The Menominee River flows into Green Bay and forms the boundary between northeast Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. For this page, we will be focusing on the part of the river that flows through Marinette County, Wisconsin.
Excellent Smallmouth Bass Fishing
The Menominee River is known for its excellent smallmouth bass fishing. During the summer and through early fall, there are many spots on the river that allow anglers to catch big numbers of smallmouth bass with some big fish mixed in too. If you learn the river and find the better spots throughout the summer and fall, 30 to 50 bass days are definitely possible with catches of rock bass, northern pike and walleye mixed in as well. On some parts of the river, you also have a very good chance to catch some big bass in the 3 to 4 pound range with bigger bass possible too.
Marinette, WI
This area of the river is known for putting up some of the biggest fish in the river due to it being connected to Green Bay. There are several seasonal runs of fish that will move from the bay up towards the dam here in Marinette.
Spring Ice Out
Early in the year, anglers will experience the first run of quality fish as the ice starts to melt away. Northern pike & steelhead will move into the river and up towards the dam. You won’t find the numbers of big pike and steelhead like you will for the peak of the walleye run, but if you can brave the cold temperatures and time it right, you can catch some quality steelhead and pike. Big pike in the upper 30 inch range and even above 40 inches are possible early in the year as the big females move into the river to spawn.
As Spring Continues
The walleye will move in next. As water temperatures get into the low 40s, you might want to keep an eye on the weather forecast because several very warm days can push the run from beginning to peak to end real quick with the unseasonably warm weather we’ve been experiencing recently. The walleye run is super popular in the spring though, so don’t expect to find too many hotspots that you can enjoy all to yourself. You may just be fishing with 50 or more of your closest friends during the peak of the run. A large concentration of suckers will usually move in with the walleye as well. Some very big pike can still be caught in the river while the walleye run is going on since the water temperatures are still favorable for pike and there will be so much bait fish in the river.
Late Spring / Early Summer
The next major wave of spawning fish will be the smallmouth bass. On some parts of the Menominee River, you will hear some amazing reports of lots of big smallmouth bass with several in the 4 to 5 pound range, but that is not the norm throughout the entire river. During the smallmouth bass spawn, you will be fishing for huge smallmouth bass that move into the river from Green Bay, so this is the best time of the year if you want to river fish the Menominee and have the chance to catch some huge bass.
Fall
In the fall, you will still find many different species of fish in the river, so don’t be surprised if you catch smallmouth bass, walleye, pike and panfish. However, the next major run of fish that anglers come to fish for will be the Chinook Salmon & brown trout. You won’t see a huge run of monster salmon or brown trout, but there are good enough numbers here to target them and there will be some real quality fish that move into the river from the waters of Green Bay.
River Fishing Below the Dam Throughout the Fishing Season
If you fish here from summer through fall, there will be plenty of fish that do stay in the river, so you can catch some smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye and some panfish too. Just don’t expect the big numbers of fish to be in this part of the river during the summer, however, some anglers do run into some nice fish all summer long. If you’re looking for numbers of better quality fish, anglers will usually head out onto Green Bay.
Dams & Flowages
There are several dams, waterfalls and flowages found along the Menominee River as it flows through Marinette County. Learn about the different flowages that you can fish in this area.
Upper Scott Flowage 4060
Upper Scott Flowage 4060 is a 124 acre lake located in Marinette County. It has a maximum depth of 16 feet. Fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye and panfish. According to the DNR, northern pike and walleye are common in the lake while largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish are listed as present.
Scott Flowage
Scott Flowage is a 139 acre lake located in Marinette County. It has a maximum depth of 20 feet. Fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye and panfish. According to the DNR, smallmouth bass are considered common in the lake while the other species of fish are listed as present.
Grand Rapids Flowage
Grand Rapids Flowage is a 307 acre lake located in Marinette County. It has a maximum depth of 21 feet. Fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye and panfish. According to the DNR, northern pike, smallmouth bass and panfish are considered common in the lake while largemouth bass and walleye are listed as present.
Rosebush Lake
Rosebush Lake is a 417 acre lake located in Marinette County. It has a maximum depth of 30 feet. Fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye and panfish. According to the DNR, smallmouth bass, walleye and northern pike are common in the lake while largemouth bass and panfish are listed as present.
Chalk Hill Flowage
Chalk Hill Flowage is a 866 acre lake located in Marinette County. It has a maximum depth of 30 feet. Fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye and panfish. According to the DNR, smallmouth bass, northern pike and walleye are common in the lake while largemouth bass and panfish are listed as present.
Sturgeon Falls Flowage
Sturgeon Falls Flowage is a 255 acre lake located in Marinette County. It has a maximum depth of 23 feet. Fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye and panfish. According to the DNR, smallmouth bass and walleye are considered common in the lake while largemouth bass, northern pike and panfish are listed as present.
Little Quinnesec Falls Flowage
Little Quinnesec Falls Flowage is a 323 acre lake located in Marinette County. It has a maximum depth of 40 feet. Fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye and panfish. According to the DNR, smallmouth bass, walleye and northern pike are considered common in the lake.
Big Quinnesec Falls Flowage
Big Quinnesec Falls Flowage is a 101 acre lake located in Marinette County. It has a maximum depth of 73 feet. Fish include walleye, muskie, northern pike, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and panfish. According to the DNR, walleye are considered common in the lake while the other species of fish are listed as present.
River Fishing Between the Flowages
There are miles and miles of excellent fishing available for those of you who want to do a little exploring. Most anglers will fish the popular areas and stay close to the dams, but for those that are willing to do a little exploring, there is a lot of potential throughout the river between the flowages. Just be careful as you go exploring the river. As you learn it though, you can put up some really good smallmouth bass numbers with some quality fish too. Northern pike and walleye are nice bonus fish with some panfish mixed in too.