Trickle of kings/hope of stable weather: Chicago fishing, Midwest Fishing Report

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king09_10_18catdaddy_e1536671717536.jpg

King at 63rd.
Provided

The trickle of big Chinook to shore is going stronger in Chicago and the hope of  an extended stretch of stable fall weather leads this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.

BoRabb Williams messaged the photo above and this note Monday afternoon of Frankie “CatDaddy” Smith at 63rd:

CatDaddy just caught a 25lb King

On Tuesday, Williams followed up with this:

so far he has the biggest one at Jackson Park Stroker’s Fishing Club

The condensed Midwest Fishing Report appears Wednesdays on the outdoors page of the Sun-Times newspaper. The sprawling raw-file report is posted here online on the Sun-Times outdoors page.

LAKEFRONT KINGS

King at 63rd.<br>Provided

King at 63rd.
Provided

On Monday, BoRabb Williams messaged the photo above of an 18-pound king he caught in the morning and 63rd, then messaged on Tuesday:

Yesterday at least 6 came out from my guys

Williams said spoons are key, especially Moonshines.

Stacey Greene at Park Bait said there were several kings caught Monday night at Montrose and a couple more Tuesday morning in the daylight

At Waukegan, Capt. Scott Wolfe of School of Fish Charters emailed:

There are fish in the harbor. The water is very dirty and casting has been poor. Although it’s much earlier than usual shore fishermen might try some he dirty water.Hopefully the water clears this week.

Weather forecast certainly leads me to think the water will not clear, but stay that way.

Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez’s Bait in Lake Station, Ind. texted:

Some kings jumping and flopping at Michigan city lighthouse coho too Few being caught here and there on glow spoons and crank baits fished slowPortage riverwalk few fish flopping a fish caught here and there

ILLINOIS FROG HUNTING

Frog hunting in Illinois, bullfrogs only, is open. Daily bag is eight. Fishing license is required; bullfrogs may be taken by “hook and line, gig, pitchfork, spear, bow and arrow, hand, or landing net.”

AREA LAKES

Crappie from Chicago suburbs.<br>Provided

Crappie from Chicago suburbs.
Provided

Ken “Husker” O’Malleyemailed the photo above and this report:

Hey Dale, Here is a recap of this past week’s fishing.Area lakes- despite the cool down in temps, the fishing has remained hot. 4 1/2 inch senkos worked along the outside weedlines have produced good numbers for bass. Crappie can also be caught in the same location using a maki plastics mousi under a slip float. Key is the keep the bait twitching.TTYL—Ken Husker O’Malley Husker Outdoors

AREA RIVERS/CREEKS

Click here to find river closures listed by the Illinois DNR. Go to http://water.weather.gov//ahps2/index.php?wfo=lot to check area water levels and projection. To get to more specific gauges, even on creeks, in Illinois, go to http://waterdata.usgs.gov/il/nwis/current/?type=flow

BRAIDWOOD LAKE

Rob Abouchar emailed: Also Anglers Choice tournaments have started up again at Braidwood with a tough bite reported but cranking and flipping getting keepers.

Final day of fishing is Oct. 16. Lake is open 6 a.m. to sunset. Check with Jon’s Bait Shop–(815) 237-2822–in South Wilmington.

CALUMET SYSTEM

No update.

CHAIN O’LAKES

NO-WAKE: As of Tuesday morning, from the Algonquin dam to the Wisconsin line is no-wake. Check updates at Fox Waterway Agency or (847) 587-8540 for more information.

Art Frisell at Triangle Sports and Marine said to look for crappie around lighted areas and to fish with small minnows or spikes; walleye should continue good with the high water, focus on Petite or Marie; catfish continue good all over; muskie are fair on bucktails and small jerkbaits.

STRATTON LOCK AND DAM: Open daily 8 a.m.-midnight through Sept. 30. Click here for more info on the lock and dam.

CHICAGO RIVER

No update from Capt. Pat Harrison at Pat Harrison Outdoors.

DELAVAN LAKE, WISCONSIN

Dave Duwe sent this:

