Chicago fishing, Midwest Report: Smallmouth, shoreline salmon/trout, drum, bluegill, catfish, coho

fishing report

Kings starting to be caught better every day. Lures and crankbaits mostly. Steelhead and Browns being caught casting but it’s time to start using a slip bobber set up with spawn sacs, larger minnows or night crawlers. No perch or smallmouth reports.

Few kings and cohos being had outside burns ditch in 40 to 45ft of water mag spoons and plugs taking fish.

Hey Dale,

Here is a recap of this past weeks fishing.

Area lakes-water temps are starting to come down with the cooler overnights.

Bass are very good during evening hours on rock humps working drop shot rigs. A few can be caught on top water baits just before dark.

Crappie and bluegill are good during morning hours. At first light work small paddle tails through schools that are busting baitfish to the surface. As morning goes on, working an IJO Plastics pannie crawler along the wind blown outside weedlines will continue to take active biters.

Here is the nature pic of the week [below]. Time to stretch the legs.

TTYL

—

Ken Husker O’Malley

Husker Outdoors Waterwerks fishing team

Hi Dale,

The only fishing I did this week was on Saturday afternoon, between downpours. The influx of water livened things up: some nice bluegills and huge sunfish were caught on a small foam beetle pattern. the funny thing is I never took the phone out, never captured a single image. Ordinarily a sunfish that dwarfs my hand would be a memorable fish and worthy of a photo, but at this pond, it’s routine. It’s nice to have a place so productive that it’s made me jaded about large fish.

. . .

Pete

Hi Dale

The water is clearing slowly and cooling and the fishing is a little better. I caught a small bass off the dock and it was the first in weeks. The gill action remains good and I caught a few real bulls again on the red trout worms. Another species came on the same day a nice channel cat. Hopefully the fishing will continue to improve with cool nights ahead. On the music front the summer tour for the conscious rockers in support of the album. Os wrapped up. Possibility a wild hare gig. The top reggae club... would be a real milestone for me. Also on Sunday the midnite mile band close the show wit a bang at the 56 music festival in mount prospect. The man who is one of the best curators said the boys stole the show for the weekend. As Frank Zappa said music is the best

Tight lines and good health!

Rob

Hi Dale hows it going

Still out here chasing these Brown Torpedos and still having luck, my brother [Jesse Gonzalez] caught this beast a few days ago, weight was 27 pounds 37 in caught on a hair rig/pack bait.

A day later Big T caught this beast, 19 pounds 30 in

Lake Delavan 8/22/22 through 8/29/22

Northern Pike fishing has been spotty with the cooling water temperatures and the severe weather. Some fish can be caught in the 19-20 ft. range. Six to eight inch suckers seem to be the preferred bait. I’ve been averaging about 3-4 fish per trip, down from the mid-summer average of 8-10. As the water cools, the northern pike will move shallow, in the 12-15 ft. weeds. This makes them accessible to the crank bait and jerk bait fishermen. By far the best color is fire tiger. I usually fish large depth radars or Bagley’s on my musky gear. I prefer to use monofilament line instead of Dacron line for less visibility. The best locations were by the gray condos and the weed bed by Assembly Park.

Walleye Pike fishing was fairly good last week. The fish are starting to become more active. I caught my largest numbers since spring on Sunday 8/25. The fish have been in 17-22 ft. of water. I’ve been using night crawlers almost exclusively. I fish them on a single hook with a large split shot or with a large lindy rig. I also caught several fish last week casting Kalin grubs on 1/8 oz darter head. I position the boat in about 20 ft. of water and cast toward the weed line. I do not tip the twister tail with any live bait. A slow retrieve is a necessity. The best location has been by the Island and by the Village Supper club. As fall approaches the larger fish will become more active.

Crappie fishing continues to be excellent. They are still associating with the 9-12 ft weed beds. I have only been using small plastic cubby jigs, I prefer yellow or purple. Many anglers are also having success with small crappie shiners fished on a slip bobber. When fishing small plastics, I have found the slower the retrieve the better. I slowly dance the light jig through the submergent weeds. Some of the crappies I caught last week averaged 12 inches. The best location for me was by Willow Point and by Delmar subdivision pier.

Bluegills and Perch are still biting however the size was quite a bit smaller than in past weeks. Most of the anglers fishing for them are anchoring in 15-19 ft. of water. Big Reds are really the only baits to use. Most of the action has been off of Assembly Park. Follow the large groups of boats and you’ll find the fish.

Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 262-728-8063.

Hello Dale,

I thought I would send you my personal best of the year that I caught this past weekend in the morning on the Hennepin Canal . The bass have been stingy after a long summer of pressure, so I have been throwing everything , including the kitchen sink at them. This one hit a Floating J-11 Rapala used as a top water. I’ve been picking up some smaller ones on senko and trick worms.

Tight lines ,

Gene Jarka

Princeton , Illinois.

Hey Dale,

Fished the Fox River again for smallmouth several days last week, Kane County.

Levels were extremely low before the rainfall over the weekend, bite was mostly tough. Got a nice 18 incher (see photo) on topwater at dusk on Friday shortly before the storm arrived. Bite was still slow Saturday morning but found an 18.5 incher under a flowing drainpipe.

Can sense fall approaching out there lately. Air temps much more comfortable last week compared to the dog days of summer…

Hi Dale,

. . .

I didn’t fish the Fox watershed at all, but did take a good look at it during the rain over the weekend. Water was coming up and there was more current than there had been, but clarity wasn’t affected at all. It really looked prime.

Pete

Lake Geneva 8/22/22 through 8/29/22

Fishing overall on Lake Geneva has been okay. There have been some really good days but they seem to be mixed in with some lousy ones. With the stable weather, there is really no rhyme or reason to the sporadic days.

Walleye fishing has been very good. All the fish are being caught at night. The best depth has been 14-19 ft of water. Most of the success is coming on either night crawlers fished on a crawler harness or crank baits. I like the Rapalla number 13, trolling is the best presentation. The best location has been either by Trinkes, Geneva Bay or in Fontana.

Largemouth bass fishing has been spotty. There is a very good top water bite in about 10-12 ft of water over the shallow weeds. Some bass are being caught Carolina rigging in 20-25 ft. of water. I prefer using the Arkie crawling grub or Zoom lizards. Green/pumpkin have been producing most of the fish. While guiding I’ve been catching most of my fish on night crawlers, there have been a lot of them but the average size is about 12 inches. I’ve been working depths of 12-14 ft. The best location for me is by Knollwood or Coleman’s point.

Smallmouth bass are starting to show up again. They are still pretty deep. Most of the success is coming between 20 and 25 ft. of water. I’ve caught several fish also fishing for northern pike in greater than 30 ft of water. Most of the action has come off split shotting night crawlers and either using a lindy rig or a split shot rig with a number 4 split shot. The best location has been by the Fontana Beach or by Black Point.

Bluegills are still very deep. The best depth has been 29-30 ft. They are biting on small ice jigs tipped with small red worms. The best approach is straight lining beneath the boat. Look for them in Williams Bay by either Gage Marine or in front of the swim beach. Smaller bluegills can be picked up drifting night crawlers while bass fishing. I’ve been having most of my success in 12-14 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

Fishing Report – 8/21/2022

Mike Norris

Big Green Lake – Bluegill fishing remains excellent on Big Green. Try working around cribs in twenty-five feet of water with a drop shot rig with a half of a red worm threaded on a No. 6 aberdeen hook. Walleye fishing is improving with the cooler weather we are experiencing. Trolling No. 5 deep diving Berkley Flickr Shad crankbaits on trolling board along the weed edge in 12 – 15 feet of water allows me to cover water quickly. Let out 40 to 45 feet of line and troll at 1.8 to 2.2 miles per hour. Smallmouth bass fishing is fair in 8 to 10 feet of water. Try drop shot or Ned rigs.

Fox Lake – Last week’s rain showers has dirtied the water on Fox Lake. Nonetheless, largemouth bass are zeroing in on rattling crankbaits worked across rocky points off the islands. Northern pike fishing is good on bladed lures.

Dale,

JR and Abigail Barz of Elmhurst, along with their dad Bob and grandpa Bill, landed 27 small mouth bass in Lake Michigan’s -Sister Bay - in Door County Wisconsin 2 weeks ago. Sid Johnson of Silver Strike

Fishing was again their guide this year. The bass ranged in weight from 1 to 3 pounds with all putting up great fights. Sid had them fishing with plastic worms just above the bottom of the bay. All fish were released.

Great time for the 5th year with Sid.

