Kings, bass, crappie, spring signs: Midwest Fishing Report, Chicago fishing

Hello Dale. The Libertyville fishing club had an outing on lake Michigan yesterday. Ken Haney landed this 37″ 18 pound 4 oz. King caught in shallow water out of Waukegan. Weather is now cooperating. Enjoy. Thx

Hey Dale, Here is a recap of this week’s fishing.Area lakes- spring has finally sprung! Bass are up shallow staging for the spawn. Mostly males are being caught working a lipless crankbait along the inside and outside weed edges. Best bite has been mid afternoon hours.TTYL—Ken Husker O’Malley Husker Outdoors Waterwerks fishing team

I’ve finally started getting out recently. It’s been pretty much the same for a couple of weeks: active bluegills and some crappies too. I’ve been using a soft hackle wet fly with some success (although I think most anything would work when it comes to bluegills willing to eat). In the soft hackle nomenclature, a pheasant-and-blue is what I’ve been catching them on. I have been seeing some big bass cruising the shallows near shore; I have not yet pursued them, but that will change presently.

Hi Dale I skipped the tournament action again at Braidwood to check out the Wisconsin opener in Merrill. The tournament action continued at Braidwood with the third Anglers Choice event. The team of Wokurka and Batta took 1st with 10.99 pounds (3fish limit). 2nd went to Miller and Wegner and 3rd to Sanders and Banach. The big Bass weighed 4.44lbs and was caught by the team of Zola and Zola. High School Anglers also catching good bass at Braidwood (see picture of young anglers).Tight linesRob

Mixed bag today in the Calumet system… Lake and river is 63 degrees…… everything was bitting… but crappie… we couldn’t find any…… but caught Huge largemouth and smallies

.catfish and bass are VERY Active.

Well we are finally seeing some warmer temps. Fish are still slow on the river some Crappie and Gills starting to move and a couple small Bass. Water temps are still down 48 to 52 surface temps. In past years once I saw surface temps from 56 to 59 fish started turning on. This coming week we should start seeing some movement. Friday I spent some time inland on a few ponds catching Crappie and Gills. Sunday I spent the day on Bangs Lake at an IHSA event where there were 2 High School Bass Team members and one Veteran in each boat. We were short a few boats due to the sectionals starting Monday, so I had 2 Plainfield South Bass Team members and 2 Veterans Jim and Steve in my boat we had a Blast. It was interesting watching the Vets and anglers share ideas stories and thoughts. This coming week I am Headed up to Kenosha for some Planner board Learning with my Buddy Captain Jerry a Charter Boat Captain out of Kenosha and President of Kenosha Sportfishing and Conservation Association. Looking forward to learning to add to my arsenal for Trout and Salmon in the Chicago Area. Till next week enjoy the weather change get out and catch some fish and Please if you would share your Pictures on my face book page Pat Harrison Outdoors – Fishing Adventures. Thanks Captain Pat — www.patharrisonoutdoors.com Thanks Pat

Daily Reports Happy Cinco De Mayo & Opening Day of Game fishing!! 5/5/18 Lauderdale Lake, sunny, no wind 75 degrees, water temp 49 degrees. Caught 6 largemouth and 6 walleyes. We caught the fish on split shot rigged nightcrawlers fished in 8 feet of water. We fished Green Lake mostly. A chartreuse hook and a number 2 round split shot worked the best. 5/6/18 Lake Geneva, Night fishing 1 a.m. – 4 a.m., N wind at 5 mph, 50 degrees, water temp 49 degrees. Fished the east end, near Buttons Bay and Cisco Beach. We caught one walleye trolling crankbaits in 12 ft of water. There were a few smallmouth bass being caught during the day in 12-14 ft of water using Carolina rigs with finesse worms or small grubs. Dave Duwe’s Guide Service 262-728-8063 www.fishlakegeneva.com www.fishdelavanlake.com

