Midwest Fishing Report: Lakes around Chicago fishing

Schiller Pond- This is one of the more small, but still managed CCFP lakes. Channel Catfish are feeding heavily around sunset. Night crawlers have been producing under a float,but fishing off the bottom withfrozen shrimp seems to producing morefish.Thecats here are running a tad small, mostrunning in 4lb range. Hybrid sunfish arevery active during the day time here.

(Head): Walleye, smallmouth bass, catfish, panfish and musky all putting on a good bite, with bear hunters getting revved up with the season about a month away; all in and amidst the lakes and the Wisconsin River in Wisconsins Marathon and Lincoln Counties (near Mosinee and Wausau). The recent spate of summer heat has not stopped some great action happening on the waters of the central Wisconsin area. Walleyes continue to be a very good attraction in the central Wisconsin area, with nice fish being caught on crawlers and leeches. Most of the fish are in 8 to 12 feet of water associated with wood and rocks. Smallmouth bass have been fairly aggressive on topwater baits and small crayfish style crankbaits in the central Wisconsin area. Our best action is coming from rocky rip-rap areas as well as shoreline wood. the catfish bite in the central Wisconsin area is about as good as it gets! We are not only catching a lot of nice fish, we are getting some good ones in the 10 to 15 pounds range, as well. Most of the cats are being caught by using cut bait or crawlers cast out into deep water, usually 12 feet or more and sometimes as much as 20 feet deep. The panfish bite in the central Wisconsin area has been good this past week with nice catches of bluegills, crappies and a few jumbo perch. a lot of the panfish are holding tight to bottom in 8 to 12 feet of water associated with weeds or wood, but the crappies are suspended down 4 to 7 feet from the surface. Small jigs tipped with a piece of crawler or a tiny minnow have been working the best for us. For you musky hunters, the bite has been pretty good during low light periods and after dark in the central Wisconsin area. We have been catching a few nice fish on top water baits and bucktails burned in as fast as you can retrieve them. The bite right now is not a feeding bite. It is more of a reaction strike, so the faster you can move your bait through the water, the better your odds of getting that strike. We are closing in on about one month until the 2012 bear season opens in the central Wisconsin area. It may seem like it is quite a ways off, but it is not, and will be here before you realize it. Most of our baits are seeing daily activity from multiple bears, and a few of them are real bruins. To keep the bears from straying off to another area or hunter’s set-up, we have now stepped up our baiting to almost every other day, along with changing our bait stations with different goodies each time we re-bait.

Fishing on LaSalle Lake was slower this week from last. Although the small blues will keep you busy. I did manage to get this 36″ – 20 pounder. Recent rain, and cooler nights has helped cool the lake temps about 5 degrees from last week . Still 93 degrees in section one.

