Midwest Fishing Report: Rivers and lakes around Chicago fishing

Head): Very good action for musky, walleye and crappie, and bucks pairing up with does as the rut kicks in; all in and amidst the lakes and the Wisconsin River in Wisconsins Marathon and Lincoln Counties (near Mosinee and Wausau). Cooler temperatures and lots of rain have fish moving in different directions. Shorter days has rutting activity under way. Husky Action in the central Wisconsin area has been very good with some really nice fish being caught this past week. With all the recent rain we’ve had, the water is high and fast but we are still catching a lot of fish (all released!). A lot of our muskies have now transitioned to the slower inside turns on the main Wisconsin River system, and to the deep weed edges in main lake basins. Most of the ifs hare coming on slow moving glider style baits and jerk baits, with a few coming on live suckers set up on quickset rigs. Walleye activity in the central Wisconsin area has been really good, but with the high and cooler water a lot of the fish in the Wisconsin River system have trifled into the main lakes and are staging in deeper water, 12 to 16 feet deep. You can however catch these walleyes up shallow during low light periods and after dark as they move into the shallows to feed. Jig and a minnow is the hot ticket. Crappie action in the central Wisconsin area has been very good in the main lakes with schools of nice fish suspending down about 4 to 7 feet over 12 to 16 feet of water. To target these roaming schools of crappies look for areas in the main lakes with an average depths of at least 12 feet and then run spider style rigs set at various depths to catch these suspended fish.

Delavan Lake 10/22/12 through 10/30/12 Finally the lake has stabilized with the cooler weather. Fishing has been improving daily. If you can catch a good day with no wind, you should have great success. Due to the time of year, you need to take a lot of different baits and tactics for optimal success. Northern Pike are everywhere in the 10-14 ft depth range. They are aggressively hitting rattle baits on a slow retrieve. The best location is Browns Channel or in front of Lake Lawn Lodge. Most of the fish are small however, you can get some really big numbers. Once you find the fish, you want to anchor, you can catch them slip bobbering medium suckers or large golden shiners. The walleye fishing has been great at dusk and dawn. The fish are in about 16-18 ft of water off of main lake points. Look for the fish by the Yacht Club, Willow Point or by Browns Channel. With the cooler water temperatures, the fish are almost exclusively hitting on extra large fat head minnows or a deep diving crank bait. The best color for the crank baits are pearl or chrome/blue or chrome/black. For the best success you want to fish 1 hour before sunrise and/or right at dusk. Largemouth bass have moved into the shallow weed flats in 10-12 ft of water. They can be caught on crank baits. The best color is perch or chrome/blue. You want to find the greenest weeds in the lake which are by the Yacht Club or in front of Lake Lawn Lodge. Last week, I did catch a few largemouth bass in 3-4 ft of water while casting a split shot rigged nightcrawler by the Oriental boat house. With the cooler water temperatures, the smallmouth bass have become active. The best depth for them is 16-20 ft of water. The best location is by 3 flags or Belvidere Park. The smallmouth are positioned like the walleyes so the best approach is lindy rigs with a 24 inch leader and an extra large fat head minnow. On Delavan, smallmouth bass don’t school up like Geneva so you need to keep moving for optimum success. A good trip is between 5-6 fish. Fall is the best time to catch large fish so plan your day accordingly and fish when it’s nice. Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050

