The Peshtigo River runs through the city of Peshtigo and drains into the bay of Green Bay about 5 miles southeast of Peshtigo. This river is 136 miles long and it flows from Forest County southeasterly towards the bay of Green Bay. Most of the river is in Marinette County. For the purpose of this page, we will be focusing on the fishing in Marinette County. The river is home to some excellent fishing throughout the year. Closer to Green Bay, this river experiences seasonal runs of a variety of fish just like the nearby Menominee River. Northern pike, walleye, trout, smallmouth bass and pike are available during the seasonal runs on the portion of the river that leads out to Green Bay. Farther north, anglers target muskie, pike, bass, walleye and panfish on Caldron Falls, High Falls and Johnson Falls Flowage.
Peshtigo Harbor
The Peshtigo Harbor, a state wildlife area, is located at the mouth of the Peshtigo River approximately three miles southeast of Peshtigo. The harbor is popular for fishing, especially during the seasonal runs as northern pike, walleye, smallmouth bass and trout will all move into the harbor as they get ready to move up into the river to spawn.
Peshtigo Dam
The dam helps create an awesome fishery as many fish will move out of Green Bay and into the river as they move up towards the dam to spawn. There will be some fish found in the river from spring through fall, however, the seasonal spawning runs is what attracts most anglers to this area of the river. There is good parking here with a fish viewing platform that is pretty cool to visit during the peak of the spawning runs.
Spring Ice Out
Northern pike & steelhead move into the river right after ice out as they get ready to spawn. There will be some very big pike caught here every year and there are some quality steelhead too. Don’t expect to find huge numbers of these fish, but there are enough of them that move in every spring that you can expect to find some quality fish if you put the time in on the water.
As Spring Continues
Walleye will then move into the river in bigger numbers as water temperatures move into the low 40s. Depending on the year, you may be catching walleye here as early as March or into May. A warm spring gets everything going sooner and a cold spring will definitely hold the run back quite a bit. Getting here in early April is a pretty safe bet most years, but timing the peak of the run is a little tricky, so you do have to pay attention to the spring reports if you’re trying to hit the peak of the spring run on your fishing trip.
Late Spring / Early Summer
Smallmouth Bass move in once all the toothy critters finish up their spawn. Walleye get the most attention here, so don’t expect the crowds from the middle of May through early June, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some very good smallmouth bass fishing available here. There are plenty of big smallmouth bass that move out of Green Bay to spawn in the Peshtigo River.
Fall
Chinook salmon and brown trout will not arrive in the types of numbers that you will find with the walleye spawn in the spring, but there are good enough numbers of them that you will find plenty of anglers planning fall trips here to get in on some of the salmon and trout action in the fall.
The Flowages
The flowages are home to some very good fishing along the Peshtigo River. Whether you are looking to target muskie, northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass or walleye, you will find places to fish on the flowages. Take a look below to learn more about the different flowages here.
Bagley Flowage 1061
Bagley Flowage 1,061 is a 245 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, panfish are abundant in the lake and northern pike are considered common. Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and walleye are listed as present.
Caldron Falls Reservoir
Caldron Falls Reservoir is a 1,063 acre lake located in Marinette, Oconto Counties. It has a maximum depth of 40 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from multiple public boat landings. Fish include largemouth bass, muskie, northern pike, walleye and panfish. According to the DNR, muskie, northern pike and largemouth bass are considered common in the lake while panfish and walleye are listed as present.
High Falls Reservoir
High Falls Reservoir is a 1,471 acre lake located in Marinette County. It has a maximum depth of 54 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from many different public boat landings. Fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, muskie, walleye and panfish. According to the DNR, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike and walleye are considered common in the lake. Muskie and panfish are listed as present.
Johnson Falls Flowage 647
Johnson Falls Flowage 647 is a 145 acre lake located in Marinette County. It has a maximum depth of 37 feet. Fish include smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye and panfish. According to the DNR, smallmouth bass and walleye are considered common in the lake while northern pike and panfish are listed as present.
Peshtigo Flowage 1086
Peshtigo Flowage 1086 is a 232 acre lake located in Marinette County. It has a maximum depth of 15 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from multiple public boat landings. Fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye and panfish. According to the DNR, panfish are abundant in the lake while smallmouth bass and northern pike are considered common. Largemouth bass and walleye are listed as present.
Sandstone Flowage
Sandstone Flowage is a 127 acre lake located in Marinette County. It has a maximum depth of 39 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.