Midwest Fishing Report: Rivers and lakes around Chicago fishing

Ive been gone all weekend, made a few calls since I got back late last night. A few salmon and steelhead are being caught, but over all extremely slow. Lots of people fishing not many fish being hooked.

(Head): Musky, walleye, crappie, and smallmouth bass all hitting strong, with archery deer hunters seeing quite a new nice bucks; all in and amidst the lakes and the Wisconsin River in Wisconsins Marathon and Lincoln Counties (near Mosinee and Wausau With cooler temperatures at night and beautiful colors on the trees, it’s a sure sign that fall is here. And with this onset of fall comes great fishing action. The musky bite in the central Wisconsin area has been phenomenal. In the past few days, we’ve hooked into 13 different muskies ranging from 36 to 46 inches. We’re seeing some good action on suckers set 4 to 8 feet down over 12 to 16 feet of water. A lot of action is also taking place in areas associated with weeds and downed timber in 6 to 8 feet of water. Most of the these fish have come on big bladed bucktails, large jerk baits and Magnum Bulldogs. And yes, we release ALL muskies that we boat. Hope you do the same. Anglers looking for walleyes are in good luck in the central Wisconsin area. There’s some great action. Schools of walleyes are now holding up in the deeper pools in the main Wisconsin River system. These fish can be caught by simply baiting a 1/4 or 1/8 ounce jig with a lively fathead minnow and slowly dragging it on the bottom. Target depths of 10 to 16 feet of water for the best and most consistent action. Crappie action in the central Wisconsin area has been outstanding. A lot of the fish are suspended in the top 4 feet of the water column right now. The fish are in the top portion of the water column because that is the warmest water in the system. Using your locator, look for schools of bait fish in the upper portions of the water column. If you can find these schools of bait fish, be assured the crappies won’t be far behind. A small jig suspended below a slip bobber, and baited up with a crappie sized minnow will take these fish all day long. Another great biting fish right now, in the central Wisconsin area is the smallmouth bass. These fish can be targeted by working rocky shoreline structure and rip-rap areas in 1 to 5 feet of water. Toss shallow diving crank baits to shore and work them out over deeper water and work plastics right on the rock to catch active fish.

Northern Cook county pike are still very active with few large mouth bass also being had. Southern Cook and Will county producing a late in the year bass bite. Large mouth and small mouth being had in the deeper pockets adjacent to current. A few nice reports this weekof ten plus bass being had in those sections on spinners and small cranks. With the beauty of the fall foliage, clean, crisp, and clear water,all in all things are looking great on the Des Plaines this time of year. It has been a pleasant change compared to thissummers heat wave combined with droughtand the awful smells and sights of the deerplague that has finally come to rest.

Got out one day in the past week and fished in and around a couple of Fox River creeks. The first one was crystal clear and smallies were seen cruising everywhere. Only one showed any interest in being caught. Starting in October in the past I would switch to live bait. I would seine bait fish from a ditch that flows through Glenwood Forest Preserve. I’m sure that ditch is bone dry this year. Haven’t bothered with live bait in years. Kind of wish I had some at this creek. I would have cleaned up, I’m sure of it. Pretty simple presentation, a relatively small octopus hook with a small split shot 12-18 inches up from the hook. Just let it sit in the bottom of likely spots and move it a few inches now and then. At the next creek the fishing was mediocre, only 6 caught and 5 self released. Was in this location for the last hour and a half of day light. Lots of mallards, geese, sandpipers and cormorants. A green heron or two, lots of blue herons and the tree full of egrets was still there. Startled by a turkey that decided to roost in the tree over my head and I’m sure it was the eagle that cruised by. Too big to be anything else. The great horned owl was off in the woods hooting and their were lots of little birds, but I suck at identifying little birds. Made up for the poor fishing I think. Talked to and got a note from Bob Long, Jr. He’s spent a couple of days fishing the more northern reaches of the Fox this past week. He’s using a 12 foot Tenkara rod, but instead of the usual flies, has been tossing what I normally use with my light spinning gear. He landed 16 fish on one day and 25 on another. His usual interesting observations… fishermen need to move around more instead of sitting on one spot all day and, the bulk of the fish were hitting when the lure was ticking the bottom. Fish were not coming up in the water column to hit anything, for him any way. I’ve been hitting some small ponds once a month since April. Nobody goes there and it’s nice having them all to myself. Got out Saturday morning and it was too cold and too early for a couple of hours of pond fishing. All the ponds are down 4-6 feet from when I was there in April. They’re not big ponds, so they look much smaller now. Managed 16 crappie and 10 largemouth. When you’re used to smallies out of rivers and creeks where even the dinks fight hard, pond bass are a big disappointment. If we have a normal winter or even colder and these ponds don’t recharge before getting ice, I don’t think the fish under the ice are going to do too well.