Lake Geneva 10/29/12 through safe ice. The cold weather has taken a grip on the lakes area in Southern Wisconsin. Even my fishing habit slows quite a bit this time of the year. I’m sure I’ll be out sporadically between now and safe ice but it likely won’t be on a consistent basis. Lake Geneva has not turned over yet. The turnover should happen this week with the cooler weather. At that point, fishing will slow down and then improve again later. All the fish that I’ve been catching are currently in 22-25 ft of water, after turnover the bite will move shallow in 8-10 ft of water. Smallmouth bass have been hitting on two different patterns. They are on their spawning flats in 9-10 ft of water or on main lake structure in 22-25 ft of water. For either location, lindy rigging large fat head minnows has been the best presentation. Look for the fish by Holiday Camp or by the old Military Academy. With the cold weather, I’ve been trying to stay out of the wind, so the best locations have been those without wind that allows you to keep your bait on the bottom. I’ve been catching some of the biggest smallmouth bass of the year this past week. Walleye pike fishing has been above average if you can endure the cold temperatures. The best location has been in front of Yerkes Observatory, Abbey Springs or by Linn Pier. You want to work a depth of 15-18 ft of water with your lures 8-10 ft down. The best lure has been Husky Jerks or large Rapalas. Perch fishing has been fantastic if you can sort through the small fish. It still remains that you catch 100+ fish to keep 20. The best location has been 9-12 ft in front of Belvidere Park or Knollwood. You want to use small fat head minnows underneath a small Thill slip bobber. Position the bait about 1 ft off bottom. Rock bass have also been in the shallows in 12 ft of water. They can still be caught on small fat head minnows or nightcrawlers fished on a split shot rig. For the most part, I’ve been out in too deep of water to have many hit. If you want to avoid them, stay in the 20 ft depth range. Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties for 2013 please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050 Daily Report 10/28/12 Lake Geneva, cloudy, 30 degrees, winds NE at 15 mph. Water temp 52 degrees. Caught 18 smallmouth, there were about 5-6 legals. The fish were smaller than yesterday. All fish were caught on lindy rigs in 22-25 ft of water. Fished the north shore because of the winds and cold temperatures. 10/27/12 Lake Geneva, sunny, 30 degrees, winds NE at 15 mph. Water temp 52 degrees. Caught 17 smallmouth, 15 were legal with the largest being 22 inches. Was Lindy rigging extra large fat head minnows in 22-25 ft of water off the Holiday Camp. Tried other places but the wind and cold made it difficult to fish some of the prime locations.

Fished the haunted Robinson Woods section near the old Indian burial grounds over the weekend. No ghouls or goblins were spotted,but managed a few small pike on a large crank bait. Used the brightsun to my advantage tossing a blue/chrome minnow style bait that reflected sunlight well. Water was back down and crystal clear with visibility all the way to the bottom. Pike bite is still good, although the best of the fall feeding frenzy is winding down. Those two days late last week that had temps in the hi 60s and 70s threw the wildlife a curveball. Bullfrogs had reemerged from hibernation, bees were buzzing and flying around in an intoxicated spring like daze, and common carp were tossing and jumping all over the water. It was truly summer’s last hoorah.

Fishing on the Des Plaines River has been excellent for northern pike. Lots of smaller pike but several reports of 20″+ fish coming in. Spinnerbaits, inline spinners and Rapala’s working best for everyone. I’m doing well with Chatterbaits too. There is also some largemouth bass action. Most I’ve seen in several years.

Got a very short note from fly fisherman Nat Lawrence on Sunday. Looks like he may be done for the year… I fished today for the last time this year and caught 2 Bass and 1 Catfish. I tried to convince him to continue over the winter at some spots, we’ll see if he takes me up on it. I got out at sunrise last week on the warmest day of the week. After catching 6 smallies and missing another 6 in a couple of hours, I got bored and went home. The wife was shocked, she didn’t expect to see me till sunset. Past years, that’s exactly what would have happened. This day fishing seemed like a chore. Got out Monday afternoon to a couple of creeks. I expected nothing and got what I expected. Did see a couple of fish chase the lure, but they wouldn’t commit. Water was low, crystal clear and cold. I might get out a time or two yet, but it will be very sporadic. In the mean time, others should switch to live bait, minnows, and keep going if they want. I’ve done well on live bait through the end of November in year’s past, no reason why that shouldn’t continue to happen. Smart anglers will read Norm Minas’ winter fishing techniques on the Kankakee River and adapt his techniques to the Fox. Bear in mind that half the water in the Kank comes from points further south, so even during the winter the Kank will flow a few degrees warmer. The Fox all comes from the north, so water can get colder. Doesn’t mean fish can’t be caught, just means slowing down. Don’t know what happened to the anglers that were sending you Fox reports earlier in the year. Slackers it seems. Maybe if they’re out and about over the winter, they’ll send you updates. You might get a report now and then, otherwise, see you March.

