Waiting on kings, Wisconsin’s sturgeon season: Chicago fishing, Midwest Fishing Report (Updated)

Hey Dale My nephew’s Tommy (far left) and AJ Cwiok are fishing Waukegan harbor mouth catching kings. Tommy caught his biggest king on a Flicker Shad with a spinning rod 25 lbs.

Thanks for the post dale. Tommy’s big king was 27.43 after we put her on the scale.

Hi There has been a few Coho during the day on crank baits. Couple nice Northerns on lures while guys casting for kings. Sunday between 3am and 7am there was 5 fish caught. I’m pretty sure all were kings.

At mouth of trail creek a few coho and kings caught not many but a few casting at night glow in the dark spoons just not many fish here yet

Ken Husker O’Malley emailed: Hey Dale, Here is a recap of this past week’s fishing. Area lakes-bass have been good on a variety of top water baits during early morning(first light) and evening(last hour) hours. Follow up misses by pitching a senko. . . . TTYL -- Ken Husker O’Malley Husker Outdoors Waterwerks fishing team

Delavan Lake Fishing Report 9/2/19 through 9/9/19 With Labor Day in the past, the pressure on the lake is going to be reduced by about one half. The warm weather is keeping the fish in their mid summer patterns. Largemouth bass are in small schools. They can be located by Browns Channel, just west of Willow Point and by Del Mar subdivision. You want to look for the fish in scattered weeds with a hard sand bottom. The best approach is dragging black and blue jigs or Carolina rigging green pumpkin lizards. For live bait fishermen, the best approach is a split shot rigged nightcrawler. This pattern will remain consistent as long as the water temperatures remain constant. As the water cools, the schools will dissipate allowing better action throughout the weedline. Bluegill fishing has been overall very good in the 12-13 ft depth range. Look for the fish by Browns Channel and just west of Willow Point. They can be caught on leaf worms fished on a split shot rig or on a slip bobber rig. If you fish a location for about 15 minutes and don’t get many big ones, it’s time to move on. The fish are still in larger schools, so if you aren’t having good success, try a different location. Walleye fishing has been mediocre. The best action has been trolling deep diving crank baits before sun up and just after dark. The best pattern is perch. Look for the fish mostly on the north shore. There are a few weed points that stick out. If you hit the weed points appropriately it’s a good bite. They are located just west of the Yacht Club and just west of Willow Point. Northern Pike action has been slow. Most of the fish are being caught on Thill slip bobbers fished in the 12-15 ft depth range. Our cooler than normal summer, didn’t drive the fish deep and make them accessible outside the weedline. Look for the fish by Belvidere Park or by Assembly Park point. Crappie fishing remains very consistent. The fish are suspended over the main lake basin 8-10 ft down in 30 ft of water. The best approach is casting small plastics and letting them sink 5-10 seconds and slowly reeling them back to the boat. The best location has been by Willow Point or by the orange marina on the north shore. The best colors are chartreuse and purple for the plastics on a 1/32 oz jig head. Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050

Lake Geneva Fishing Report 9/2/19 through 9/9/19 Fishing remains excellent on Lake Geneva. With the passing of Labor Day, the boat traffic should be decreasing. The smallmouth bass are still schooled up very tight and are available for most anglers if they go deep enough. Smallmouth bass remain on rocky points in 21-25 ft of water. The best location is in Fontana Beach or by the old Military Academy. I caught several fish last week in the 19-22 inch class. I’m either Lindy rigging nightcrawlers or yellow perch caught in the lake. Most of my success has come early in the morning. After 10:00 a.m. with high skies the fishing slows tremendously. Largemouth bass dock fishing or top water action remains excellent in the early morning hours. You want to cast small jigs or chrome and blue or chrome and black chug bugs around the emergent weeds. Look for the fish by Linn Pier, Fontana Beach or by Yerkes Observatory. Bluegills have been very good in the deep water. Look for the fish in 20-21 ft of water by Elgin Club, Fontana Beach or the Military Academy. The fish are aggressively hitting leaf worms fished on a split shot rig fished straight beneath the boat. Most of the fish are pumpkin seeds and a lot of them are in the 8-10 inch size range. Rock bass are also in the deep water in 19-22 ft. They will hit on anything from a drop shot rig to a split shot rigged nightcrawler. The best location I have found has been by Yerkes Observatory. Walleye fishing has been excellent at night. The best location has been in Williams Bay, Trinkes Bay or in Abbey Springs. The best approach is trolling medium diving crank baits like Rapalas or Smithwick Rogues. The best colors are chrome and blue or chrome and black. Lake Trout fishing remains excellent. They are in the main lake basin approximately 70 ft down in 108-140 ft of water. The best time to fish for them is first light or last light. A dodger and fly combo or spoons are producing most of the action. Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050

