Wisconsin has two Great Lakes coastlines and a charter fleet to match. From Kenosha to Kewaunee, harbor towns send out trolling boats for king and coho salmon, lake trout and steelhead. Green Bay adds a trophy walleye and muskie fishery, Door County is known for big smallmouth bass, and up north, Bayfield and the Apostle Islands put you on Lake Superior lake trout. Inland, the northern lake country holds more classified muskie lakes than anywhere else in the state.
Ports and regions
Southern Lake Michigan (Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee, Port Washington, Sheboygan). The heart of the Wisconsin salmon fleet. Port Washington, Milwaukee and Sheboygan each have a deep bench of captains running 5 to 7 hour trips. This stretch is also the state’s best lake trout water: the Kenosha to Sheboygan region produced 74% of Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan lake trout harvest in 2024, according to the DNR.
Northern Lake Michigan (Two Rivers, Kewaunee, Algoma). Smaller harbors with the same salmon and trout mix, and a late-summer king bite as mature fish move toward their home rivers.
Door County and Sturgeon Bay. Sturgeon Bay sits between Lake Michigan and Green Bay, so captains here fish both: salmon trolling on the big lake, smallmouth on the rocky Green Bay shoreline, and walleye in the bay. Nearby Strawberry Creek is the DNR’s main source of Chinook eggs for Lake Michigan stocking, and returning kings show up there each fall.
Green Bay. The lower bay and its rivers (Fox, Oconto, Peshtigo and Menominee) hold what the Wisconsin DNR calls a world-class walleye fishery. A spring 2025 DNR survey handled nearly 5,000 walleye in the spawning rivers, with females averaging 23.6 inches. Green Bay is also a trophy muskie fishery, managed as outlying water with its own season and a much higher minimum size than most inland lakes.
Lake Superior (Bayfield, Washburn and the Apostle Islands). Cold, clear water and a different fishery: lake trout trolling and jigging around the islands, plus coho, browns and splake. Wisconsin anglers had their highest coho harvest on record in Lake Superior in 2025.
Inland muskie country. Wisconsin has fishable muskie populations in about 667 lakes, and Vilas, Oneida and Sawyer counties hold nearly half of them. The state record, a 69 lb 11 oz fish, came from the Chippewa Flowage in Sawyer County.
Top species and tactics
- Chinook and coho salmon: Trolled with downriggers, divers and lead core using spoons, flasher and fly rigs, and meat rigs. Kings are the main target in summer; coho are the early-season fish.
- Lake trout and brown trout: Lake trout are the reliable bottom fish on Lake Michigan and the main event on Lake Superior. Browns cruise the shallows in cold water.
- Steelhead: Wisconsin stocked more than 515,000 steelhead in 2025, in three strains with different run timing, so there is usually a rainbow somewhere in the spread.
- Walleye: Green Bay and its rivers, from the spring spawning run through summer trolling on the bay.
- Muskie: Green Bay for trophy-class Great Lakes fish, and northern inland lakes for classic casting trips.
- Smallmouth bass: Door County’s rocky shorelines and Sturgeon Bay. The DNR describes the population as steady, with trophy fish still available.
- Yellow perch: Offered by some Green Bay and Lake Michigan guides, in open water and through the ice.
The 2026 salmon picture
Wisconsin stocked about 1.3 million Chinook in 2025. The DNR reported that 3-year-old female kings averaged 14.7 pounds in 2025, down from recent years, which is one of the signals the Lake Michigan states use to judge whether there are enough alewives to feed the salmon. Michigan has already announced reduced Chinook stocking starting in 2027. For 2026 the Lake Michigan and Green Bay trout and salmon season is continuous, so there is no closure to plan around. The Lake Superior lake trout season runs December 1 through September 30, and the Apostle Islands zone is managed with a sport harvest quota that can close it early if the trigger is reached. Lake Superior lake trout abundance has declined in recent years, so expect captains to mix in coho and other species.
When to go
Spring (March to May): Walleye runs in the Green Bay tributaries in March and April, coho along the Lake Michigan shoreline, and brown trout near harbors. Door County smallmouth are catch and release in spring; in 2026 that catch-and-release period runs through July 1.
Summer (June to August): Peak salmon and trout season on Lake Michigan and prime lake trout trolling around the Apostle Islands. Inland muskie season is open (Wisconsin moved to a single statewide inland opener, May 2, in 2026).
Fall (September to November): Kings stage off the harbors and head up the rivers. Green Bay and inland muskie fishing is at its best as the water cools, and Chequamegon Bay produces walleye and smallmouth.
Winter: Most Lake Michigan boats are out of the water. Guides switch to ice fishing for walleye and perch on Green Bay and for lake trout and splake on Lake Superior.
What it costs
- $600–$650: A 5-hour Lake Michigan salmon charter out of Port Washington, per boat, for up to six anglers.
- $785–$900: A 7-hour Lake Michigan trip, per boat.
- $600–$900: Apostle Islands lake trout, from a 5-hour trip for four to an 8-hour day, with about $100 per additional angler.
- $550–$750: A 5 to 8 hour Green Bay walleye, smallmouth or muskie guide trip for two, typically about $100 for each extra angler.
Great Lakes charters are priced per boat, not per person, and most carry up to six. Some captains add Wisconsin sales tax or a card fee on top of the rate. Tip the crew 15–20%.
Licenses and rules
Every adult angler on a charter needs a Wisconsin fishing license. If you are fishing for trout or salmon on Lake Michigan, Green Bay or Lake Superior (and their tributaries up to the first dam), you also need the Great Lakes Salmon and Trout Stamp ($10). The simplest option for charter customers is the two-day Great Lakes fishing license, $14, which includes the stamp and is valid only on the Great Lakes waters. A nonresident one-day license is $15 but does not cover trout and salmon without the stamp. Licenses are sold through the Wisconsin DNR Go Wild system.
Seasons, bag limits and size limits vary by water, and Green Bay, Lake Superior and inland lakes each have their own rules. Check the current Wisconsin fishing regulations before your trip, and ask your captain about local specifics.
Choosing a captain
Decide on the fishery first. For salmon and lake trout, book a Lake Michigan trolling charter; 5-hour trips are a good fit for families and first-timers. For walleye, muskie or smallmouth, book a Green Bay or Door County guide, who will usually run a smaller boat for fewer anglers. For a Lake Superior trip, ask how the captain handles the lake trout quota and what they target once lake trout close for the season. Browse all Wisconsin fishing charters by city.
Unreel doesn’t take a cut of any booking. The price the captain quotes is what the captain keeps.
Sources and official regulations
Rules and seasons change. Check the agency before your trip.