Green Bay Fishing Report: October 29, 2012 Brown Co. Green Bay:Voyageur Park is getting the most action, with fishermen looking for walleye, perch, and sheephead however catch rates have been low. Musky anglers have not been having much success fishing the Fox River or Green Bay. Some perch are being caught at both Duck Creek and the Suamico Boat Launch, but fish are running on the small side. East Shore No report Oconto Co. Geano Beach and the Pensaukee Landing are being used primarily by water fowlers. City Docks, Breakwater Park, and Oconto Park II fishermen are having success fishing for perch, using minnows and crappie rigs. Early mornings have produced the best bite with many small fish being caught. The fishermen at the Stiles Dam have been catching Chinook Salmon and a few Brown Trout casting small spoons or stick-baits. Crappies and Blue Gills are being caught adjacent to the pilings below the Stiles Dam using minnows and worms. Marinette Co. Some salmon and panfish are being caught below the Dam in Peshtigo, some salmon are still in good shape. Little River has a few salmon in at this time due to an increase in water flow, spawn sacks are working the best. Fishermen at the Hattie Street Dam area have been catching some walleye during low light periods. Salmon, browns, and a few pink salmon are also being caught from Stephenson Island up river to the Dam.

Kankakee River and its tributaries with fair to good fishing. In both Indiana and Illinois, many are looking for: 1. Available access. Many public fishing areas are closed while hunting is going on. Many areas have both…fishing and hunting. Check with site officials about dates and regulations. 2. Smallmouth Bass: Continue fair to good. Try around available mouths of ditches, creeks, rock lined banks, drifts, edge of fast water over slow water. Some good baits include: *live minnows *minnow shaped artificials *Mepps #2,#3 Spinners *jig and twister tails. 3. Northern pike: Good right at or near shorelines *islands *brush piles.* *Good baits include *Dardevles *Weedless Doctor spoons *Large spinners *4-6″ live minnows. 4. Catfish. Continue good throughout, esp. in low light hours and at night on *4-5″minnows *jig and crawlers *cheese baits *chicken liver. 5. Largemouth Bass: Fair around quieter waters including along brush in shorelines *in water logs *rocky, gravelly quieter waters *mouths of backwaters *bayous*below dams, waterways, piers. 6. Bluegill, Croppie, Rock Bass: Continue good. Try live bait like smaller minnows *nightcrawlers (at different depths)*redworms*#0 spinners *rubber spiders. Fish all in water brush, bayous, stumps. Best to all, Ed Mullady, Sportsman’s Letter

(Head): Good action for walleye, northern and panfish, with musky fair to good. The advent of cold weather has had a significant impact on hunting. All in the Eagle River, Wisconsin area. Water temps in the Eagle River area are in the low to mid 40s. Walleye in the Eagle River area are either right off of break edges adjacent to mid-lake basin mud flats, or over the mud flats themselves. The walleye are tight to bottom. Use a jig and a fathead or redtail minnow. All day bite. Action is good. Northern in the Eagle River area are in 12 feet of water or less in and around weeds. Use a Husky Jerk in a minnow or walleye pattern, a minnow bait, or a northern sucker under a slip bobber. All day bite. Good action. Panfish (crappies, bluegills and perch) in the Eagle River area are in 10-30 feet of water on weed edges or break edges. Perch are tight to bottom. Crappies and gills suspending up and down the water column. Use a small minnow or a a chunk of crawler under a slip bobber or jig. Good all day bite. Musky in the Eagle River area are in 12 feet of water or less off of break edges and weed edges. Use a medium size crankbait or jerkbait, or a 12-15 inch sucker. Regular retrieve. Do a figure 8 as the bait nears your boat. All day bite, with action fair to good. (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

