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Sheboygan (Lake Michigan) Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Sheboygan: a Lake Michigan harbor town where the DNR stocks chinook, coho, brown trout and steelhead, with two fishing piers at the river mouth.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~55 F est.
Air / High
55 / 59 F
Wind
SE 6 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Sheboygan (Lake Michigan) is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. Today brings cloud cover, wind SE around 6 mph, steady pressure near 1026 hPa and a high of 59. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:25 AM-11:25 AM and 9:55 PM-11:55 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Brown troutExcellent

Close to Vermont's 53-66Β°F optimum, browns feed more freely; in fall, pre-spawn fish move toward tributaries and gravel, so fish streamers and keep off the redds.

SteelheadGood

Main tributary season: fish seams, pool heads and tails and structure with drifted eggs, beads, nymphs or streamers, and plan trips around rising or falling water.

Lake troutGood

Spring and fall bring lakers into 10 to 30 feet of water (Michigan DNR), within reach of casters and shallow trollers; fall is also spawning time over rocky shoals.

Chinook salmonSlow

Runs enter the rivers: drift roe or sand shrimp through travel lanes, plunk a wrapped plug, or float eggs in eddies and tidewater.

Tomorrow: Similar at 62 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Wisconsin requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $20.00 for residents. What a Wisconsin licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing steelhead here? Check the size and bag limits with WI DNR before you keep anything. The season dates for Wisconsin, read off the agency, are on the Wisconsin seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp55 F
High / Low59 / 51 F
WindSE 6-8 mph
Pressure1025.7 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset07:15 / 17:54
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Sheboygan (Lake Michigan) this week

The best day on Sheboygan (Lake Michigan) this week looks like Saturday Oct 24, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Oct 24 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:25 AM-11:25 AM and 9:55 PM-11:55 PM
Minor period
3:48 AM-4:48 AM
Sun
07:15 to 17:54
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Showers, 9 mph
Rain chance
1%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Sheboygan (Lake Michigan): seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Steelhead illustration

Steelhead

Great Lakes tributaries from fall through spring; West Coast rivers have both summer and winter runs

Steelhead are rainbow trout that migrate to the Pacific or the Great Lakes to grow, then return up rivers to spawn; unlike most Pacific salmon they can survive spawning and spawn again. Main tributary season: fish seams, pool heads and tails and structure with drifted eggs, beads, nymphs or streamers, and plan trips around rising or falling water.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Close to Vermont's 53-66Β°F optimum, browns feed more freely; in fall, pre-spawn fish move toward tributaries and gravel, so fish streamers and keep off the redds.

Chinook salmon illustration

Chinook salmon

Seasons follow the runs: spring, summer and fall runs on the West Coast, and late summer into fall in Great Lakes rivers

The largest Pacific salmon, caught by trolling and mooching at sea and by drifting and plunking in rivers as adults return to spawn; also stocked in the Great Lakes. Runs enter the rivers: drift roe or sand shrimp through travel lanes, plunk a wrapped plug, or float eggs in eddies and tidewater.

Lake trout illustration

Lake trout

Spring and fall in shallow water, deep in summer, and through the ice in winter

Lake trout are slow-growing chars of large, deep, cold lakes, native from Alaska and northern Canada to New England and the Great Lakes, and introduced in many western lakes. Spring and fall bring lakers into 10 to 30 feet of water (Michigan DNR), within reach of casters and shallow trollers; fall is also spawning time over rocky shoals.

When to come: the Sheboygan (Lake Michigan) calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Steelhead
Brown trout
Chinook salmon
Lake trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Sheboygan (Lake Michigan) today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Brown trout led the card at excellent. High of 59 F, wind to 9 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Steelhead led the card at excellent. High of 68 F, wind to 9 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Steelhead led the card at excellent. High of 59 F, wind to 6 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Wisconsin requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Wisconsin fishing license plus Great Lakes Trout and Salmon Stamp (or a two-day sports license). Lake Michigan, 2026–2027 regulations: lake trout and other trout and salmon open all year, 5 in total, 10-inch minimum; no lake trout in the Mid-Lake Reef Complex; black bass 5 in total at 14 inches from May 2, 2026 to March 7, 2027 and catch-and-release otherwise; yellow perch closed May 1–June 15, 2026, then 5 a day. Carry paper copies of the license and stamps.

Access

North Pier (Deland Park, Broughton Drive) and South Pier (Fisherman's Road), both listed by Wisconsin DNR as accessible fishing piers.

About this water

Lake Michigan harbor at the mouth of the Sheboygan River, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin.

Fishing Sheboygan (Lake Michigan): the full guide

Harbor, river and lake

The Sheboygan River meets Lake Michigan at the city of Sheboygan. In Wisconsin's regulations the river counts as a Lake Michigan tributary downstream of the Coast Guard station, and the harbor and open lake fall under the Lake Michigan rules. Trout and salmon there need the Great Lakes Trout and Salmon Stamp on top of the license.

What the DNR stocks

Wisconsin DNR's Lake Michigan stocking summary (2020) lists brown trout stocked in Sheboygan Harbor, chinook and coho in the Sheboygan River, steelhead in the river and harbor, and lake trout on the Sheboygan Reef. Its county totals for that year were 60,243 brown trout, 85,433 chinook, 70,398 coho, 310,211 lake trout and 22,602 steelhead.

The piers

The DNR lists two accessible fishing piers. The North Pier starts in Deland Park off Broughton Drive, with parking in the park lot. The South Pier starts at the end of Fisherman's Road, with a gravel lot. Ice shelters on Lake Michigan must be removed daily and when not in use after the first Sunday following March 12.

Offshore rules

The Mid-Lake Reef Complex, offshore between Sheboygan and Port Washington, is a lake trout refuge: no lake trout may be possessed while fishing inside it. Motor trolling on Lake Michigan is allowed with three hooks, baits or lures per angler, and anglers must carry a paper copy of their license and stamps on the lake.

Common questions

Do I need a stamp for salmon at Sheboygan?

Yes. Wisconsin requires the Great Lakes Trout and Salmon Stamp to fish for trout and salmon in Lake Michigan and in its tributaries up to the first dam, which includes the lower Sheboygan River.

Can I fish from the piers?

Yes. The DNR lists the North Pier, reached from Deland Park off Broughton Drive, and the South Pier at the end of Fisherman's Road as accessible fishing piers.

What is the trout and salmon limit on Lake Michigan?

Five in total, lake trout included, with a 10-inch minimum, open all year under the 2026–2027 rules. Lake trout may not be kept inside the Mid-Lake Reef Complex.

Is fishing good at Sheboygan (Lake Michigan) right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Lake Winnebago40 miKewaunee River50 miPewaukee Lake55 miGreen Bay56 miLake Poygan59 miBig Green Lake63 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 43.7500, -87.7000 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 6, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 6, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.