Summer variety of Chicago fishing: Midwest Fishing Report

first pond report, fished a shallower pond with quite a lot of it filled with emergent vegetation to the surface on an overcast morning . I know frogging is all the rage these days with more choices in artificial frogs than I can wrap my head around. I still use the old tried and true , uncle josh pork frogs on a single hook with a wire weed guard . I skittered, slithered and slid the chunk on top of the weeds and let it sink into pockets . At some point everything I tried brought at leas a few largemouth but dropping in pockets caught the biggest fish . second pond report fished a deeper pond , much more stained in color not much in the way of emergent veggies except for some sandgrass . It does have quite a bit of willows and other shrubs growing along shore and hanging out over the water . It was a bright sunny day when I fished this one, started by plastic worming the bottom with nary a pickup. I tried bouncing a crankbait off the bottom , same result. I decided to try fish the shade and over hanging willows with either a cigar type worm or a jig/pig . I took the crankbait off the snap and as I was putting it away there was a wakebait two trays over that started calling to me . what the heck I enjoy aggressive more than finesse so I went with it. I have found over the years that gut feelings generally pay off and this one did as well . Probably my best day for numbers and size on a pond for largemouth this year . I was cranking it as fast as I could, every hit was rock solid with several monster blow ups .peacenorm

Hey Dale, Area lakes continue to give up bass. With the continued heat, work deep weed edges or pitch to weed mats adjacent to deep water. Berkley chigger craws or BPS crack craw have produced the best. Making multiple pitches a must to produce strikes. Early morning hours best.TTYL— Ken Husker O’Malley Huskeroutdoors Waterworks fishing team

Went out Sunday. A few dead bass and stripers left from the previous week. Didn’t see nothing fresh. Maybe 40 total. Water cooled 10-12 degrees. Action was awesome. Thomas Sanders and I had 24 pounds with our best 5. Biggest fish was 6.48. Our best three was at 16.20. Caught some great fish. Our best day ever out there. That picture was a 6.48 and a 4.62 that was a double. Also had a 5.1. Several 4s. And a ton of 3s. I know sounds like a fish story but it was unbelievable. Caught about 35. 90% over 3 lbs.

Chicago River Report Last week was a good week on the Chicago River. Had some Great Groups out and we caught fish every trip, 7 species in all Sm Lg Mouth White Bass Crappie Bluegill Perch Catfish. Numbers were good some are getting a little harder to find.Water temps are in the mid seventies. there was a lot of added boat traffic with the Tall Ships in town but it was a fun week. On a side note Sunday at the Richard J.Daley ramp was the busiest day I have ever seen there and not very fun. there were at least 40 boats and just as many jet ski’s. People were pulling the wrong way passing others waiting to launch and that spilled out into the water. there is a NO WAKE ZONE at the ramp and jet ski’s and boats were flying around it. Water Safety is very Important, People were leaving the ramp with adults and children out on the bows of pleasure boats and running full bore up river to downtown. At anytime on the river there can be large logs branches and other debris floating that can turn a Fun day into a Bad day. There are various NO WAKE ZONES 5 mph or less No ripples on the water. The south branch of the river is very commercial its not a Recreational Area as you round a turn at 35 mph there may be a barge coming right at you, Everyone one has the right to have fun on the River but please know the hazards and a little Boat safety and educate. Just a few Safety tips 15 years of age and under must wear a life Jacket at all time. NO WAKE %mph or less Stay to the right up and down the water way just like on the street Bow riding 5 mph and less Most of all know the body of water you are on and respect it and others that are on it with you.. Safety and Fun boating have to go together so we all have fun.

