Fish
Fire
Hike
Bird
Green Bay is a city, a bay, and a fishery, and the fishery is enormous. The Bay of Green Bay stretches 120 miles along the western shore of Lake Michigan, fed by the Fox River and Wolf River systems, and holds walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike, muskie, and perch populations that rank among the best in the Great Lakes.
Two fisheries have put Green Bay on the national map. The Fox River walleye run, when millions of walleye push up from the bay into the river to spawn every March, is one of the most concentrated freshwater fishing events in the country. And the Sturgeon Bay smallmouth bass fishery north of town has been ranked the number-one bass destination in America by Bassmaster, producing fish that stunned the professional tournament circuit.
The Fox River Walleye Run, March Through April
Every spring, as ice breaks up on the Bay of Green Bay, millions of walleye leave the open bay and push into the Fox River, the Oconto River, and other tributaries to spawn. The run peaks in mid-March through early April, and the fishing is unlike anything else in freshwater.
The Fox River through downtown Green Bay and De Pere becomes a walleye highway. Fish average 18 to 24 inches, with 28- to 33-inch trophy walleye mixed in. On peak days, anglers report catching 50 to 100 fish, numbers that sound like exaggeration until you experience the run firsthand.
The technique is jigging, vertically working hair jigs, blade baits, and jig-and-minnow combos along the river bottom, targeting walleye stacked in the deeper holes and channel bends. The fish are in spawning mode, which makes them concentrated and accessible, though catch-and-release is the ethical standard during the spawn.
By late April, the walleye have spawned and dropped back into the bay. The daily bag limit increases from 1 to 5 after the opener in early May, and the bay-wide walleye fishery, trolling, jigging, and live-bait rigging on the open water, kicks into gear for the summer.
Sturgeon Bay Smallmouth Bass, May Through October
Sturgeon Bay sits at the northern end of the Door County peninsula, where the bay narrows and the water clears. The smallmouth bass fishery here has become nationally famous, Bassmasters ranked it the number-one bass destination in America, and the tournament results validate the ranking.
Smallmouth in Sturgeon Bay average three to four pounds, with fish over six pounds caught regularly. In tournament conditions, winning bags often exceed 20 pounds for five fish, numbers that shock anglers accustomed to smaller Great Lakes smallmouth.
The fish hold on rocky points, boulder fields, and gravel bars in 5 to 25 feet of clear water. Tube jigs, drop-shot rigs, and ned rigs are the standard presentations. The fishing peaks in two windows: the spring spawn in late May and June, when fish move shallow and are visible over the gravel, and the fall feed in September and October, when smallmouth bulk up aggressively.
Open-Bay Walleye, Summer Through Fall
After the river run, walleye spread across the Bay of Green Bay and provide one of the best open-water walleye fisheries in the Great Lakes. The fish hold along mud flats, gravel reefs, and weed edges in 15 to 35 feet of water.
Trolling crankbaits and spinner rigs across the flats is the summer technique, covering water to locate schools, then working them systematically. Live-bait rigging with leeches or nightcrawlers is the finesse option when the fish are less aggressive.
The bay holds walleye from 15 to 30 inches, with the occasional fish over 10 pounds. The fishery is managed aggressively by the Wisconsin DNR, and the population has been strong in recent years.
Muskie, The Trophy Pursuit
Green Bay and its tributary rivers hold muskie, the largest and most elusive freshwater predator in the Great Lakes. The bay's muskie population has been growing, and fish over 50 inches are caught every season.
Muskie fishing in Green Bay is a fall pursuit, September through November, when cooling water activates the big fish. Trolling large crankbaits and casting oversized bucktails and glide baits along weed edges and rocky structure is the technique. It's a patience game, you might cast 10,000 times before a muskie eats, but the reward is a fish that can exceed 30 pounds.
Ice Fishing
Green Bay freezes, and the ice fishery is outstanding. Walleye through the ice on the bay's mud flats is a Wisconsin winter tradition. Perch provide faster action and excellent eating. Northern pike on tip-ups in the shallower bays round out the hard-water options.
The Sturgeon Bay area also offers ice fishing for walleye and whitefish when conditions allow.
When to Go
- March–April: The Fox River walleye run, the most concentrated freshwater fishing event in the state
- May–June: Smallmouth bass spawn at Sturgeon Bay, opener walleye on the bay
- July–August: Open-bay walleye trolling, Sturgeon Bay bass, perch in the shallows
- September–November: Fall smallmouth, muskie, walleye feeding before winter
- December–March: Ice fishing on the bay, walleye, perch, pike
