Lake Michigan, Wisconsin - Reports, Lake Info, Pictures

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Kenosha Co. Kenosha trollers have had excellent catches of coho, with some limits taken in only one and a half hours of fishing. Over the week... Continued

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Description:

Lake Michigan is a Lake in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Have you fished Lake Michigan? Help your fellow anglers out by giving a fishing report, some fishing tips or general information about Lake Michigan.

Do you have a question about Lake Michigan, ask it here.

Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is bounded, from west to east, by the U.S. states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. The word "Michigan" was originally used to refer to the lake itself, and is believed to come from the Ojibwa Indian word mishigami, meaning "great water." The lake is slightly larger than the country of Croatia.

Lake Michigan is the only one of the Great Lakes wholly within the borders of the United States; the others are shared with Canada. It has a surface area of 22,400 square miles, making it the largest lake entirely within one country by surface area (Lake Baikal, in Russia, is larger by water volume), and the fifth largest lake in the world. It is 307 miles long by 118 miles wide with a shoreline 1,640 miles long. The lake's average depth is 279 feet, while its greatest depth is 923 feet. It contains a volume of 1,180 cubic miles of water. Its surface averages 577 feet above sea level, the same as Lake Huron, to which it is connected through the Straits of Mackinac.

Fishing Description:

Lake Michigan is home to a variety of species of fish and other organisms. It was originally home to lake trout, yellow perch, panfish, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, carp, bowfin, as well as some species of catfish. In recent years overfishing has caused a decline in lake trout which ultimately caused an increase in the alewife population. As a result, coho and chinook salmon were introduced as a predator of alewives to decrease the alewife population. This program was so successful that the salmon population exploded and the states surrounding Lake Michigan promoted Salmon Snagging. This practice has since been made illegal in all of the great lakes states with the exception of a limited season in Illinois. Lake Michigan is now being stocked with several species of fish. However, several invader species introduced, such as lampreys, threaten the vitality of fish populations.

The best fishing along the shore in Wisconsin is for trout, yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike, sturgeon, and bullheads. Chinook and coho salmon also can be found in the deeper waters.