Chicago fishing, Midwest Fishing Report: Ice fishing arrives; otherwise, it’s lake trout and perch

Same perch and some trout on spoons kastmasters tipped w a minnow head. Don’t forget to bring a landing net for those trout

Perch groups have slowed up some with the cold weather.

One trout is good Two trout is better The 2nd hit an ultra light and 4lb test. Took 40 mins

Yeah. Big time. I caught two at dusable on spoons. 2 Lakers and a nice brown here at navy That’s why the perch are scattered

Hey Dale, Here is a recap of this past weeks fishing. Area lakes-open water opportunities existed through Sunday. The overnight temps ended that. Time to get ready for the hard water season. Crappies remain good on ice plastics fished under a slip float. Some days they are on the weedlines, other days out roaming the main basin. A variety of colors have worked. Let the fish tell you what they want each day. Bass have been slow since a good start to the month. A few can be caught on a Rapala shadow rap. A 1-2-3 cadence with a very long pause over the top of weeds can draw a few willing takers. Here is the nature pic of the week. Enjoying one last dip. TTYL — Ken Husker O’Malley Husker Outdoors Waterwerks fishing team

Happy New Year Dale, Big Green Lake Area Fishing Report – 1/3/2022 Mike Norris With frigid air and little snow in the area good ice is finally forming on south-central Wisconsin lakes. We should see four-wheelers out on the lakes this week as most lakes have up to six inches of ice now. Though the middle of the lake is wide open, shoreline areas on Big Green Lake have iced up and a handful of anglers are heading out from Horner’s Landing in pursuit of lake trout and ciscoes. Ice formation can be tricky on the big lake, so walk along well-established routes. Head out to ninety feet of water and jig a spoon aggressively to draw trout to your hole. Slowly start to lift the jig higher to get the lake trout to commit. Anglers are catching walleyes on Little Green Lake along the outside weed edge with shiners on tip ups at night. During daylight hours search for crappies and perch in mid lake with a jig and minnow or try bluegills in shallow weeds on a micro jig tipped with spikes or waxworms. Lake Emily is providing steady bluegill and northern pike action. Stop by my booth at the Northern Illinois Sports Show in Grayslake, IL. January 13 -16 to talk fishing and book your 2022 fishing guide trip.

As typical for a Christmas/New Year’s Week, pressure (from anglers) increased, weather got colder and fishing, while still good, got tougher. Some good fishing taking place here in the Northwoods, but at times it’s windows of activity or getting off the beaten path to discover better bites. Walleye: Good – As stated, mostly windows of opportunity, as well as dusk, have been key. By moving out a bit deeper during mid-afternoons and fishing new areas, anglers reporting finding Walleyes on points and bars extending out into main lake basins taking 3-4 suckers or hitting jigging lures (Raps, Tikkas). Northern Pike: Good – This one really seemed to show those windows of opportunity, several reports of flags flyin’ for 1-2 hour periods during late mornings followed by dead periods until just before dusk. Big shiners and suckers best. Crappie: Good – Moving out over 15-25’ of water to find suspended Crappies has been the most consistent producer. Weed Crappies seem to only turn on for small windows of activity. Open water fish, when you can locate, have been easier to get action from. Tip-downs with rosies and Pin head jigs tipped with waxies best. Bluegill: Good – While most reports coming from anglers working weed beds of 5-10’, anglers targeting Crappies in 15-20’ reporting nice Gills mixed in with suspended Crappies Yellow Perch: Good-Fair – Shallow weeds producing action in 6-10’ of water, but a move to deeper mud has already begun with anglers finding eaters (9-11) using wigglers and red spikes on Hali jigs and pimples. Largemouth Bass: Fair-Poor – Not a lot of reports, don’t seem to bite as much during periods of 0 degree temps. Travel on the ice is very good. No slush and not enough snow to be cumbersome. ATV and snowmobile travel excellent. Can’t in good conscious recommend truck travel (though some have been spotted). Ice thickness ranging 9-14 and building, should be a good season as ice is getting a chance to thicken enough to support weight of any snow to come. Kurt Justice Kurt’s Island Sport Shop - Like us on Facebook

Perch groups have slowed up some with the cold weather. Fisherman waiting on ice fishing Few steelhead in nwi area tributaries. Voodoo jigs tipped with waxworms best. Happy new year too all.

Perch fishing remains pretty good. Spikes paired with Mini Mites are working well as a backup to minnows. Steelhead fishing on the rivers & inlets still remains steady, with a lot of nice fish being taken on mag lips. Walleye are heating up also, with fair catches in the channel on jumbo nightcrawlers. By the forecast, anglers should be ice fishing on some of the channels & smaller ponds/lakes by the weekend. Stay safe on the ice.

Ice conditions continue to improve, near 6 average. 4 wheelers and snow machines, no one driving out yet. Poygan is the best bet for walleye, don’t be afraid to move a lot.