Following a mid-week warm up with temps hitting the mid to upper 60’s, temps have dropped, barely reaching 40 degrees over the weekend. Lake temps moved up into the near 50 degree marks, but now dropping to mid 40’s. The cold hasn’t hurt the fishing, though wind and chill has kept some anglers off the water. Musky: Good to Very good. Slow earlier in week, then picked up by weekend. Suckers on quick-set rigs best by far. Work gravel bar bases where Cisco’s are hanging out by day (20-35′). Fish suckers at levels Cisco’s spotted (usually 5-10′ off bottom). Bladed quick set rigs add flash to offering. Nice fish including a 48″, 30#er this weekend. Musky following jerk baits, gliders and Sebile Magic Swimmers, but few hitters. Walleye: Good. Wind made boat control difficult, but on fishable days, vertical fishing in 30-50′ depths. Also try jigging Raps over suspended schooling fish. Nice catches of 18-24″ walleyes this past week. Pike: Good. Best on jig/chub combos in 6-8′ weeds. As usual for this time of year, few reports of other species coming in. Crappies and perch anglers were doing well before the cold snap, both should be found over 15-25′ mud flats. Crappies suspending 3-5′ up–perch tight. Stable, yet cold temps look to stay through the week. Keep a look out for cloud cover, a little wind to help. Best action for most bites from 9am – 5pm.