South branch is about dead to game fish due to lack of D.O. now that fisk power plant does not circulate millions of gallons of water a day(resulting in great D.O.) .Main stem is doing very well due to much more boat traffic churning water and causing better D.O.. Wolf point is on fire…..Bass/Gills/strioers/even big shad and a few small trout at chump tower out flow. North branch has some good 12inch bass at Diversey near river bowl on craw imitators rolled over discarded bowling balls near shore. …….Shout out to Mark and his boys Noah and Ethan on their first time fishing the Chicago river …….They are now hooked on Chicago river urban fishing ………………..Jeff Nolan,Bridgeportbass

Lake Geneva Fishing Report 8/1/16 through 8/8/16 Lake Geneva has been rather slow in the last week. The lake has been full of 3-4 inch bluegills throughout the water column which makes the game fish tricky to fish. I’ve caught these bluegills anywhere from 6 to28 ft of water. With the warm summer, the water temperature is some of the highest I’ve seen on Lake Geneva. Bluegill fishing is very easy, however the trick is finding the bigger fish. The biggest fish I found this week were in 21 ft of water by Gage Marine or by Elgin Club. I’ve been fishing them vertically with small leaf worms using my trolling motor to keep in position. Some of the biggest sun fish I caught last week were in Trinkes Bay in 12 ft of water. They were caught while drifting split shot rigged nightcrawlers. Northern Pike fishing has been typical for this time of year. The fish are in 33-35 ft of water. The best success is coming in Williams Bay or the beach in Fontana. The best approach remains lindy rigging medium suckers. I’ve been using slightly bigger suckers than normal, the average size is 6-8 inches. Smallmouth bass action has been spotty. The best concentration I’ve found is by Gage Marine in 23-26 ft of water. The fish I’ve been targeting have been tight to the bottom. The best approach has been lindy rigging nightcrawlers with a slow back troll. Largemouth bass fishing has been marginal. The best bite on the lake has been the top water bite in the first hour of daylight. The best success has come in Williams Bay or on the north side of Geneva Bay. I prefer using hard baits with a walk the dog retrieve. The bait I prefer is a chrome and blue chug bug. Later in the day, I’ve been catching a few bass in 12-14 ft of water in Trinkes or by the beach in Williams Bay. Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050

Delavan Lake Fishing Report 8/1/16 through 8/8/16 Delavan Lake fishing remains a bit slower than in recent years, however the boat traffic is substantially lighter than in past years. Bluegill fishing is fantastic. The overall size of the fish is about 1 inch longer than in past years. The fish are averaging about 8 inches. The best water depth has been 13-16 ft on the outside of the weed line. The bigger fish I’ve been catching have been by the concrete point or by Willow Point. I’m using giant reds or trout worms fished on a split shot rig straight lined beneath the boat. Largemouth bass fishing has been a bit slow. The best success is coming in the early morning hours on top water fished around the piers or when the sun comes up casting nightcrawlers or jigs underneath the piers. The best depth has been 6-8 ft of water. I prefer the docks on the north shore between the Yacht Club and Willow point. I have caught some fish on the deep weed line but it’s been pretty hit or miss. The fish seem to bite better after a rain storm. Northern pike action has been steady in 22-24 ft of water. The key location for me has been by the old boy scout camp or by the gray condos near Assembly Park. The best approach is medium suckers fished on a lindy rig. The larger the sucker, the better action it seems. Walleye fishing has been slow. The fish seem to be in the main lake basin and are scattered. They’ve been hard to locate to even present the bait. When the water starts cooling the fish should start moving tighter to the weedline, making them easier to locate and catch. Perch fishing remains very good. The fish are in 8-10 ft of water around the piers by Browns Channel or Assembly park. The best bait is hellgrammites or nightcrawler pieces. Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050

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river level steadily dropping but still above normal flow, green stain, about 1 ft visibility . a variety of current situations were working . crankbaits on current seams, rattlebaits at both the upstream and downstream side of riffle areas and a short arm singlespin tipped with a 5 inch twister pitched into stands of emergent vegetation and allowed to drop along edges, slots and clear patches in the weeds. all smallmouth, wide variety of sizes . peacenorm

Hello and good evening Dale.All weekend long fishing around the hill continue to be very good for big coho and king’s very early morning. Saturday north wind kept all boat’s in the harbor.Sunday good fishing on 160 feet for mix bag of fish, many Lakers with big rainbows again. Thanks Ted ( diehard angler ) BOSKA