Green Bay Fishing Report: October 8, 2012 Brown Co. No report. East Shore This week started off rather nice with conditions being stable which benefited the fishing greatly. Anglers off Chaudoir’s Dock and Bayshore Park did very well. Water temperatures started out in the mid 60’s and dropped into the 50’s which slowed the bite. Bayshore Park:This site has been producing numbers of perch, though not as big as what is being caught at Chaudoir’s Dock. Only a few limit catches were reported in comparison to Chaudoir’s Dock. The vast majority of fishermen have been fishing in 20-30 feet of water with minnows on live bait rigs producing the best results. Anglers have been walleye fishing as well with very limited success. Most have been trolling crank baits in 15-25 feet of water. Fishermen have been launching at Bayshore Park and heading south towards Volk’s Reef. A few musky anglers have been seen here but their success has been limited. Chaudoir’s Dock:Anglers have been fishing in anywhere from 15-35 feet of water. They have been targeting perch using live bait rigs consisting of a sinker on the bottom and a hook separated up the line 15-20 inches. Minnows and night crawlers have been the bait of choice, with night crawlers catching quantity and minnows catching quality. Many limits were reported earlier in the week with some perch being up to 13 inches in size. Sawyer Harbor:With the extremely low water levels, Sawyer Harbor is very treacherous. Anglers have been launching small boats out of Potawatomi State Park and fishing for perch in 15-20 feet of water. Anglers have been using minnows and night crawlers, but the perch size has been small. A few northern pike are being caught by shore fishermen with some being of a decent size. Little Sturgeon Bay:Anglers have been targeting perch with limited success due to the cooler weather later in the week. Most perch fishermen have been fishing along the weed lines in 10-15 feet of water. Oconto Co. Fishing pressure has been light this past week due in part to strong winds and cooler temperatures. Water levels are extremely low at most of the boat landings making it very difficult to launch boats. Bluegill and crappie are still being caught at the Stiles Dam using worms and minnows free floating or in conjunction with a slip bobber. King salmon have been observed from the Iron Bridge to the Stiles Dam with fishermen using small spoons, Rapala’s or spawn sacks. Pensaukee landing is low with only waterfowl hunters using small skiffs at the launch. Some perch are staring to bite at City Docks, Oconto Breakwater, and Oconto Park II. Fishermen are using crappie rigs and minnows, with the best time to fish being sun up. Marinette Co. Fishing pressure has been light this past week due in part to strong winds and cooler temperatures. Water levels are extremely low at most of the boat landings making it very difficult to launch boats. Some panfish are being caught up by the dam in Peshtigo by anglers using worms free floated in the current seams. The boat launches at Peshtigo Harbor, Klingsborns Landing, and Little River are suffering from low water and only being used by water fowlers. No salmon have showed up at Little River yet. Some salmon, walleye, sturgeon, and rock bass are being caught in the pool below the dam on the Menominee River. Fishing has been slow.

he river is still low and clear, weeds and algae in the usual spots. with the colder nights the water temps dropped down into the low to mid 50’s. the initial response from the smallmouth was to quit chasing and only take jig/twister fished just above the bottom. they are starting to get back to chasing and taking flukes and such again. I guess a little adjustment on their part took place, at least where I was fishing. the walleye action continues, billed minnow baits, jig/plastic worked for me. jig/minnow or live bait rigs should be excellent as well.

The Kankakee and tributaries are all low, and those who are fishing are having success! SMALLMOUTH BASS – Good in Indiana and Illinois. Many caught from those kayaking, shoreline fishing. Try Rocky areas at places where catches coming from deeper water flows in theshallows. *Spinner baits *top water and slow sinker baits *streamer flies on fly rod. Live Bait includes: live minnows *crawfish. ——————————————————————————————————————————————————– LARGEMOUTH BASS – Try quieter waters, like edges of shorelines *creek and bayou mouths. Good on *Spinner Baits *jointed minnow shaped plugs *jig and plastic worm *night crawlers. ============================================================================ NORTHERN PIKE: Good, throughout river, especially around -in -water logs *drifts *mouths of creeks *islands*rocky shorelines or shoreline with tree roots. Good on Doctor Spoons *Minnow shaped plugs 4-6″ live minnows. ——————————————————————————————————————————————————–. CATFISH: Good throughout. . Baits good on *live minnows *chicken liver *catfish cheese baits. ——————————————————————————————————————————————————- WALLEYE: Improving. Best at low light hours *Try around in water logs *shorelines *bridge piers. Good on *weedless Doctor Spoons *jointed or double jointed minnow shaped plugs *Jig and Minnow *Jig and Crawler. ———————————————————————————————————————————————————– ROCK BASS, BLUEGILL, CROPPIE: All good on *smaller minnows *nightcrawlers *redworms *imitation sponge spiders *frog like popping bugs. Try along logs *weedbeds*mouths of ditches