Big Green bluegill caught by Alexis Ambrisino with brother Matt

September 3, 2019 Green Lake Area Fishing Report Big Green Lake – Both large and smallmouth bass fishing is good early in the morning in and around the docks. But this bite doesn’t last long. Senko’s skipped under docks account for most of the fish. Smallmouth bass measuring 15 – 17 inches are present in mid depth rock piles. We are finding the biggest bass out in 20 -25 ft of water where the lake drops off into deep water. Heavier football jigs tipped with imitation crayfish are best here. Try drop shot rigs also. Trolling for walleyes has slowed but you can still catch big ones. A friend of mine caught a 30 incher this weekend slow trolling with a leech on a split shot rig in 20 ft of water. Big bluegills are biting in 20 ft of water out along the deep weed edges and around the cribs. Try a redworm threaded onto a small #6 hook and drifted on a split shot for bluegill and an occasional big bass. Little Green Lake – Largemouth bass fishing has picked up and is very good right now. Flipping Senko’s under piers and in shallow weedy areas is working well. Don’t overlook areas with fallen trees. Bluegills, perch and crappies are also biting. Drift through the main basin with a redworm on a split shot rig for bluegills and perch. Use minnows for the crappies and stay higher in the water column. Best area is just outside the rock pile. Fox Lake – A 15-inch perch was caught on Fox Lake last week by angler trolling with a crankbait. But pan fishing generally has been slow. The crappie and perch bite are light. With cooler weather approaching this week the water temperature on Fox Lake should drop and fishing should pick up. Lake Puckaway – This past weekend we did well catching big bluegills of the docks. Also look for bluegills where there are lily pads and cane beds. Try a slip float and small 1/32 oz jig tipped with a redworm for both bluegill and perch. For Green Lake area guided fishing trips, please contact Mike Norris, Wacky Worm Guide Service, at 630-842-8199.

Hey Dale, Here is a recap of this past week’s fishing. . . . Kankakee-smallmouth and rock bass are good on TRD and rage craws in tributaries and deeper pools and current seams in the main river. TTYL -- Ken Husker O’Malley Husker Outdoors Waterwerks fishing team

Couldn’t find a place to shoot doves so we hit the Lakefront instead. All quality fish plus my friend Paul Kranz caught a 12# channel cat at 1st light. We were hoping it was a smb, oh well fun to catch.

Hi There has been a few Coho during the day on crank baits. Couple nice Northerns on lures while guys casting for kings. Sunday between 3am and 7am there was 5 fish caught. I’m pretty sure all were kings. Sheephead off and on on the Horseshoe. Really nice Smallmouth in all the harbors.