While not as warm as the previous week, the continued warm weather meant some stable patterns and fairly consistent fishing. A few high sky days meant the best times were early or late, but, overall the bite has remained good. Smallmouth Bass: Very good. Off-shore humps remain best. Rock and gravel of 18-28’. Drop-shotting rubber craw imitations, 2 ½ Gulp minnows. The outside weed edges have also produced well for anglers tossing tubes and wacky worms. Largemouth Bass: Very good. Top water action in the evenings on plastic frogs, Jitterbugs, Hula Poppers and weedless spoons. During mid-day work spinnerbaits and chatter baits as well as pre-rigged plastic worms over cabbage beds of 8-12’. Early mornings twitch baits are drawing fish up. Walleye: Good-Very good. Must fish prime times to get best bites. Mid mornings to mid afternoons not so good. Crawlers and leeches are most effective for walleyes up in shallow weeds during low light periods. Redtail chubs doing well also as fish are feeding heavily on small perch. A few reports of casting #6 Shad Raps and Flicker Shads at dawn and dusk. Bluegills: Good-Very good. Actively taking poppers towards dusk around emergent vegetation (Lily pads, etc.). During the day 6-10’ cabbage on most lakes though deeper lakes seeing best fish suspending off coontail edges in 12-18’. Pike: Good. Fish bladed baits (#4 Mepps, Boonie Baits or Chatter baits) as well as 4 swim baits over heavy cover. Perch: Good. Drowned wood (tree stumps or cribs) best as these fish love to pick crayfish off these areas. Half crawlers, medium leeches, medium fatheads best. Crappies: Good. Fish tops of tall, narrow leaf cabbage. Small minnows and jigs or 1-2 twister tails. Musky: Fair-Good. Surprisingly best action on recent outing on 7 twitch baits. Though typically bucktails this time of year. Throw top water early and late in the day. Surface temps have cracked 80 degrees on many lakes due to lots of sun. Mid days have been a bit slower on high pressure days. Best to chase bluegills and Largemouth during those times.

Fishing Report Muskie: Weeds, rocks, break lines, and mid-lake humps depending on the lake. Don’t forget to bring an arsenal of baits to cover a lot of water. Remember the proper equipment is needed to use certain baits. Northern Pike: Fishing the weed edges with bass style spinnerbaits or inline spinnerbaits such as Mepps #4 and #5, and weedless spoons, such as Johnson Silver Minnows. Jig and minnow combos fishing near weeds for walleyes will catch a few also. Walleye: With high water temps and a lot of recreational boaters, plant to fish early morning hours or later evening hours. Have lots of options ready. Bass: (Largemouth) Bass spinnerbaits (safety pin style) and crankbaits are working well. If fishing weeds, don’t forget to bring top water baits like a Scum Frog or a Zara Spook; adding this approach will add to success. Texas and Carolina rigging plastics will also entice that fish to bite. (Smallmouth) Basic live bait rig is always a go to presentation; also plastics and crankbaits will work well. Panfish: For Bluegills, slip bobber rigs are the way to go baited up with a good selection of live bait such as waxies, small leeches and red worms. Plastics are working under bobbers with a twitch of the rod to make sure they have actions. Crappies will be looking for cover in the weeds, downed trees or around cribs and a slip bobber rigged with small minnow or plastics; work them the same way as with Bluegills. Perch are in the weeds too, and using a selection of small leeches, red worms and small minnows on slip bobbers are the ticket for them.

Fishing for wht bass this weekend was great. Found the gulls hitting the water. All large whities. Threw at least 100 back . Only fished a few hours both mornings. Picture of my Dad Casey with a 33 inch pike, and my twin sis with an 18 inch walleye. Blade baits jigged under the boat, after finding them on the graph. Could have caught a boat full. Lots of bait in the river, shouldbe a great fall season just like last year. Hope all is well there . (. GAR )