(Head): Good to excellent action for walleye, northern and panfish, with musky putting on a good bite. Archery deer hunters seeing more scrapes and rubs, lots of wood ducks being seen, leaves coming off trees providing closer shots for grouse and woodcock; all in the Eagle River, Wisconsin area. Water temps in the Eagle River area are in the low 50s and dropping. Walleye in the Eagle River area are in 15-30 feet of water over mud bottom areas. use a jig and a minnow. The walleye are tight to bottom. All day bite with good to excellent action. Northern in the Eagle River area are in 10 feet of water or less in and around weeds. Use a Husky Jerk, spinner bait, or northern sucker under a slip bobber. All day bite. Good to excellent action. Panfish (crappies, bluegills and perch) are providing good to excellent action in the Eagle River area. Fish 10-30 feet of water along break edges. Use a crappie minnow or chunk of crawler under a slip bobber or jig. Perch are tight to bottom, with the crappies and gills suspending up and down the water column. All day bite. Musky in the Eagle River area are in 10 feet of water or less in and around weeds. Use a crank bait, spinner bait, jerk bait, or a medium sized sucker. Normal retrieve and do a figure 8 as your lure nears the boat. All day bite, with peaks late in the day. Good action. (Report for the Eagle River Chamber of Commerce based on Creative Brilliance interviews with Eagle River guides Muskie Matt of Wild Eagle Lodge, Ranger Rick Krueger of Guide’s Choice Pro Shop, and Mat Hegy). Contact info for Eagle River: * Eagle River Chamber of Commerce; 800-359-6315; 715-479-6400; e-mail: info@eagleriver.org; web: www.eagleriver.org * Muskie Matt, 715-891-5980; e-mail: rfrgoutdoors@gmail.com * Mat Hegy, 715-571-7544, e-mail: lunkerclunkerguideservice@yahoo.com * Guide’s Choice Pro Shop, guide/owner Ranger Rick Krueger 715-477-2248 * George Langley, Eagle River Fishing Guides Association, 715-479-8804. e-mail: fishing@eaglesportscenter.com

What a difference a week makes. The prior weekend was calm, colorful and fairly warm. This weekend we got hit with wind, wind, snow, cold and more wind. The drop in lake temps have most bodies turned over. Action went from hot to cold depending on the day. Afternoons were best. Wind kept anglers off lakes and fishing pressure was very light for a holiday weekend. Crappies: Good-Fair.Some of the hotter action has slowed. Best on natural lakes in 14-25′ depths 3-4′ off bottom. Any deep cribs (14+) worth probing. Musky: Very good. Water temps dictating a bit slower retrieve so jerks, twitch and glide baits best. Sucker fishing is prime right now though. Half of the muskies from my boat came on Cranes- the other half on Smity quick set rigs and 12-13″ suckers. Pike: Very good. Lots of action on jig/chub combos. Casting daredevles, #4 Mepps and shallow running cranks also good. Watch for shallow baitfish (perch) to key in on active pike. Walleye: Good to Fair. Wind made it tough to hold over deep fish this past weekend. When able to, anglers fishing 15-30″ gravel slides catching fish on Chubs/suckers of 3-5″ on Lindy rigs or heavy jigs. On the deepest lakes depths of 50+ feet are holding fish over mud. Shallow lakes (under 25″ max) seeing best action along weed edges of 8-14′. Perch: Very Good. Don’t usually see this species at the top of the report in October. Locate any green weeds or mud outside of dying weeds to find good action of eaters (8-10″) plus some true Jumbos. Dragging a light jig with a small minnow, crawler or crayfish tail. Most action reported in 6-10′ of water. Smallmouth bass: Fair. Few reports. Mostly incidental catches by walleye anglers on off shore gravel humps using jig/chub combos. Largemouth Bass: Good to Fair. Up in weeds taking jig/pig combos meant for pike. Big fish of 3 -4 # this weekend. Northern Pike: Good to Fair. Chubs on jigs best choice as waters cool. Finding pike where perch are gathering in shallower weeks, mud flats even. Bluegills: No reports- Too much wind/snow. Personally recorded temps of 47-53 degrees this weekend, most all lakes (save the largest) have turned over already. Looks as if cool temps will remain this week. Lots of leaves down due to wind. Some piers have been removed from launches already, so bring some knee boots for launching.