Southern Lake Michigan Fishing Report: October 29, 2012 Kenosha Co. No report. Racine Co. Racine Co.:Anglers were primarily targeting Brown and Rainbow trout from the pier and in the harbor but overall fishing success has been inconsistent. The few fish that were caught were caught near the boat landing on spawn sacs and spoons. Virtually no trollers have been out in recent days, those still trolling have had some success with dipsey divers and flasher and flies along with trolling spoons anywhere from 30-70 feet down in 50-100 feet of water depending on the day. Boats were focusing mainly on Chinooks and browns in shallower water including the river channel but success was at a minimum. Root River:The current river level has made some water spill over the Horlick dam. The overall water clarity is improving but becomes cloudier with each rainfall. The water discharge at the dam is approximately 32 cfs (cubic feet per second). Water temperatures were measured around 52 degrees in the deeper pools in the middle of the day. Anglers were seen fishing the entire stretch of river up to the Horlick dam. A few Chinooks were caught on flies just upstream of the Steelhead Facility but most anglers were struggling to catch fish. Most anglers were using flies or spawn sacs with only a few Chinooks being caught. Most anglers were concentrating mostly in the holes in Island and Lincoln park, with the largest amount of fishing pressure only about 500 yards downstream of the Steelhead facility, the next processing and spawning day at the weir will be Thursday November 1st. Milwaukee Co. North Shore:Cold weather and recent rain has moved Chinooks well up the rivers while other species can be found in the harbor or just offshore. There were only a few Chinooks being caught in the harbors and out deeper. Other trollers have been focusing in 50-110 feet of water with baits about 60-100 feet below the surface with most of the targeted species being lake and brown trout. The best baits have been spoons of various colors and crank baits. The remaining spawning Chinooks have been caught on spawn sacs. Fishing on the pier has slowed down but a few brown trout can still be caught on spawn or throwing crank baits. The best time to catch the Chinooks has been during overnight hours or right away in the morning. The shoreline along Summerfest is producing a few browns and rainbows with most success on spawn sacs. Some small perch have been caught under the Hoan Bridge using spawn sacs and minnows.. South Shore:Cold weather has moved fish into the shallows. Trollers have been focusing in 50-110 feet of water with baits about 60-100 feet below the surface for brown and lake trout. 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 and rainbow trout. Grant Park has slowed to only a few Chinooks being caught, also Chinook salmon are well into the creek for over 2 weeks now and have started to die off with the number of Chinooks being caught on spawn decreasing even though fishing pressure remains extremely high. Fishing off of the Oak Creek pier has resulted in a few Chinooks along with cohos rainbows and a few lake trout being caught on spoons and crank baits with spawn sacs producing the best. No one was seen fishing for perch in the area. Milwaukee and Menomonee River:The river remains at a normal water level but is slowly dropping depending on rainfall. The overall water clarity is very clear with decreasing flow rates. Water temperatures are around 48-50 degrees in the middle of the afternoon. Fishermen were seen fishing for trout or salmon all along the river with most of the fish caught between Hubbard and Kletzsch Park. The best success was on flies but spawn sacs were catching a few fish as well. With the increase in water level the heaviest concentration of fish has now moved past Estabrook and Kletzsch falls. There is still some fish in these areas but not as many as in recent weeks. The Menomonee River remains at a normal water level but is slowly dropping depending on rainfall. The overall water clarity is very clear with decreasing flow rates. The overall water clarity is clearing up along with steady to dropping water levels. Water temperatures are around 46 degrees at sunset. Fishermen have been seen fishing for salmon around Miller Park. Most of the salmon were caught on spawn sacs in the deeper holes in the river though there were not many landed. A few perch have been caught around MMSD using minnows. Ozaukee Co. Port Washington Harbor/Shore:In the north slip angling activity has declined greatly over the past week. Remaining anglers advise that the bite is very slow and only few kings are being taken. However, the kings taken appear fresh and are 3-4 year old in size. Anglers continue to use spawn under a bobber and casting techniques with bright colored lures. The entire area remains open to anglers and no vessels have been moored yet for the winter. In Rotary Park Only a couple of larger fresh kings were seen near the large floating pier area that were harvested. Anglers advised that dark and pre-dawn hours seem to be the most active for kings in this area. Casting various bright colored lures seems to be the best method. The larger floating pier along the rocks is outside of the hour sunrise/sunset rule, but the shorter floating pier under the walking bridge is in the restricted area. The dividing line runs from the water line at the boat ramp south to the telescope on the observation area. East of that line is open 24/7. Anglers are reminded to not cast into the restricted area during the closed period. The area just north of Sauk Creek has been very active with anglers over the weekend. Anglers have been targeting browns, rainbows, cohos and fresh kings. Anglers have been harvesting some 3-4 pound browns and an occasional legal size rainbow. 4 year old kings can be seen in the water and are looking beat up. Coho are also showing up and a few have been migrating up Sauk Creek with some anglers reporting success in harvesting coho. Coho are showing pink/red colors and are in the 3-5 pound range. Both males and females are now in the Sauk Creek. Most coho have been seen in the creek just east of the Wisconsin Street Bridge in the deeper pools. Port Washington Pier:A few anglers were seen early on Saturday mid-way out fishing the lake side. No interviews were conducted. Port Washington Power Plant:We Energies increased the discharge flow over the past weekend and the flow is fishable. Numerous browns, coho and kings were seen over the shallow gravel bar near the discharge. Fish can also be seen jumping out from the flow area. Various types of lures were being used with some success. Small spawn floated over the gravel is also working. Sauk Creek:Mouth up to Wisconsin Ave Bridge: Water flow is still up and coho have been working their way upstream. Coho are becoming darker and are showing pink/red colors. Coho are in the 2-5 pound range. Anglers are using a wide variety of lures/bait and have been having success harvesting fish. No anglers were observed just west of Wisconsin Street Bridge As of Sunday flows decreased to the point that if no rain occurs this week, fish will be stranded in the pools. Dead fish were observed laying on the exposed rocks. However, enough water was flowing over the weekend in most of the creek and fish were being caught up as far as CTH KK and the nature preserve area. . Sheboygan Co. Sheboygan Ramps:Strong winds and waves over the weekend limited ramp and pier fishing, and no activity was reported Sheboygan Shoreline:Angler activity has been very limited from shore. A few anglers either had no fish, or an occasional brown trout. Browns are in the 20″ range. Angler effort has been either an hour or two, due to the slower fishing. Sheboygan River:Esslingen Park up to I43 there were anglers working the far west part of the park. Anglers were trying for kings and browns. No fish were harvested. The Village of Kohler anglers were not seeing many kings in the river at this area and were starting to see a few coho. Fishing pressure was limited and no fish were harvested. River flow is ideal. At the Kohler Dam Angler activity has increased but very few kings are being seen. Coho have been migrating upstream and some anglers reported larger catches of 3-4 pound fish in the 20″ to 24″ size range. A few smaller browns and rainbows are also starting to show up, but are harder to find. Most anglers are advising that fish are being caught downstream from the dam and not near the raceway. Fly anglers were catching more fish than anglers using spinning gear. Other areas including the Pigeon River and Weedens Creek both held fish but angler activity and success was low. 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.

Whitefish action has been quite slow, but the first ones of the year are starting to be caught up and down Michigan shoreline of Lake Michigan. Steelhead are action has been the same, slow but around on the lake front, and only a few here and there being caught in the rivers.