Bill Barz

Hi Dale - Heidecke lake today (Sunday) morning and the smallmouth bite went from good to great from early morning on. The Bass were picky really only eating finesse style baits. I did try surface lures, diving crainkbaits and jig/ trailer but slow with those methods. I think the overcast skies and early fog played into that. 4 total species today including largemouth, white bass and freshwater drum but smallmouth were consistent all day. The lake is at 78 with some weeds laying down a bit as summer continues. Catch and release

Only a Friday trip with Matt Mullady Nate Green lands a nice smallmouth from the Kankakee River

Backwater Largemouth my personal best about 4 pounds

Hi Dale, kkk was fairly low and clear as of Friday, weekend rain could change that. Also this summer has seen excessive weed growth. This will become a problem as they die off and float in fall. Many small fish on minnow and crawfish lures and flies. This18 on minnow jerk bait.

My nature pict. Of the week. A perfect web in the early fog on the Kankakee. G. Peters

Hi Dale, smallie report from Lake Michigan last Friday. Another tale of 2 weeks. Last trip was epic 2 weeks ago with a few 4’s a few 3.5’s and a bunch of 1.5 to 2 pounders. Friday yielded about 10 with mostly shorts and by shorts meant 8 inches. I did manage a 2.6lb and lost one the same size. Bait fish have scattered from the rock to hard bottom transitions and so have the smallies.

fishing report

Kings starting to be caught better every day. Lures and crankbaits mostly. Steelhead and Browns being caught casting but it’s time to start using a slip bobber set up with spawn sacs, larger minnows or night crawlers. No perch or smallmouth reports. I’ve heard of a lot of Northerns being caught also.

Mid-August, one of the slower times for some species (Musky, Walleye) but a good time for Bass, Bluegill and Crappies.

Narrow leaf cabbage is fading, losing color, leaves and generally looking pretty shabby! Despite some warm afternoons, cool nights can have a negative affect on morning bites. Yet, overall, there is plenty of good fishing still.

Bluegill: Very Good – Get away from the shallows and pitch offerings of beavertails or worms on 1/32 – 1/16 oz jigs along deep weeds for Gills hovering 4-8’ down in 12-16’ of water. Nice 7 ½-9 eaters!

Largemouth Bass: Very Good-Good – Wacky Worms and 4 worms on swimheads worked in same areas we were finding Gills. Evenings, especially the warmer ones, work top-water.

Smallmouth Bass: Very Good-Good – Drop-shotting 3 Gulp Alive Minnows, Xzone Finesse Slammers and TRD Crawz have been hot worked along outside coontail edges or over deep rock/gravel humps. Ned rigging and tube jigs also very effective right now.

Crappie: Good – Best where deep wood can be found. Also casting small spinners, beetle spins over green weeds or grasses in 8-12’.

Yellow Perch: Good-Fair - Broad leaf (tobacco) cabbage best in 5-8’. Work pockets using light weedless jigs tipped with ½ crawlers.

Musky: Fair-Good – Top-water has been very good early mornings, late afternoon and after dark. Prop baits, creepers, Hog Wobbler all are producing fish. Bucktails, glide baits during the later mornings and early afternoon. Natural colors work best. Crappie pattern has been very good. Look for cabbage weeds.

Walleye: Fair – Evenings best over rock humps using full crawlers on 1/4 - 3/8 oz jigs, Lindy Rigs or drop-shotting. Some early morning action in same areas. What little weed bite being reported on cloudy days on windward edges.

Northern Pike: Fair – A few reports from anglers catching nicer Pike casting for Musky. Live bait seems to be preference for deeper weed edge fish.

Traffic is getting a little lighter on lakes as schools and sports start. Average lake surface temps about 70-72 degrees, not a lot of change as of yet. But, as mentioned earlier, some weeds are starting to die back for the season.

Kurt Justice

Kurt’s Island Sport Shop - Like us on Facebook

Few kings and cohos being had outside burns ditch in 40 to 45ft of water mag spoons and plugs taking fish.

Some perch near black ditch just west of Michigan city in 25 to 35ft of water. Not many groups trying but there are some perch around.

Crappie for boat fishermen on pine lake in Laporte at night fishing in 25ft of water using minnows. Fish are suspended and use lights to draw the baitfish up. Some really nice fish being had.

Water temp holding in the lower 70’s. There’s been some scattered white bass and crappie action along the river. Perch bite has been good in the bayous, crawlers working best.