It’s Memorial Day Weekend, the kick-off to summer.  I’m looking forward to another season of doing kayak and kayak fishing reports for Door County Daily News.  I want to start by reminding all of you kayakers that even though the air temps can be in the 70’s and 80’s, the water temps on Green Bay and Lake Michigan are still cold, so, be sure to always wear your Personal Flotation Device (PFD) when kayaking, and, if out alone, let someone know where you are and when you plan to be back.  Again, this season, I’ll talk about great places to launch your kayak, different types of fishing kayaks, paddles, chasing those big Door County smallmouth bass, kayak fishing gear, and more. 

Spring is a good time for you, kayak anglers, to get out and chase smallmouth bass. To help protect our fishery, I strongly suggest you practice catch, photograph, and release. Also, with the spawn happening, it is extremely important not to disturb those male smallies on a nest guarding their brood. This, too, will protect and enhance our fishery for future years. 

The Door County smallmouth bass fishery is still good but has had challenges over the past decade, which is why the Wisconsin DNR added a question to the Conservation Congress Spring Meeting’s questionnaire to make all of Door County catch and release for smallmouth bass until July 1.  The measure received almost 70% yes votes and will advance!

I know many who read my articles know the waters of Door County well and know where to launch, but some of you are new to this. At Canoecopia last year, I gave a talk titled Kayaking & Kayak Fishing Door County, Wisconsin. I covered some kayak fishing, but the talk mostly focused on all the places to kayak, and, importantly, all the launches up and down the peninsula on both Green Bay and Lake Michigan.  If you would like the PDF of my talk, email me at kayakfishingwisconsin@gmail.com, and I’d be happy to email it to you.

Here's to a fun and safe 2025 kayak season in Door County!