Whether or not you are an angler, when asked to name the hot fishing spots in our part of the world the most likely destinations to emerge will be northern Wisconsin, Ontario and Lake Erie. Although Door County has long been on the short list of places to go for Great Lakes offshore (salmon and trout) fishing, even us local angers were a bit taken aback last summer when Bassmaster Magazine published its annual list of the 100 best bass fisheries in the U. S. and named Sturgeon Bay #1!
A proud Baileys Harbor Brown Trout Tournament winner from a past season.
For the past 26 years the Baileys Harbor Brown Trout Tournament has kicked off the Door County fishing season. One of the first tournaments of the year on any of the Great Lakes, this year’s event will be held April 23 – 26. The water temperature will be in the 30s and chunks of ice will still be floating around the harbors. But fisherman from all over the Midwest will flock to Door County to vie for one of the top prizes given to the biggest fish. Last year’s winner weighed in at 24.57 lbs.
Participants in the tournament may fish anywhere along the Door County shoreline. The center of activities will be the Baileys Harbor Fire Station which houses the fish weigh-in station. One of the tournament’s sponsors, Beacon Marine, will put on a boat show there during the weigh-in activities over the long weekend. The Fire/Weigh-in Station will also host a Block Party on Sunday from 10 a.m until 2 pm with live entertainment and food & refreshments leading up to the final awards ceremony.
The fishing is great any time of the year in Door County. Those anglers who show up in April to pursue the majestic Brown Trout enjoy the County at its finest and least crowded.
