at times but I guess it could be done in the right conditions.  That being said, I know a guy who goes and fishes some pretty hairy spots in a Hobie PA peddle kayak and it doesn't seem to bother him!

 

 

 

[ColdWaterFshr]

I had good success in Peninsula State Park by renting a kayak from the concessionaire at one of the public beach accesses.  Got there early before the beach area got busy, but paddled well beyond out toward one of the islands.  It doesn't get very deep, but when you can't see the bottom anymore, thats when you know you're deep enough.  Drop anchor, fish with a goby dark green soft plastic off the bottom.  You can pick these up at Howie's Tackle in Sturgeon Bay (right off the main Hwy).  Smallmouth gorge themselves on goby's and that bait looks just like one.  You'll catch a few goby's too.

 

[snagged in outlet 3]

I was in Kohler a couple years ago in the fall and man was it beautiful!!  It was a work golf trip but salmon were staged up to spawn right by the tee box.  I could've cared less about the golf.

[jpb2187]

1 hour ago, moguy1973 said:

How does that area handle an 18' aluminum boat like a Bass Tracker?  Would be a place I'd like to go someday for a trip if my boat could handle a big body of water like that.

I think you would be fine if you are in on the Green Bay side, and in any of the bays... Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, Sister Bay, Rowleys Bay, and Sturgeon Bay. Maybe on windy days it might be a little dicey. I've paddled the kayak in the bay areas and never felt unsafe. Main lake areas do get a bit choppy however, even in somewhat calm conditions. But the bays are big enough to keep you entertained. 

Beautiful area. 

[jpb2187]

1 hour ago, Pat Magee said:

I am thrilled to be heading up the Upper Peninsula of Door County over the 4th of July.  It is always a trip I look forward to every year, even more so now that I take my kayak and rods.

Jealous man! Have fun, let us know how it goes. 

[Pat Magee]

1 hour ago, ColdWaterFshr said:

I had good success in Peninsula State Park by renting a kayak from the concessionaire at one of the public beach accesses.  Got there early before the beach area got busy, but paddled well beyond out toward one of the islands.  It doesn't get very deep, but when you can't see the bottom anymore, thats when you know you're deep enough.  Drop anchor, fish with a goby dark green soft plastic off the bottom.  You can pick these up at Howie's Tackle in Sturgeon Bay (right off the main Hwy).  Smallmouth gorge themselves on goby's and that bait looks just like one.  You'll catch a few goby's too.

 

You remember where you were in PSP?  It wasn't Nicolet Bay was it?  If so, its on my list! 

[ColdWaterFshr]

31 minutes ago, Pat Magee said:

You remember where you were in PSP?  It wasn't Nicolet Bay was it?  If so, its on my list! 

Yep, that was it.  I paddled straight out toward that island.

[Pat Magee]

We hiked and road bikes through that area and stopped at the beach there but it was a "family day" and not a fishing day.  Sadly the days I go fishing are always the days that the weather blows!