2018 Opening Day & Cinco De Mayo Celebration! By: Dave Duwe It’s like Cinco De Mayo! Oh wait, it is the 5th of May and this year that’s cause for double celebration as it coincides with opening day of fishing season for inland lakes in SE Wisconsin. After a long winter it’s time to catch some game fish. As is typically the case in Walworth County on opening day, lake selection is important. With Lake Geneva being the deepest lake in the state and other shallower lakes warming quicker (think Lake Como or Whitewater Lake), a case can be made for fishing some lakes a bit off the beaten path. In early May, Lake Geneva has some disadvantages being so deep and big. The water tends to be really cold and the fish aren’t usually that active. Most of the smallmouth bass are being caught suspended, not associating with any structure. They can also be very active chasing bait fish pods near their spawning flats. I work the suspended fish in 12-15 feet of water. My preferred presentations are Kalin Grubs in Avocado color fished on a darter head or Arkie Jigs Shinee Hinnee (a small crappie hair jig that resembles a shiner). The spawning flats I focus on are the near the South Shore Club, Elgin Club or near Knollwood. Largemouth bass will be the most active in the shallows, in such places as Trinkes, Abbey Harbor or in Geneva Bay. I like using baits such as a Yum Dingers or a Texas rigged plastic worm. Green pumpkin or watermelon are always my best colors. The larger bluegills will be in the warmer shallow waters around the emerging weeds and shallow structure. The best presentation is Thill slip bobbers with Lindy’s Toad ice jigs. I prefer using wax worms or leaf worms. My favorite bluegill spots are Abbey Harbor, Geneva Bay near the library or by the South shore club. Due to the cold spring, the walleye in Geneva are in 3-5 feet tight to hard bottom. They have just completed their spawn. Look for them near Cisco Beach or Buttons Bay. As always, the walleye bite on Geneva is best after dark, between midnight and 3 a.m. Statewide, Delavan Lake is known as one of the best fishing lakes. Since it is so well known as an awesome fishery, it will also be one of the busiest lakes on opening day. The crappie fishing has already been pretty good for the first few weeks of April. The best depth is in the 8-12 foot depth range. I like mini-mites or small plastics in purple or yellow. For live bait fishermen, Thill slip bobber rigs tipped with small fat head minnows also produce a lot of fish. Look for the fish by Browns Channel or by the island on the west end of the lake. Walleyes in early May are shallow. Delavan is very clear this time of year and that can make the walleyes a bit skittish. The fish are in the emerging weeds in 5 to 10 feet of water. Night or low light conditions produce the most fish. Trolling shallow diving crankbaits typically produces the most fish. Largemouth bass will be cruising the shallows in pre-spawn. The best approach is Yum Dingers fished Texas rigged in 3-5 feet of water near the outlet and by Lake Lawn Lodge. While Delavan and Geneva are both great for fishing, personally I prefer some of Walworth Counties shallower lakes for early season. The lakes tend to have a much higher water temperature and that helps keep the fish more active. The smaller lakes also receive a lot less fishing pressure and can be very productive. My favorite lake choices are Whitewater, Como and Lauderdale lakes. Work the shallow emerging weeds in 3 to 5 ft of water for largemouth bass. My lure choices are a Booyah white spinnerbait in ¼ oz or a Texas rigged Yum Dinger in Green pumpkin. Being such shallow lakes, the weed growth can be tremendous, so early May can be the best fishing of the year on these bodies of water. Shore anglers in Walworth County can have good action as well on opening day throughout the county. Turtle creek has a decent smallmouth and pan fish bite along with the requisite suckers and carp. Shore anglers are welcome to fish in the Town of Delavan’s community park for a small fee. The Kettle Moraine State forest also has some great shore opportunities on and near Whitewater lake. The opportunities are abundant here is Walworth County. Come and enjoy fishing for game fish, the season is open. For guide parties contact Dave Duwe of Dave Duwe’s Guide Service at 262-728-8063.

