Outdoor Must-Haves, K/D Salmon Tournament, ICAST

Summer is finally here, but “cooler by the lake” – and bay – may still be
in our vocabulary for another week or two. The extended forecast shows
highs only in the mid-60s to low 70s and overnight lows in the 50s, with
our wet spring continuing into early summer.

Although there’s no heat wave on the horizon, your skin can burn just as
easily in cool, sunny weather if you don’t cover it with clothing or
sunscreen. The use of SPF 30 or higher screens is recommended,
especially on the face, shoulders, back and anywhere else you tend to
burn the fastest. Reapply throughout the day, especially if you’re in the
water.

If you’ll be out between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., SPF 50 or higher sunscreen
is recommended, along with a hat, polarized sunglasses and light-
colored clothing. And look for shade, or make it: You can picnic under a
tree or take an umbrella or canopy to the beach. Always keep infants in
the shade.

Get more sun-safety tips at ewg.org/sunscreen/top-sun-safety-tips.
Meanwhile, if you’ve been camping, hiking, biking or spending time in
fields and forests, you know it’s shaping up to be another very active
mosquito season, and ticks have been spotted in some areas as well.
Get tips on fighting the bite at dhs.wisconsin.gov/fight-bite/index.htm.

Island bass last to open

It’s always open season for most fish species around the
Kewaunee/Door County Peninsula, but there are some exceptions. With
the reopening of the Lake Michigan yellow perch and northern-zone
smallmouth-bass seasons June 15, all major sportfishing seasons are
underway.

Perch fishing – which reopened in mid-May – is a big deal on Green
Bay. The lakeside opener, though, is almost a nonevent because of low
numbers of yellow-bellies on the deep-water side of the peninsula.

It was legal to catch and release smallmouth bass in northern-zone rivers
such as the Ahnapee and Mink prior to last Saturday’s opener. It’s now
legal to keep some that meet the minimum size restriction, but most
anglers still choose to let them go to fight another day.

The only season still not open is smallmouth-bass fishing within one-
quarter mile of all islands in the Town of Washington Island. That
season is completely closed – no intentional targeting of bass there, even
for catch-and-release fishing – until July 1 to protect a vulnerable population.

All panfish species, whitefish, pike, walleye and all Lake Michigan and
Green Bay trout and salmon species have year-round open seasons, with
various size and bag-limit restrictions.

Panfish and bass are providing good action in the inland lakes and in the
bays and harbors such as Little Sturgeon and Sawyer, and some trophy-
size salmon are starting to smack flies, spoons, plugs and cut bait on
Lake Michigan.

Mixed catches of walleye and pike are coming from the Sturgeon Bay-
to-Dyckesville stretch, and some big muskies have been hooked on the
lower bay especially. Perch anglers are pretty tight-lipped still, but that
fishing could heat up with rising water temperatures.

You can see all the rules by area and species by picking up a printed
copy of the DNR’s guide to hook and line fishing regulations wherever
licenses are sold. That information is also available through the free
GoWild app for Apple or Android devices.

Save the date for ‘K/D’

Tickets are now available for the 37th annual Kewaunee/Door County
Salmon Tournament, which lures close to 3,000 anglers to the peninsula
each July. For the first time, this year’s event begins on a Friday (July
19) and runs nine days, through July 27.

Tickets (rules are on the back) are available at B&K Bait and Tackle at
Kap’s Marina, Jungwirth Ace Hardware, Baileys 57, Greystone Castle,
Howie’s Tackle, Algoma BP, Accurate Marine & Tackle and Center
Court Convenience.

Shipyard Island Marina and K/D have again teamed up to offer a 9.9
Yamaha kicker motor to one lucky ticket buyer, and this year’s top
early-bird-buyer prize is a DJI drone, extra battery and custom case.
Cash prizes include $10,000 for first place and – new for ’19 – higher
prizes for other top finishers, including $6,000 for second place and
$4,000 for third.

Fishing is allowed only in the Wisconsin waters off Kewaunee and Door
counties.

A multi-species contest July 13-21 – Racine’s Salmon-A-Rama – allows
lakewide fishing and has weigh-in opportunities in Sturgeon Bay,
Algoma and Kewaunee.

ICAST show coming up

The world’s largest sportfishing trade show, the International
Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades, will be held July 9-12 in
Florida.

ICAST showcases the latest innovations in fishing gear, accessories and
apparel, and it helps drive product sales year-round. You can keep up
with all the news – including the interactive show map – through the free
ICAST 2019 app, which is supported by Apple and Android. Just click
on a booth, and all the exhibitor information pops up. Search for ICAST
Fishing in your device’s app store.