Fish of the Week: Tips for catching largemouth bass on the Chicago River downtown

Police Marine Unit’s Lucas Wise gives some tips on what is working for catching largemouth bass on the Chicago River downtown.

Police Marine Unit’s Lucas Wise gives tips on catching largemouth bass like this, which was caught Sunday. Provided photo

Police Marine Unit’s Lucas Wise gives tips on catching largemouth bass like this, which was caught Sunday.

Provided

Lucas Wise shared some Chicago River knowledge after another good day Sunday.

“Before and after work, I throw a couple of casts around there and have been tying into some decent largemouth bass,” emailed Wise, who works at the Police Marine Unit at the Marine Safety Station near DuSable Harbor. “I have the best luck with the Zoom Trick Worm [in Junebug, black or green pumpkin], rigged weightless on 6-pound fluorocarbon. Bluegill-pattern 1/4-ounce swim jigs with 3.8 Keitech trailers have been working well, too, on 12-pound fluorocarbon.

“I’ve had luck on the main branch near the Merchandise Mart on my kayak with the same rigs.”

FOTW, the celebration of big fish and their stories (the stories matter, as this one shows) around Chicago fishing, runs Wednesdays in the Sun-Times. Submit nominations by message on Facebook (Dale Bowman), on Twitter (@BowmanOutside) and Instagram (@BowmanOutside) or email (BowmanOutside@gmail.com).

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