The hours will be as follows: Bait Shop: 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. 7 days/week. Boat Rental: 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. Friday, Sat. & Sun.

I went to Mill Creek in Kane County last night and struck out. I could see the Fox from where I was fishing, so I was not far upstream. Either the fish have moved up beyond where I was or they did not care for the streamer I was throwing. Water was unusually low and clear for this time of year. I know that it’s not a rare occurrence anymore, but for someone old enough to remember when they were in deep trouble, it’s still a thrill to see one: a bald eagle flew right over me at treetop level, carrying a fish from the Fox in his talons (could not identify the fish).

Some nice walleye in Sturgeon Bay

Kankakee River report. Smallies on the main river are still holding in the washouts down stream from shallow faster water. They are being caught drifting minnows into the washouts or bouncing plastics along the bottom during the day. Night fishing has also been very good for smallies in the same areas but closer to shore as they are moving in to feast on crayfish. I expect the majority of the main river smallies to move up and spawn this week and through the weekend. The creeks I checked all had beds with fish protecting them. Remember all smallies are catch and release through June 15th. Please use extreme caution in the coming weeks if you will be wading through shallow rocky parts of the river and or creeks to avoid beds. A few bonus walleye have also been caught out of the same areas the smallies are staging in. Catfishing has continued to improve. They are being taken on cut bait on the inside bends in the river and some are coming from the down stream side of downed timber. I expect the smallie bite to slow considerably as the week goes on and be almost non existent by the end of the week. Plenty of other fish are on the chew to keep those lines tight as the smallies do their thing. Few side notes. Take the time to take a kid fishing. It’s one of the most rewarding feelings in the world as an avid outdoorsman to see the smile on a kids face when they hook and land a fish. Lastly take a minute to check out helping veterans go fishing on Facebook. They have a great program and their event is coming up on June 10th in Oak Lawn. Lots of awesome giveaways at the event free fishing gear for veterans and a great speaker, Jim Crowley, will be there to give a seminar at event.

Caught aboard the Confusion C4 from Montrose by the Wilson Crib on Saturday. 22lbs on a dodger/spin n glow. Angler-Alex Pasteris from Joliet

Hi Dale – Fishing in Waukegan really picked up this week for salmon. Our trips had a nice combination of both quality and quantity. The coho are moving in and we had kings and lake trout every trip for nice mixed species bags. We had kings 14 to 20 pounds and lakers 8 to 18 pounds. Earlier in the week the salmon seemed spread out with boats hunting for small schools of fish all the way from just off the beach in 10 feet of water to past 250 feet. By Saturday they seemed to concentrate in 25 to 45 feet near Waukegan Harbor. Hot rigs were Jimmy Fly Lime Ricky fly behind a 00 Luhr-Jensen red dodger; Warrior Lures Steelhead Candy and Warrior Lures UV Blue Dolphin. Faster trolling speeds definitely outperformed slower. Those 3 took about 90% of the fish this week. One trip the Jimmy Fly Lime Ricky had 20 of the 23. On others they seemed to want the Warrior Spoons. Ironically the Steelhead Candy pattern took kings, coho and lakers, but no steelhead. That spoon has been a must have for 3-4 years in a row now. Out of Chicago the news was not as good. Excellent lake trout fishing in 40 – 60 feet pretty much anywhere from the city to up near Wilmette. Other species were scarce unfortunately. A coho and big king (up to 22 pounds this weekend) are occasionally taken, but few off Chicago. For anyone looking to get out we have open charter slots May 13 and 26 and 5 weekend slots open in June (many weekday). For people who can’t put together a full boat, we begin running individual spot split trip charters Memorial Day weekend. The schedule for those is on our website and Facebook page. Your readers and followers are always welcome to email, text, IM, or call if they have any questions. Have a great week. Capt. Scott R. Wolfe Manipulator/ School of Fish Charters 630-341-0550 www.schooloffishcharters.com

Smallmouth are both staging and cruising the shallows. I had the day off from guiding and I pounded the smallmouth with Case Lil Magic Swims. The rest of May will be great fishing.