The current river level is at where water is only trickling over the Horlick dam. The water discharge at the dam is approximately 4.5 cfs (cubic feet per second). Water temperatures were measured between 48-50 degrees in the deeper pools in the middle of the day. For up to date river conditions, check out theUSGS web site of stream flow conditions in Wisconsin. Fishing Information Upstream of the facility: No anglers were seen fishing due to the low water levels and no salmon or trout were seen this far upstream. Downstream of the facility: Approximately 30 anglers had begun fishing for salmon and trout as they are seen moving upstream. All the anglers were seen using flies or spawn sacs with only a few fish being caught. All the anglers were concentration in the few holes that were deep enough to support fish limiting their success chances.

Root River Steelhead Facility Open House Join us Oct. 13, 2012, from 9. a.m. to 3 p.m. for anopen houseat the Root River Steelhead Facility in Racine, where we collect eggs from trout and salmon to produce the next generation of fish to test Lake Michigan anglers.Click here for more information.

Southern Lake Michigan Fishing Report: October 8, 2012 Kenosha Co. No report. Racine Co. Lakefront:Anglers were primarily targeting Chinooks from the pier and in the harbor though fishing success is inconsistent. The Chinooks that were caught were taken off of both north and south pier in low light hours using glow spoons or spawn sacs. Trollers have had some success with dipsey divers and flies along with trolling spoons anywhere from 30-70 feet down in 50-100 feet of water depending on the day. Anglers were focusing mainly on Chinooks and browns in shallower water including the river channel, but with fish being very scattered have kept their success at a minimum. Root River:Water is only trickling over the Horlick dam, and water temperatures are about 48 degrees. Fishing activity has been concentrated in deeper pools downstream of the Root River Steelhead Facility. Anglers have been using both flies and spawn sacs, but neither presentation has been consistently successful. The Root River Steelhead Facility is running for the fall season, but due to low water levels only a handful of fish have been processed so far. The 4th AnnualRoot River Steelhead Facility Open Housewill take place on Saturday, October 13 from 9AM – 3PM. At the Open House, DNR staff will provide guided tours and spawning demonstrations. Volunteers from Salmon Unlimited of Wisconsin will conduct Lake Michigan fishing seminars, kids casting, knot tying, display a trolling boat, and provide salmon cooking tips, techniques, and samples. Members of Trout Unlimited conduct fly casting and fly tying. The Kenosha Sportfishing and Conservation Club will demonstrate tying both stream and trolling flies, and other local organizations will have informative displays. Plan to stop by the Open House at the facility in Lincoln Park on October 13; it is a fun-filled, family oriented event! For more information, call 414-750-8382. Milwaukee Co. North Shore:Cold weather has moved some Chinooks up the river, while other species can be found in the harbor or just offshore. Trollers looking for Chinooks have moved to trolling the gaps and the river channel. There were a few Chinooks being caught, though more of the younger fish were out in deeper water, and the spawning fish have already moved up into the rivers. Other trollers have been focusing in 50-110 feet of water. The best baits have been spoons of various colors and crank baits. Fishing on McKinley pier has resulted in a few brown trout and Chinooks being caught. The brown trout were caught on spoons or crank baits, while the Chinooks were caught in pre-light hours of the day with success on glow spoons or floating spawn sacs. The shoreline along Summerfest is producing a few browns and Chinooks with most success on spawn sacs or casting spoons. South Shore:Cold weather has moved fish into the shallows. Trollers looking for Chinooks have moved to trolling the gaps and the river channel. Other trollers have been focusing in 50-110 feet of water and the best baits have been spoons of various colors and crank baits in both areas. Fishing under the Hoan Bridge has produced a few brown trout and Chinooks that were caught on spoons. Grant Park has produced rainbows and Chinooks caught at daybreak on spoons of various colors; also a few trout and salmon have begun to move up the creek but success has been very minimal. Fishing off of the Oak Creek power plant pier has resulted in Chinooks, rainbows, and a few lake trout being caught on spoons and crank baits with spawn sacs producing the best. Milwaukee River:The water level continues to be extremely low with not much water coming over Estabrook and the Kletzsch park dams. The overall water clarity is relatively clear with temperatures around 48-50 degrees. Fishermen were seen fishing for trout or salmon all along the river, but only a few Chinooks were being caught