Midwest Fishing Report: Lakes around Chicago fishing

fish was caught by me Mike Markese its being held by my buddy Alex Pena..My phone died before I could get a good pic with it… I have been out the last 3 days since and not one has been caught..I can honestly say I was very lucky we were just about to leave as I’m reeling in the last cast of night and bam it hits.. I’m 31 only been salmon fishing the last 3 seasons…But I always remember getting up for school when I was younger and my dad and his buddy’s getting home all excited with big salmon..I never understood the excitement, now I do and I can pass it on to my son…I will defintely keep you updated this season as I said I love the column and all the advice and info you pass along to us all! thanks again and as always Keep up great work for all fisherman and hunters!! FYI Caught on green glow cleo with black spots

Dale, Alan Epich of Mokena joined me for an early pre Bears game fish hunt on one of Mazonia’s clear water gems. Nice bluegills, thick, deep bodied black crappies and the occasional redear can be found well off of the shoreline weed edges now. Gills and crappies are grouping along steep drops and deep flats right now. Wax moth caterpillar larva will tempt all just fine. Any

Good Evening, the Minocqua Area Fishing Report form Kurt’s Island Sports: Warm weather has persisted for the second week of September. Surface temps ranging from 72-78 degrees. In some instances it has put the bite off. For some species things have picked up. Largemouth Bass: Very good. Best on spinnerbaits, shallow running cranks over 6-8’weeds. Topwater still a hot option in 2-4’ at dusk. Big fish this week including a 22 6#+ caught and released on a Boonie Bait. Pike: Good-Very good. Blade baits are the best choice. Spinnerbaits, #3, #4 Mepps and Rizzo Wizzs. Jigging chubs as well as chubs on a spinner taking nice pike 28-36. Musky: Fair-Poor. Not sure what’s going on. Recent Musky Tournament on Squirrel only produced 2 legal fish. Action slow- might be waiting for temp drop. Bluegills: Good. Another flying ant hatch (2nd in 2 weeks) has gills up high. Use small leeches 10-16 below float. Crappies: Very Good. Lots of nice fish of 10-12+ this week on 1/16 oz jigs tipped with 2twister tails or medium fathead minnows. Where wood can be found in 12-15’ start. Otherwise work outside coontail edges of 14-18’, 10-14’ down. Walleye: Fair. Some action on deep rocks (17-28’), on redtails, crawlers. Action off on weeds. A few reports of anglers doing well after dark on crankbaits from shore. Perch: Good. Relating to sandgrass on clear lakes in 15-24’ of water taking softshells and ½ crawlers. In darker water, wood in 4-8’ on crawlers. This week’s mild temps (forecast of lows in the low 60’s- high in the low 70’s) won’t drastically change things. A dip in the temp by the weekend could improve walleye and musky bite. Fishing pressure relatively light for September. Typically a great month for walleyes, pike, crappies as well as both bass species. The best is yet to come. Kurt Justice Kurt’s Island Sports 715-356-4797

(Head): Walleye, northern, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, and panfish all providing good action; with musky fair. Highest density of grouse drumming in the state, portends a great grouse season, which starts on September 14. All in the Eagle River, Wisconsin area. Water temps in the Eagle River area hovering in the low 70s. Walleye in the Eagle River area are in 10-25 feet of water, off of weed edges and adjacent break edges. The walleye are tight to bottom. Use a jig with a minnow, half of a crawler, or a leech. All day action, and the bite is good. Northern are in 10 feet of water or less in the Eagle River area. Fish in and around weeds. Use a small bucktail, Husky Jerk in a minnow or walleye pattern, or a northern sucker under a slip bobber. All day action. Bite is good. Smallmouth bass in the Eagle River area are locating off of break edges and over hardbottom areas in 10-25 feet of water. Use a tube jig, plastic crawfish, or a jig and a leech or minnow. All day action. Bite is good. Largemouth bass are in 10 feet of water or less in the Eagle River area. Fish in and around heavy weeds, or shoreline structure (docks, brush piles and downed strees). Use a spinner bait, crankbait or weedless plastic. All day action with peaks in the evening. Bite is good. Panfish (crappies, bluegills and perch) in the Eagle River area are in 15 feet of water or less, off of weed edges or adjacent weed beds. Perch are tight to bottom, with the crappies and gills locating up and down the water column (day and lake dependent start at the bottom and work your way up until you find the depth that the fish are locating at on a particular day or time). Use a Mini Mite, or a crappie minnow or a chunk of crawler on a small jig or under a slip bobber. All day action. Bite is good. Musky in the Eagle River area are in 10 feet of water or less off of weed edges of adjacent weed beds. Use a small bukcktail, topwater, or twitch bait. Always do a figure 8 with your lure as it nears the boat. All day action. The bite is fair.

Warm water still surrounds the pier heads, but a few salmon are being caught of of the many ports in the area. Glow in the dark spoons are taking fish in the dusk and early morning, and crankbaits taking fish during the day for shore bound anglers. Trollers are finding fish shallow from the beach out to 60 foot of water, jplugs, spoons, and crankbaits are taking a few fish. Perch fishing has still been decent on Lake Michigan. Inland lake fishing has been good for bass and gills. Rivers are still low, and no salmon or steelhead are being caught. Smallmouth action has still been great on the river.