Summer vacation time is over, the next two months are for anglers! Water temps for Labor Day a bit low (63-65 degrees avg). Certain weeds dying back, but where good green narrow leaf cabbage and brown broad leaf cabbage found, so are fish. A very nice weather weekend for the holidays. Lots of people on the water, reports were overall slow, a few bright spots here and there. Northern Pike: Fair-Good – Most reports of smaller Pike action, especially around shallower weeds. Jig/minnow combinations meant for Walleyes and lighter spinner baits (1/8-1/4oz) producing. Musky: Fair-Good – Continue to work inside weed edges with top-water baits. The more subtle lures such as Flap tails and Creepers seem to be more productive. Big bladed spinner baits and shallow running Swim & twitch baits also moving fish. Largemouth Bass: Fair-Good – When the Muskies roam the inside weeds..... go outside for Largemouth. Jig and trailer combos and fishing Sweet Beaver along outside edges and pockets. Smallmouth Bass: Fair-Good – Didn’t get alot of feedback, but anglers working off stone gravel humps with drop-shot rigs scoring big fish. Oddly enough, some big fish being found very shallow on spinning baits and by anglers casting top water for Muskies. Crappie: Fair-Good – Numbers not exceptionally high, but nice Crappies. Haven’t seemed to gather too tightly yet, very scattered. Medium fatheads around drowned wood is best. Yellow Perch: Fair-Good - In Lakes without algae blooms and good green cabbage, good Perch catches in 5-8’. Medium fatheads on 1/16oz, jigs or 1/2 crawler or medium leeches working. Bluegill: Fair-Good – Deeper weed edges and suspending away from coontail edges. Small jigs (Mini Mites etc) with waxies or small leaches. Walleye: Fair – Depending on lake types, some deep gravel fish using 1.4oz jigs with minnows or 1/2 crawlers. Jigging Raps also productive. Also finding Walleyes, when conditions allow (cloud, wind) in shallow green cabbage working jig and leaches or minnows. The end of summer algae blooms are effecting some lakes. Big Arb., Little Arb and Rainbow Flowage to name a few. High water on flowages seem to be affecting early fall patterns. Maybe just a lot of traffic on lakes, time will tell. Kurt Justice Kurt’s Island Sport Shop Like us on FaceBook

Couple steelhead out of the ditch yesterday morning

Perch bite out of new buffalo has been good fast action and good size 20 35 ft of water perch are there Some steelhead action this weekend for trollers outside burns ditch in 25 to 45 ft of water as of yesterday not many kings or cohos there at all mag spoons for steelhead best At mouth of trail creek a few coho and kings caught not many but a few casting at night glow in the dark spoons just not many fish here yet I get a lot of calls this time of year yes slezs bait shop has leeches

Hi Dale With the calendar moving to September and meteorological Fall all the signs were there at the Wisconsin River in Merrill. The foliage is turning on the maples and Sumac and Goldenrod, Asters and Bee Balm are in full bloom. Large groups of Nighthawks, Canada Geese, Red Wing Blackbirds, and a large variety of Duck species were seen in flight and roosting in the grass edges along the water. With glimpses of the Northern Lights seen when letting Bella out during the night and temps in the low 40’s I knew it would be good fishing. I had Joe Schatz of the Schatzee Lure company up for his birthday over the Holiday weekend.. Joe had several encounters with big toothy critters with the fish getting the upper hand. His Chatterbaits were getting hits near the edges of the eel grass that is starting to die back but still thick. I was getting some very nice bass on Texas rigged Senkos pitched to the eel grass edge and rocks. Top water baits are still working early and late as my biggest of the season came Saturday morning on a double prop bait purchased at the local pawn shop. Several other bass came on wacky rigged senko’s and Kalins Jerk Shad around wood and rock. the best colors were chartreuse black and blue and baby bass. We took a trip to Pesobic Lake in Merrill after fishing Alexander flowage and caught a few largemouth bass from under docks on plastics. I was also getting some nice pike on a Strike King spinnerbait. The fish were all heavy and feeding heavily on craws. Presentations need to be precise when fishing the grass and wooded areas. The next two weekends will be taken up with a double gig Saturday afternoon at the Jerk Festival in Chicago with the reggae band and Saturday night at Morgans with The Hot Sofa Rock Band. The next week is the Salmon Unlimited Kids Derby in Waukegan. Tight LInes Rob