Delavan Lake 7/30/12 through 8/6/12 Delavan Lake has seen a lot of fishing pressure this week. John Gillespie was out the middle of this week, so I don’t expect it to let up anytime soon. On Saturday, the boat launch was exceptionally busy between 5 and 6 a.m. so plan accordingly. The good news is that the fishing remains consistent and most species have available action. Bluegill fishing has been very consistent off the weedline in 15-20 ft of water. They can be caught on small split shots with a single hook. The best location has been by Assembly park, just west of the Yacht club or by Browns Channel. The key to success is getting just outside the thick weedline and fishing straight beneath the boat. Most of the fish have been 7-8 inches, a nice size for keeping fish. Largemouth bass have been on the weed points and are schooled up. You want to fish for them with either drop shot rig or a split shot rigged nightcrawler. For the drop shot fishermen, use a 1 ft drop and a small 4 inch Yum Hoodini worm. The best color is green pumpkin. The deep weedline bite has either been a split shot rigged nightcrawler or casting a swimming jig in black and blue with a black trailer. The best location has been the points like the Yacht Club, Willow Point or the Oriental boathouse. The fish are schooled up so if you catch one you should be able to catch 4 or 5. Northern Pike fishing has been very slow for me. I’ve been catching a couple. Lakeside bait and tackle has been saying that a bunch are being caught on medium suckers, but I personally haven’t found much success. Most of my success on the suckers are largemouth bass fished beneath a Thill big fish slip bobber in 12 ft of water. The best location for the northerns has been by Belvidere Park or just west of the Yacht club. Walleye fishing has been spotty. Most of the action is coming at dusk or pre-dawn. You can either troll medium diving crank baits in a crappie pattern or lindy rigging jumbo leeches. The best depth is about 22-24 ft of water. The floating weeds are a real problem for trolling so you need to constantly clear your line and lures. With perseverance you can catch quite a few. Crappie fishing has been slow. Most of the fish are suspended 6-10 ft down in 30 ft of water. The best location has been by Willow Point or by the orange marina. The key is that you need to move off the weedline and with a good depth finder find the active fish. I’ve been throwing a 1/32 oz jig with purple plastic for the best success. With almost 80 degree water temperature, the crappies are very soft so I haven’t been keeping any. Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050 Daily Reports 7/28/12 Delavan Lake, 75 degrees and sunny, winds E at 5 mph, water temp 79 degrees. Caught 13 largemouth, 2 walleyes and a bunch of bluegills. We fished both shallow and deep today with equal success. The larger fish came on slip bobber rigged suckers in about 8 ft of water. The rest of the fish came off of split shot rigged nightcrawlers. We fished all over the lake, weed points with a hard bottom were the best locations. 7/26/12 – Delavan Lake, 70 degrees, winds 15 mph out of the West. Water temp 79 degrees. Caught 10 largemouth, 2 walleyes and a plethora of big bluegills. Most of the fish were caught in 15-20 ft of water. A split shot rigged nightcrawler produced most of the action. Fishing near the Oriental boathouse was the most productive. 7/25/12 – Lake Geneva, sunny, 80 degrees, SE winds at 10 mph. Water temp 79 degrees. Caught 3 smallmouth and 2 largemouth bass as well as many bluegills and perch. When we first started in the a.m., it was cloudy with a slight chance of rain and the fish bit very well, when the skies cleared the fishing slowed. All the fish were caught on split shot rigged nightcrawlers. The best location was the Military Academy.

Lake Geneva 7/30/12 through 8/6/12 Lake Geneva continues to be really good fishing but it also continues to be super busy with pleasure boats. Plan to fish early a.m. or late p.m. for a safer, more productive trip. Lake trout continue to bite in the main lake basin. The best time to try for them is early a.m. as the sun in coming up. Look for the fish 90 ft down in about 110-118 ft of water. The best action has been on nickel/blue or nickel/green spoons. I’ve been placing the lures 40-50 ft behind the down rigger balls. Walleye continue to bite decently at night. The best hours to try for them are 12 a.m. to 4 a.m. They tend to bite better when there is a slight chop on the water. Try #13 Rapalas in fire tiger or chrome and black for the most action. The best location has been by Yerkes Observatory or Trinkes. Largemouth bass are on the deep weed points in 20-25 ft of water. Look for the fish by the 700 Club, the west side of the narrows or by Colemans Point. With the fish so deep, the best presentation is Carolina rigging green pumpkin lizards or drop shotting Yum Hoodini worms. Some of the fish last week were over 5 lbs. A lot of fish are still shallow so the early morning top water bite is still productive. You want to use chrome/blue or chrome/black chug bugs. Rock bass fishing has been excellent in 12-15 ft of water. The fish are biting on split shot rigged nightcrawlers or small white hair jigs. The best location has been by the Military Academy or by Colemans Point. Smallmouth bass fishing has been improving. They are on the deep weed points like the Military Academy or the 700 Club. They are aggressively hitting nightcrawlers fished on a lindy rig. You want to fish a 24 inch leader and the lightest sinker you can get away with. I’ve also been using a heavy lindy rig with a small perch and catching several really nice fish. Both northern pike and smallmouth bass have been biting on the small perch. I’ve been fishing them almost exclusively in greater than 20 ft of water. Northern Pike action has been improving with the heat. Most of the action has been in 35-40 ft of water. The best location has been by Fontana Beach or the hump in Williams Bay. There aren’t the numbers as there were in recent years, so if you catch one in 15-20 minutes you are doing well. The good news is that the average size is quite a bit larger. Remember you need a 32 inch fish if you want a keeper. Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050

