Chicago fishing, Midwest Fishing Report: Ice hanging on, river fishing slowly returns, crappie, coho

Caught on a fathead in 8’ of water Friday morning in Lake County, with still 8-10 inches of ice.

We did really well out there today. Over 100 fish. LOTS of little ones but 16 keepers. Best 5lbs. 1 at 41/4 handful of 3 1/2s and. Few 2s. Great day.

Jimmy and Chaser . They caught at least 50+.

Amy Russell-Ellison We got 80 if we count the little 12 inchers

Hi Dale I made it to the Braidwood opener on Monday morning and there was no line when I arrived at the West ramp at around 6:30. The trailers were being parked in the extra lot as the shore anglers were out in numbers. The shoreline anglers were plentiful and scattered all the way to the fence on the West side. The conditions were classic Braidwood with windy clear and cold conditions. I saw a large water spout pop up mid morning and watched it travel across the lake; very weird. The time on the water seemed surreal after the long deep freeze. Upon releasing the first bass of the season the water was very warm to the touch possibly high 60’s. I was able to land a few bass and lost a few other fish that hit. The size was down compared to last year and the shad that were plentiful last year seemed gone where I was fishing. All but one of the fish seemed to stockers from the last couple years. I may buy into the fish kill that occured last summer. But More trips to Braidwood will help determine that. My fish were caught on Squarebill cranks in Shad and Purple Craw near rocks and a few feet out from the rocks. Also a purple Max Scent General got some bites. Another boat suggested switching colors to purple and as soon a I switched I connected. Nice to see anglers on the water willing to share tips these days. Tight Lines and Good Health Rob

Dale, Got both these out at prairie road lake in aurora. Fish have moved from being suspended over basins to shallow and aggressive both these were caught in less that 10ft of water on a hair jig and minnow both bought over at Dickies Bait in Montgomery. Bass Wishes, Frankie Paull

Hey Dale, Here is a recap of this past weeks fishing. Area lakes- Ice conditions are fading fast. There is six inches of frozen slush on top of a base layer of 3-4 inches of clear ice. There is a pocket of water between the two layers. By the time I came off the ice after a morning of fishing, I busted through the top layer of slush a few times and the shorelines were getting soft. With the weeks forecast, the season will be coming to an end. Bass have been very good during early morning hours on Northland buck shot rattle spoons. Flats with remaining green weeds adjacent to deep water have produced the best bite. Bluegill have been decent on Vexan tungsten jigs tipped with multiple spikes. Weed flats have been good during early morning hours and work out along the outside weed lines as the morning goes on to keep up with the active biters. Here is the nature pic of the week. Waiting for a flag on the last day of the season. TTYL — Ken Husker O’Malley Husker Outdoors Waterwerks fishing team

Fishing Report 3/1/2021 Mike Norris Big Green Lake - Finding safe ice up here in south-central Wisconsin is not a problem after the 17-day Freeze-A-Thon we had in the first three weeks of February. Most, but not all, areas of Big Green Lake have 12 inches or more of ice and anglers are out in droves and doing well catching lake trout in depths anywhere from 80 to 120 feet. Northland Rattle Jig, VMC spoons, and white tube jigs are working well for the lake trout. Try the Shale Bar and the deep water adjacent to Sandstone Bluff. Fox Lake – There is 12 to 18 inches of ice and the bluegills and crappies are cooperating in 4 to 5 feet of water on small tungsten jig tipped with plastic in an area on Fox Lake known as The Jug. Move around and when you find them, they will bite like crazy. The warmer weather we have experienced last week has melted the snow cover and smoothed out the surface of the ice, but the landings are getting sloppy though. With warm weather this week it might come down to where you will need to walk out.

Walleye fishermen are starting to catch near starved rock.

We still have plenty of ice around the Chicago area . The edges are getting a little soft but still a good base. I’m not sure about the city harbors tho. The coho anglers are beginning. No reports yet. That’s about it. Gearing up for spring/summer with lots of new tackle coming in daily ! Take care

Supposed to get the water on today. Hoping to fill up the tank and that everything is okey dokey and the plan is to open Saturday at 5 a.m.