It’s ON!! The Opener has happened. Sorta snuck up on us. Wasn’t available everywhere, but where it was, Walleye anglers had some great fishing. While some lakes are still ice covered (Trout, Fence, etc.), many favorite Walleye lakes opened enough to allow anglers to launch, thanks to the warm temps of last week. Surprisingly, on some smaller lakes that had been ice free for a while, anglers were finding spawned out Walleyes in lakes that saw surface temps in the low 50’s already! Daytime fishing on these lakes produces best when anglers worked depths of 10-15’ using 1/8-1/4 oz jigs tipped with large fathead minnows. On Flowages, where fish are being found pre, post and in the act of spawning, mud minnows and large fatheads on 1/16 oz weedless jigs proved best in 3-7’. Casting Thundersticks, Rattlin Rouges and Floating Rapalas also producing nice catches. Northern Pike (open) and Smallmouth Bass (closed) provided anglers with bonus action while pitching for Walleyes. A few reports of Crappies and Musky cruising the warm shallows of smaller lakes. Water temps vary from mid 30’s on large lakes to mid 40’s to low 50’s elsewhere. Remember, on lakes with protected slot sizes (20-24) those are meant to protect those egg bearing females. If you catch some smaller, egg laden girls, let those go too, they are carrying our future fishery. Kurt Justice Kurt’s Island Sport Shop www.kurtsislandsports.com Like us on FaceBook

Ready, set, fish! Opening fishing weekend finds open water (with more to come) in Eagle River FISHING REPORT Opening weekend saw beautiful weather in Eagle River. Although some area lakes still have ice on the surface, much of the Chain is open water as melting continues. Bass is catch and release fromMay 5 – June 15, with the season opener being June 16. Panfish are becoming more active as the waters begin to warm. Perch are almost ready to spawn, as well. Make sure you are up to date with all openers. Musky and northern seasons do not open until May 26. Walleye: On open water lakes, these fish were still in pre-spawn sitting in the holes. Males are still small and it seemed that they were on the sharpest breaks going down the holes. Using a jig and minnow combo was the ticket for these fish. Perch are being caught in the old weeds using a slip bobber combo tipped with a small crappie minnow. A few anglers caught some with a piece of worm. Crappies are being caught in the holes mixed in with some walleyes and they are starting to stage up on the deep edge close to shallow water.

Some king action outside mouth of port of Indiana in 40 to 50 ft of water fishing 25 to 35 down spoons and j plugs many big ones too Lake trout in 80 to 100 ft fishing near bottom dodgers and spin n glows few coho on surface thinfish and dodger flysWillow slough fair on gills must move around redworms beemoth cricketPine lake laporate giving up a lot of crappie in shallow water with minnows or jigs tipped with waxwormsNice weather equals lots of people out super bizy

Hi Dale I skipped the tournament action again at Braidwood to check out the Wisconsin opener in Merrill... .The Wisconsin opener in Merrill on the Alexander Flowage/Wisconsin River was outstanding but north of Tomahawk ice was still an issue. I spoke with a conservation officer who said the ice came off Alexander 3 days before the weekend. The water temps went from 38-41 degrees I caught some very nice Smallmouth Bass up into 3lbs and a pike I caught all my fish on a Rapala Shadow Rap in 1-2 feet of water. The bird and waterfowl watching was incredible. Groups of eagles, and ducks i have never seen. Witnessed an eagle dive into the river catch a fish and return to the nest. Great to be back in the Northwoods.Tight linesRob

Walleye really biting well. So far we released 6 fish 22-26 inches. Lots of 15- 17 inchers. Few wh bass, mostly small males.