Lake Michigan coho and Chinook hit stride along Door County shore

What's Biting

What's Next

May 11 falls squarely in the heart of the spring coho push on Lake Michigan's Wisconsin shore. Building on a record-setting 2024 class per the WI DNR Lake Michigan Fishing Report, coho typically run nearshore through mid-to-late May before moving to cooler, deeper structure as surface temps climb. Chinook begin building offshore through this same window; expect the charter bite to gradually shift from mixed coho-and-brown-trout trolling runs toward deeper Chinook trolling as Memorial Day approaches.

With the waning crescent moon this week, overnight light is minimal, which generally concentrates morning and dusk feeding windows. Dawn launches out of Sheboygan and southern Door County ramps typically intercept fish before they drop in bright midday sun. Trolling spoons and stick baits behind planer boards or downriggers are the standard approach along the Sheboygan corridor in May — vary depth to find the thermocline, aiming for the cold-water boundary where bait concentrates. No current surface temperature readings are available this cycle, but a water temp check from a local charter or fish finder will help dial in the right depth band before committing to a spread.

The Rowley's Bay boat launch closure (through approximately May 31, per the WI DNR) tightens northern Door County access heading into the long weekend. Anglers planning Memorial Day salmon or trout trips to the north end of the peninsula should confirm alternate ramps — Sturgeon Bay, Sister Bay, or Egg Harbor — and expect higher-than-usual traffic at those sites.

On the Green Bay side of Door County, smallmouth bass are closing in on their spawn as May progresses. Shallow rocky points and gravel flats typically produce well as water temps climb through the 50s°F — right where much of Door County's nearshore structure sits by mid-May. The WI DNR's ongoing management review of smallmouth in Green Bay and northern Lake Michigan suggests regulators are monitoring the population closely; confirm current state regulations and any size or bag-limit changes before targeting smallmouth.

Context

Mid-May is historically one of the strongest windows of the year on Lake Michigan's Wisconsin shore. Coho — stocked as fingerlings each fall — spend roughly 18 months in the lake before returning to the nearshore zone in their second spring, making mid-May the traditional peak of their lake run. The fishery then transitions to larger Chinook through midsummer. Brown trout and steelhead round out the spring mix, with steelhead typically at the tail end of their tributary runs by the second week of May.

The 2024 harvest benchmark from the WI DNR Lake Michigan Fishing Report is worth carrying forward as context: a record 210,000-plus coho and more than 160,000 Chinook, the best Chinook number since 2012. Both totals were credited to strong recent alewife year classes boosting stocked-fish survival. If 2025 stocking classes experienced similar forage conditions, 2026 is positioned to sustain that momentum — though year-class survival can swing sharply with weather, and no in-season comparison data is available for 2026 yet.

For lake whitefish, the WI DNR is in active discussion about new Total Allowable Catch levels for Lake Michigan and Green Bay, per the WI DNR Lake Michigan Fishing Report. That review process reflects the careful balancing of commercial and recreational harvest on one of the fishery's most ecologically significant species. Anglers targeting whitefish in deeper Green Bay waters should confirm current regulations before heading out.

No real-time temperature or flow data is available this cycle to confirm whether spring 2026 is running early, late, or on pace. Historically, nearshore temps off Sheboygan reach the upper 40s to low 50s°F by mid-May — enough to keep salmon actively feeding. Consult a local charter for the most current on-water read.