between the North Avenue dam and Estabrook falls on spawn sacs. Lots of fish were being seen at the Estabrook falls due to salmon having some trouble jumping the falls due to the low water level. Menomonee River:The water level continues to be very low without any recent rainfalls. The overall water clarity has improved to a relatively clear state along with temperatures around 48-50 degrees. Fishermen have been seen fishing for trout and salmon. A few Chinooks can be seen swimming up to and spawning around Miller Park. Most of the salmon were caught on spawn sacs in the deeper holes in the river. Ozaukee Co. Port Washington Ramp:Just a couple of trailers at count time each day, no interviews. Port Washington Harbor/Shore:Anglers were very active throughout the harbor with the biggest concentration of anglers in the north slip NE corner. Kings could be seen jumping; anglers were catching kings at various times of the day, but not all day long. It seemed like they would turn on and then turn off just as quickly. There were lots of anglers hooking but losing the catch before landing the fish and that was for folks casting. The rest of the inner and outer harbor/shoreline is where the anglers were more spread out, with less catch. Very few anglers on the rocks, and the most were on the south walkway. Spawn under a bobber was working best with a few bright colored spoons being cast working too. Morning angler activity was much higher with late afternoon to sunset holding strong. Mid-day had much fewer anglers. Kings were running in the 30-36″ range but I did not see any over 17 pounds. A few 18″ range browns were also caught. No coho or rainbows seen. Port Washington Pier:Just one angler counted, not interviewed. Fishing the lake side. Port Washington Power Plant:Water flow was almost nil from the power plant and the water was very clear. You could see browns and kings swimming in the very shallow area and in front of the wall. There was a constant flow of anglers with many from out of state. Spawn, spoons and spinners were being used. A lot of foul hooked fish were coming in and being released on spoons. It was a 70/30 split of kings and browns. On Saturday it was quiet apparently all day until an hour before dark when all the fish came in. Sauk Creek:: From the mouth up to the first bridge had some dead kings in the water. Kings looked to be 24″-30″ long. No fish seen swimming or jumping up over the concrete wall at the mouth, just a slow trickle of water passing through the concrete gap at the mouth. From the top of the concrete wall to the water looks to be two feet. Up the creek from the first bridge had no anglers, and it appeared the creek was blocked at some spots by low water and rocks. Sheboygan Co. Sheboygan Ramps:Some boats have been seen working in and around the harbor, but effort has been minimal. Sheboygan Shoreline:Anglers were active at the ramp area along the shoreline. Anglers were catching a couple of browns and a few kings. Browns were in the 18″ range and around 4 pounds. Anglers were along the rocks and ramps, and Kings could be seen in the marina jumping around the ramp area. Sheboygan Piers:The south pier was by far the most active. Anglers were working both sides of the wall. Coho and browns were being caught on a limited basis. The coho I saw were 16-18″ and around 3 pounds, very silvery in color and were caught on Sunday morning early. The coho were being caught on spinners. Most activity on the south pier was limited to the start of the pier out to around mid-point. Only a few anglers were out further, but they had no luck on either side. The north pier had a few anglers on Sunday with no fish being caught. Sheboygan River:Most anglers on the river have been concentrating between Esslingen Park and the Kohler dam, though some anglers were seen as far downriver as Kiwanis Park. The water level in the river is low, but Chinooks have been seen in upstream stretches of the river. Fishing has been generally slow, although some Chinooks have been caught on occasion. Boating, canoeing and kayaking are discouraged from Esslingen Park to the Sheboygan Harbor due to the high volume of dredging and habitat restorationprojects underway to benefit anglers in coming years. Contaminated sediment is being removed and fish habitat restored to boost fish and wildlife populations and reduce contaminant levels in fish in the river so people can safely eat them. Anglers are now advised do not eat resident fish from the river due to high levels of environmental contaminants. Dredging is being conducted from the Sheboygan Harbor to Wildwood Island, and habitat restoration projects are being conducted at Kiwanis Park, Wildwood Park and Esslingen Park. Anglers should be aware that these projects will limit and sometimes prevent access to those areas of the river. Pigeon River:The Pigeon is very low, and there have been no signs of salmon in the river or angling activity. Weedens Creek:No fishing activity. Edgewater Power Plant:No fishing activity.