Green Bay Fishing Report: July 30, 2012 Brown Co. Fox River:In the Fox River, fishermen are catching walleye, but due to the high temperatures, not many of them were caught. For bait, they were using crawler harnesses (white, purple, green in color) and crank baits. They are also catching some walleye at the mouth of the river by the Metro Boat Landing. Sheepshead, catfish, drum, and carp are still making appearances. Suamico/Geano’s Beach:At Suamico Landing, fishermen were starting to catch a few perch and bluegill from the boat landing and shore; boaters were also catching a few perch in about 8-12 feet of water. Minnows and night crawlers were the most used for perch. Some walleye were caught as well in about 15-35 feet of water. Boaters were also catching sheepshead, catfish and carp. Over at Geano’s beach, fishermen were catching walleye in about 15-35 feet of water on crawler harnesses (white or purple in color) as well as some perch in about 8-12 feet of water and by the weeds along the shore. East Shore Overall the fishing pressure was low earlier in the week, then it picked up by the weekend. The water temperature was high in the beginning of the week at Bayshore Park and Chaudoir’s dock, around 83 degrees. It cooled down by the weekend to around 75 degrees. In Sawyer Harbor and on Little Sturgeon Bay, water temperatures were around 75 degrees as well. Walleye numbers are still steady with previous weeks, and perch numbers are still overall low in all places except Chaudoir’s Dock, where it seems to be picking up more than previous weeks. The weekends seem to be the best for perch numbers compared to the weekdays, but more are making appearances at Chaudoir’s Dock. Bayshore Park:At Bayshore Park, fishermen were targeting walleye and perch. The walleye were caught on crawler harnesses (either gold or white in color) or crank baits (blue/black/silver color) in about 15 to 20 feet of water. Some were also using night crawlers for walleye, but most stuck to artificial bait. For perch, fishermen were using either minnows or night crawlers, and they had limited success. Sheepshead, gobies, and white bass are around with sheepshead being numerous. Chaudoir’s Dock:At Chaudoir’s Dock, fishermen were targeting walleye and perch as well. The walleye were caught mainly on crawler harnesses (perch color) in about 20 feet of water. Their numbers were low during the week, but the weekend reported higher numbers of catches. Perch fishing was slow during the week, and over the weekend it picked up. Fishermen were using a mixture of minnows and night crawlers throughout their fishing trips, switching often to increase their numbers which seemed to work overall in about 28 feet of water. The majority of fishermen targeting perch are heading north (about a few miles or so) out of Chaudoir’s Dock into open water. Sheepshead, gobies, catfish, and white perch are around as well. Sawyer Harbor:In Sawyer Harbor, no fishermen came in for an interview, but there were a handful of them out there. Little Sturgeon Bay:On Little Sturgeon Bay, fishermen were targeting walleye, perch, and smallmouth bass with pier fishermen targeting perch and sunfish. Boaters and pier fishermen that were targeting perch and sunfish used mainly night crawlers. Boat fishermen were reporting catching these fish in 15-20 feet of water. Only one walleye came in, and it was caught on a crawler harness (green) while smallmouth bass numbers were also low from previous weeks. They were caught on rapalas mostly (black in color) in about 8-11 feet of water. Sheepshead and gobies were still making appearances as well. Oconto Co. Water temperatures in the Bay are hovering around the 80 degree mark with many fishermen and pleasure boaters taking advantage of the hot weather. Bluegill and smallmouth continue to provide good fishing below the dam at Stiles. Slip bobbers and live bait have been working well on both species. From the Iron Bridge on the Oconto River downstream fishermen have been using crank baits and plastics for smallmouth. Many rafters are also taking advantage of the landing at the Iron Bridge to take a leisurely float down the river. The walleye bite on the Bay from Pensaukee to Oconto Park II remains good with most fish being caught in 20 to 30 feet of water using crawler/harness. Marinette Co. Water temperatures in the Bay are hovering around the 80 degree mark with many fishermen and pleasure boaters taking advantage of the hot weather. Floating the Peshtigo River from the Municipal Garage downriver to the mouth has been providing some fast action for pike and smallies with surface plugs and plastics being the baits of choice. Some perch are being caught off Little River in the weed beds using minnows and crappie rigs. Fish are being caught in 10 to 15 feet of water. Salmon and trout fishermen have maintained a good rate of catch this past week fishing in the area of the Trout Bar and Green Island. Many of the fish are in 100 feet of water, 80 feet down. Walleye fishermen are reporting some nice walleye being caught in the Green Island area using crawler/harness and jigging with minnows and plastics.