Justin Lederer checking in from McQuoids Inn Lake Mille Lacs. The walleye season is over till spring time to target big perch and pike. The perch are hitting small crappie minnows and fathead heads use small tungsten jigs and smaller versions of buckshots and 360’s. Wax worms are also producing smaller ones. Work 20-35 feet of water around rock structures. Pike are back in the bays work the outside of the weed lines target 4-12 feet of water. Hang 6-9 inch suckers on tip ups, rattle reels or dead sticks. We have warmer weather coming in this week so it should be turning the fish on. We still have two feet of ice on the lake so if you want to extend your ice fishing season head up.

Fishing up near Hayward was on fire this weekend. We limited out on crappie multiple days on multiple lakes. Tried tip ups one day as we jigged crappie. Nice Northern

Warm temperatures, followed by 6 inches of wet, heavy snow that fell Sunday morning has made travel a bit difficult as of late. Warmer temperatures this week will contribute to even more slush on top of the ice. Still, there is well over 2 feet of ice beneath the slush. Stick to main paths or venture out on foot to avoid spending all day digging your vehicle out. With that being said, fishing is improving as we move into late ice season. Northern Pike: Good-Very Good – As the days warm up the fishing keeps getting better. Large golden shiners and large suckers are both still producing fish under tip-ups. Walleye: Good – Anglers are reporting good action in the low light hours of the day. The jigging bite has been heating up. Jigging Raps, Tikka Minos, and slender spoons all taking fish. Largemouth Bass: Good – Jigging the shallow weed breaks or tip-ups have been putting fish top side. Bluegills: Good-Very Good – Tungsten jigs tipped with waxies, spikes or mousees are all working. Crappies: Good-Very Good – Tip-down actions is getting better by the day. We are also getting fish jigging with Swedish Pimples, VMC Flash Champs, and tungsten jigs tipped with wedges. Yellow Perch: Good – Mud flats are still the hot bite. Hali jigs, Kastmasters, and small jigs tipped with red spikes or wigglers are working best. Just a reminder, game fish season is open thru Sunday, March 7th so get out there for the last week of it. Weather looks beautiful, just remember to bring rubber boots to avoid wet feet. Kurt Justice Kurt’s Island Sport Shop Like us on FaceBook

Since last report and up till Saturday morning coho action at portage river walk and Michigan city was good for most fishing skein on the bottom or squid under slip bobber Since Saturday late morning and now water high and dirty from snow melt run off Boats going to Gary light have steady action fishing top 10ft of water using brads thin fish jointed rapalas and a variety of small crankbaits So everybody knows plenty of fresh skein and squid strips in stock over here along with every color they have in the brads thin fish for the trollers

Hi, again. If it’s not too late, the Harbormaster just sent this information: Hammond Marina has had little fishing activity lately aside from the sporadic salmon, due to the snow & ice. There is still ice in the marina, so boats can’t launch yet. Anglers have not been open water shore fishing this season, as the ice on the lake just cleared out last Thursday. Boats should be able to launch in a few days though, with the consistently warmer temperatures.

Hey, Dale; hope all is well. Here’s what’s going on this week:~Coho fishing has really picked up out of in the Marinas, Burns Ditch, & Saint Joseph; there are lots of limit catches & some very nice-sized fish. ~Ice fishing is coming to a close with the recent rise in daily average temperatures, as well as the upcoming even warmer days; it has all but about come to an end. To the anglers still frequenting the local ponds, creeks, & streams-exercise EXTREME caution. The regular fishing season will be an early one this year. ~Anglers are catching walleye & steelhead at Wolf Lake & the St. Joseph dam. ~New 2021 fishing licenses & stamps are now on sale in Indiana, Illinois, & Michigan; current, valid 2020-2021 Indiana fishing licenses & stamps are good until March 31st, 2021.

. . . Anglers are catching walleye . . . New 2021 fishing licenses & stamps are now on sale in Indiana, Illinois, & Michigan; current, valid 2020-2021 Indiana fishing licenses & stamps are good until March 31st, 2021.

Perch, bluegill, and some crappie have been getting more active in the past week. The water is starting to come up with the warmer weather, but it’ll be a good two weeks before the boat gets wet