Lake Geneva Fishing Report 9/10/18 through 9/18/18 Lake Geneva continues to be a tough lake to fish. With the cooler weather, the water temps should start to drop and hopefully that will entice the fish to bite and head into their fall patterns. Largemouth bass are being caught in Geneva Bay by Covenant Harbor and in the bay itself. I’ve been concentrating on a depth of 16-18 ft of water. The best presentation has been drop shotting 4 inch finesse worms or trolling medium diving crank baits. For live bait fishermen, the lindy rigged nightcrawler remains a consistent way to catch fish. Bluegill action has been good in the 16-18 ft depth range by Gage Marine, the Yacht Club and by Elgin Club. You want to fish straight beneath the boat about 1 foot off bottom with a small leaf worm. The fish are in large schools and are quite visible on your fish locator. Northern pike action has been mediocre in the weed flats, like Williams Bay and Geneva Bay. The most consistent bite is trolling medium diving crank baits in a fire tiger or perch pattern, 2 to 3 feet above the weed growth. Smallmouth bass fishing has been spotty. I haven’t been able to put a pattern together for them in weeks. Everything seems to be normal as far as weather and water temperature, but the fish aren’t in their normal summer patterns. The only spot I’ve been able to catch a few has been in 22-28 feet of water off of Gage Marine. Nothing has change with the Walleye bite, still at night and still biting on Rapalas and Berkely Flicker Shads. Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 262-728-8063

DES PLAINES RIVER

No update.

DOWNSTATE NOTES

LAKE SHELBYVILLE:  Check with Ken Wilson of Ken Wilson Guide ServiceSOUTHERN ILLINOIS: Check with Jason Johns of Boneyard Fishing.

EVERGREEN:As posted on the web site:

Evergreen Lake Bait Shop & Boat Rental – NOW OPEN 6-6 EVERY DAY!

POWERTON:Open 6 a.m.-6 p.m.

FOX RIVER: WESTERN SUBURBS

No update, other than the river has dropped below flood stage, slowly. No-wake, as noted in Chain report, remains in effect on the upper end.

FOX RIVER, WISCONSIN

No update.

GENEVA LAKE, WISCONSIN

Dave Duwe sent this:

Delavan Lake Fishing report 9/10/18 through 9/18/18 We had a huge cold front come through the last few days. It seemed to effect most of the fish except the largemouth bass. The largemouth bass bite is the most consistent bite on the lake, followed the bluegills. The largemouth bass fishing continues to be excellent in the 15-17 ft depth range. The fish are just on the outside edge of the weed lines, focus on the inside and outside of the turns by the main lake points. The bass continue to be in large schools so if you catch one, you’ll catch many. I was able last week to catch 15-20 fish out of one spot. I’ve been using nightcrawlers, drop shotting 4 inch finesse worms or chatter baits. I’ve been averaging one legal fish for every 5 or 6 caught. The bluegill action remains very steady. The best location is just west of Willow Point or on Assembly Park weed line point. You want to use leaf worms or nightcrawler pieces for the best success. Work a depth between 13 and 15 ft of water. Northern Pike fishing has been okay in the shallow weed flats. The most action is coming out of 12-13 ft of water casting white spinner baits or medium diving fire tiger crank baits. Look for the fish on the west end, in Viewcrest or the Highlands. The sucker bite for me has been non-existent. There are a few smallmouth bass that have been intermixed with the largemouth bass. I’ve been unable to find just the smallmouth exclusively. I’ve been able to catch them with the same bait and techniques as the largemouth. Walleye fishing has been very slow. As the water cools, the walleye action should be improving. The best time to try for them is first light or just after dark. Look for them off the main lake points in 18-20 ft of water. Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 262-728-8063

GREEN BAY/STURGEON BAY

No update this week from Lance LaVine at Howie’s Tackle in Sturgeon Bay.

Click here to see the Wisconsin DNR’s Lake Michigan Fishing Report.

HEIDECKE LAKE

Oct. 9 is the final day of fishing.

Lake hours are 6 a.m. to sunset daily; well, shore fishing is always scheduled to open at 6;30 a.m.

ILLINOIS RIVER

Check with B&B Live Bait in Ottawa–(815) 433-0432.

INDIANA STREAMS (LAKE MICHIGAN TRIBUTARIES)

Access points for Trail Creek can be found on the Trail Creek Access Map. Access points for Little Cal and Salt Creek, which are closer to Chicago than Trail Creek, may be found at littlecal_saltcreek_access.

Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez’s Bait in Lake Station, Ind. texted:

Creeks have some fish in not a motherload but some in trailcreek and salt creekSpinners and floating spawn best bet

KANKAKEE RIVER

Kankakee smallmouth.<br>Provided

Kankakee smallmouth.
Provided

Kyle Lund messaged the photo above of Seth Colin and this report:

Well the Kank is still holding pretty steady as far as water levels are concerned but we did see one big change, the water temperature. Last week we had water around 85° and as of 8am today we were sitting at 64° through out the day that temp will climb and top out around 70° This big drop in water temp has sparked the start of fall feeding frenzy on the river. Fish are still relating to riffle areas but are more willing to feed through the day. As the temp continues to drop the fishing will get better and better. In last weeks report I mentioned that guys were catching fish but it was more productive early and late in the day. As the water cools that bite window will increase and eventually last the entire day. What water temp is the peak of the fall feeding frenzy? Usually when we are seeing morning temps around the low to mid 50’s and a warming to the low to mid 60’s. This is my favorite time of year to fish for smallies. The fish will school around schools of bait and feed ruthlessly on them. My top 3 baits are topwater, jerk baits, lip less and shallow or medium diving crank baits. Along with the smallies packing on the feed bags the walleye will also feed more actively but this bite will be during low light and into the night. If you are planning to head out this week I would definitely recommend having the 3 baits mentioned above in you tackle box. Try different speeds on your retrieve and switch up locations. Start on the sunny shallow side of the river in the morning and then move out off the bank as the sun comes up. Fish shallow riffle areas but also don’t be afraid to fan cast the middle of the river. Some of my best days in the fall have happened on accident while casting to the middle to remove a tangle or backlash. Good luck and stay safe! I’ll end with a picture of one of the fall giants that was caught yesterday on the river by Seth Colin. It only gets better from this point on!

KENOSHA, WISCONSIN

Click here to see the Wisconsin DNR’s Lake Michigan Fishing Report. It generally comes out Tuesday.

LAKE ERIE

Click here for bag limits and prospects for the season from the Ohio DNR. The Ohio DNR has general Lake Erie info and a fishing report.

LAKEFRONT

Near-shore salmon reports at the top. Stacey Greene at Park Bait said the surprise on Tuesday was some perch were caught. There’s also been some steelhead caught at Montrose.

Capt. Bob Poteshmanof Confusion Charters said Tuesday was the first boaters fished in days; North Point slow, some fish in 180-200 feet; out of Chicago, slow but mostly lakers in 130-140 feet. Stable weather should allow fishermen to better pattern fish.

Capt. Scott Wolfe of School of Fish Charters emailed:

Hi Dale – Not too much to report. In the past week we could run only two trips. Both were good in deep water, 160 – 220 feet with all lure below 90 feet. Magnum Warrior spoons in UV green patterns were best. Both trips were before the big Northeast blow.There are fish in the harbor. The water is very dirty and casting has been poor. Although it’s much earlier than usual shore fishermen might try some he dirty water.Hopefully the water clears this week.Capt. Scott WolfeSchool Of Fish Charters630-341-0550

LaSALLE LAKE

Final day of fishing is Oct. 15. Lake is open daily 6 a.m.-sunset.

MADISON CHAIN, WISCONSIN

Check updates from D & S Bait on Facebook.

MAZONIA

Final day of fishing is Oct. 16, except for Monster Lake at Mazonia South, which is open year-round to fishing.

Lakes are open 6 am. to sunset daily. Check with Jon Meder at Jon’s Bait Shop–(815) 237-2822–in South Wilmington.

MENOMINEE RIVER, WISCONSIN

Smallmouth Menominee River.<br>Provided

Smallmouth Menominee River.
Provided

Mike Mladeikat Mike Mladenik Guide Service emailed the photo above and this note last week:

High Water & Big SmallmouthDue to the rain the Menominee River swelled and the big smallmouth went on the feed gorging on minnows. All our smallmouth were caught tight to the shoreline. Our bait of choice was the Case Salted Sinking Minnow. I developed a special rig with the Case sinking minnow that is deadly. We might not need to use retail chubs this fall thanks to this rig. Chubs will be tough to get this fall and forget the $$$$$. Good Day on the River 9/6/2018

MILWAUKEE HARBOR

Arden Katz reported good kings from boat over the weekend, he caught his fish on 3/4 ounce Rat-L-Traps.

Click here to see the Wisconsin DNR’s Lake Michigan Fishing Report. It is generally out Tuesdays.

NORTHERN WISCONSIN

MINOCQUA:  Kurt Justice of Kurt’s Island Sport Shop sent this:

Cool morning and stable weather the past week have been a nice change from the summer heat and rains. Fishing has improved too a bit because of it. Although summer looks to be sticking around still with the forecast calling for upper 70’s – low 80’s this week. Musky: Good-Very Good – Top-water continues to produce fish. Baits that make a lot of noise like the Whopper Plopper or Topper Stopper are good choices. Spinnerbaits and bucktails have also put fish in in the boat over weed flats. We’re having more reports of Muskies taking small to medium sized suckers as well. Northern Pike: Good-Very Good – Inline spinners, chatterbait and spinnerbaits have all been a good choice for Pike. Work these baits over weed beds. Suckers and chubs have also been producing some good size Pike too. Smallmouth Bass: Good – Gravel humps and sandgrass flats are good areas to fish right now. Ned rigging and drop-shotting Chompers worms or 3 Gulp Minnows are good bets for these areas. Reports of nice Smallies 4 to 5 pounds being reported. Largemouth Bass: Good-Fair – Wacky rigging, Ned rigging and Texas rigging are all catching fish. Just slow down your presentation, cooler nights and mornings are making the Largemouth not as active as they were in August. Crappie: Good-Fair – Plastics, such as tubes, twister tails and Crappie thumpers are good choices. Small fatheads under a slip float will get the job done as well. Work the top sections of weeds at the deepest point before breaks. Early morning and evening are best times. Yellow Perch: Good-Fair – Worms, small fatheads and frozen softshells are all getting Perch to hit. Look for cribs 8-14’ of water and drowned wood. Bluegill: Good-Fair – Clear weather the past week has helped improve the fishing. Look for Gills suspended off weed edges in 12-16’ of water. Walleye: Fair – Bluebird skies this week has made it tough on fishing. Though a few Walleye being reported. Fishing early morning or after dark is your best bet. Fathead, chubs and crawlers are taking fish. Drop offs 12-18’ of water and after dark look for the Walleye to be in 8-12’ of water. Hasn’t cooled enough yet to see significant color change. A couple of trees here and there for now. Bring your sun screen if you are headed out this week. Kurt Justice – Kurt’s Island Sport Shop www.kurtsislandsports.com Like us on FaceBook —

mail

EAGLE RIVER: No update from B+L, from reports from Colin Crawford of Colin Crawford Guide Service, for the Eagle River Chamber of Commerce.

NORTHWEST INDIANA

Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez’s Bait in Lake Station, Ind. texted:

Some kings jumping and flopping at Michigan city lighthouse coho too Few being caught here and there on glow spoons and crank baits fished slowPortage riverwalk few fish flopping a fish caught here and thereCreeks have some fish in not a motherload but some in trailcreek and salt creekSpinners and floating spawn best betCrappie bite on lake George in Hobart good with minnows around the bridgesCatfish good around new buffalo harbors on sonnys aka triple s stinkbait fished on bottom fast action nowFresh load in of spawn saks and creek spinners dale

ROCK RIVER, ILLINOIS

No update.

ROCK RIVER, WISCONSIN

No update.

ROOT RIVER, WISCONSIN

The Wisconsin DNR’s Root River Report is usually out Tuesday or Wednesday. Click here to see it.

ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN

Staff at Tackle Haven in Benton Harbor said some kings are being caught off the pierheads from boats and piers.

ST. JOSEPH RIVER, INDIANA

Click herefor reports from the Indiana DNR.

SHABBONA LAKE

Staff at Lakeside said fishing picked up dramatically with the water cooling 20 degrees to the mid-60s;  with the cooler water, muskie are picking up, best on topwaters and bucktails; catfish continue good, especially on crawlers; largemouth continue active; crappie good but they take sorting for keepers.

Lakeside–(815) 824-2581–is open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Park hours 6 a.m.- 10 p.m. The restaurant is now open on weekends only.

SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN LAKEFRONT

The Wisconsin DNR’s Lake Michigan Fishing Report restarted. Click here to see it. Streams flow info is at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/wi/nwis/current?type=flow.

WINNEBAGO SYSTEM, WISCONSIN

No update.

WISCONSIN DELLS

Hook-and-line sturgeon season runs through Sept. 30. Click here for details. Minimum length is 60 inches. A tag is required if keeping. Staff at River’s Edge reported lots of action, no keeper-sized sturgeon yet. Water is OK.

WISCONSIN RIVER

Provided

Provided

Rob Abouchar emailed the photo above and this note:

Hi Dale Watching the bears wither in the 4th made me relive the big one that got away. No fishing in Wisconsin this week but the fall like conditions will be bringing the big fish out. From now until Mid november will be the best shot at the big muskie and other species as well. Anglers will be switching from crawlers to live minnows and suckers for big Muskie. Big Fish Rock and Roll Guide Service has a few open dates to make it happen.This is one of my biggest musical weekends ever. I will be hosting Anthony Cruz from Jamaica this week. My reggae band; The Concious Rockers. will be doing an opening act with his as well as be his backing band for two shows. The Wild Hare Friday night should be off the hook with us and some local artists helping out with our set before Anthony takes the stage. Then it is off to Milwaukee for a Sunday night show at Club Timbucktu. I would never have thought years ago that I would be part of the headliner act at the Wild Hare. It’s kinda like fishing in a way. If you keep casting sooner or later the big fish come to the boat. Yellowman in July now Anthony Cruz at the house in Melrose Park don’t wake me up till Monday!. . .Tight LinesRob

Never know what you will find in the MFR.

WOLF LAKE

No update.

WOLF RIVER, WISCONSIN

No update.


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