(Head): Good to excellent action for panfish, with a good bite for walleye, northern and bass; and musky fair to good; all in the Eagle River, Wisconsin area. Water temps in the Eagle River, Wisconsin area are holding in the low 80s. Fishing action remains good, with the Eagle River Chain of 28 lakes (largest freshwater chain of lakes in the world) providing the best bite across the board, except for smallmouth bass, where the clearer, deeper lakes in the Eagle River area are offering the best chances for success. The panfish bite (crappies, bluegills and perch) is very good to excellent in the Eagle River area. Fish 15 feet of water or less along weed edges. The perch will be tight to bottom, with the crappies and gills suspending up and down the water column. Use a crappie minnow, chunk of crawler, or Berkley Gulp[ on a small jig or under a slip bobber. All day bite. Walleye action in the Eagle River area is good. Fish 10-25 feet of water along break edges, over hardbottom areas. Use a jig and a leech or a jig and a half of a crawler. All day bite with peaks at sunrise and sunset. Northern are putting on a good bite in the Eagle River area. Fish 15 feet of water or less along weed edges or adjacent break edges. Use a Mepps #4, bass style spinner bait, or a Husky Jerk in a minnow or walleye pattern. All day bite. The largemouth bass bite in the Eagle River area is good. Fish 10 feet of water or less, along shoreline structure (docks, downed wood, lily pads, weeds or brush piles). Use topwaters like frogs and rats early and late, and a Texas Rig with a plastic worm all day. Smallmouth bass are being found mainly in the deeper, clearer lakes of the Eagle River area. Fish 10-35 feet of water off of break edges over hardbottom areas. Use a 3 inch tube, plastic crawfish, or a jig and a leech. All day bite. Good action. Musky in the Eagle River area are providing two fishing patterns. Fish shallow weeds in 10 feet of water or less, or open water main lake basins in 10-30 feet of water. The musky will be found in the deeper water wherever the bait fish are locating. Use a medium sized bucktail, topwater or crankbait, with a moderate retrieve. Always do a figure 8 when your lure nears the boat. Action is fair to good with peaks at sunrise, sunset, or after dark. (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

A midweek storm cooled the water and some of the fishing down through the weekend. As temps start to return to normal, so has the fishing. Largemouth Bass: Good-Very Good. Still the most widely caught species (other than bluegills) up here. Spinnerbaits (Boonie baits, River 2 Sea), Chatterbaits, Pre-rigged worms, tubes and towards evening topwater. Lots of 13-14″ fish (very strong year class) but also nice 18-19″ers. Bluegills: Good-Very good. Slowed a bit in mornings due to cool nights after storm. By mid morning as things warm, gills cruising weed tops in 5-12′. Small leeches, worms, waxies, Gulp baits as well as 1″ twisters on 1/32 oz jigs. Musky: Good. Best towards dusk. Bucktails bringing in best action. Some topwater. Also the deep, openwater bite for anglers willing to work big rubber baits and 12″ twitch baits over deep, Cisco inhabited lakes. Smallmouth Bass: Fair-Good. After front, smallies seem to have moved off of the rock humps and working weed lines. Tube jigs, big leeches best. Four inch swim baits and lipless cranks also taking fish in same areas. Return of warmer weather should put bite back on rocks. Walleyes: Fair. Clouds from front helped daytime bite, but evening walleye bite back. Live bait in the form of big leeches and crawlers best. Northern Pike: Fair. Best on live bait, though chubs difficult to get. Spinnerbaits (Boonie Baits) and Chatterbaits also scoring along with silver minnow spoons dressed with 3-4″ twisters or pork rind. Crappie: Fair. Weed edges of 12-14′. Small jigs, tubes and small minnows. Return of warmer weather should firm up bite. Perch: Fair. Not a lot of reports of anglers targeting perch. The few that are, are using frozen softshells over sandgrass flats of 12-20′. While surface temps unlikely to return to peak high, they are creeping back into the mid to high 70’s by mid-afternoon. Summer patterns should resume for a while as temps stay in the 70’s.

Southern Lake Michigan Fishing Report: July 30, 2012 Kenosha Co. No report. Racine Co. Strong northeast winds kept water temperatures warm pushing most of the fish into deeper, cooler water over the weekend. Anglers were primarily targeting browns from the pier and in the harbor, though virtually no fish were reported being caught. Trollers have had success with dipsey divers and flies along with trolling spoons in anywhere from 60-100 feet down in 105-175 feet of water depending on the day. Anglers were focusing mainly on Chinooks though the fish have seemed to be more spread out. A few rainbows were picked up as well. Perch fishing is extremely slow from shore with the best rigs being minnows under a slip bobber. Those jigging for perch down at the rock wall by Meyers ramp have had only a slight amount of success with minnows under slip bobbers and throwing small crank baits, although after an hour and a half after sunrise fishing slows to near nothing. Milwaukee Co. North Shore:Northeast winds have remained over the weekend keeping fish in deeper water. Trolling for Chinooks along with a few lake trout and rainbows has been successful once fish are found. Most trollers have been focusing in 105-175 feet of water with baits about 60-100 feet below the surface. The best baits have been spoons of various colors and dipsey divers with flasher/flies. Flasher/flies of white, blue, and watermelon have produced the best. Fishing on the pier has resulted to virtually no fish being caught, but anglers still trying for some browns are using alewives on the bottom. The shoreline along Summerfest is producing very few fish with the most successful presentations focusing on minnows with a few additional fish being caught on spoons. Perch fishing has been slow off of McKinley pier; the few perch that were caught were on minnows and small jigs off the rocks and pier. South Shore:With strong northeast winds over the past weekend fish have been pushed out into deeper water. Trollers have been catching Chinooks along with rainbow and lake trout. Spoons in a variety of colors were landing Chinooks. Trollers were anywhere from 105-175 feet of water with baits set about 60-100 feet below the surface. Fishing under the Hoan Bridge has produced a few brown trout reported caught on spoons and alewives on the bottom. No fish have been reported caught off of the south metro pier or at Grant Park. Fishing off of the Oak Creek pier has resulted only in a few small browns being landed. Perch fishing at the boils and off of Oak Creek has yielded only a few fish. Perch fishing off of the South Shore pier has yielded very few perch at dawn on minnows. Ozaukee Co. Port Washington Ramp:Anglers having successful harvest of chinook salmon, lake trout and an occasional coho salmon and rainbow trout on spoons and flies in 60-160 feet of water. Port Washington Harbor/Shore:Fishing effort has been low. Port Washington Pier:Fishing effort has been low; nearshore water remains warm. Sheboygan Co. Sheboygan Ramps:Anglers having successful harvest of chinook salmon, rainbow trout, and an occasional lake trout and coho salmon on spoons and flies in 80-300 feet of water. Sheboygan Piers/Shore:Fishing effort has been low; nearshore water remains warm.

Seeing as the current water temperature on most the SW Michigan coast is 77 degrees, no steelhead are around. I have not heard anything about perch fishing. I seen a few boats heading out yesterday for perch. Some perch should be around if you can find them. But no news as to what depths or water temps they are sitting at. Gar fishing on the rivers has been great. Minnow style crankbaits and large flies should both take hits. Landing them is a different story. Channel cat fishing has also been good in low light hours