Chicago fishing: Mix of open water and ice

NOTE TO READERS: The Sun-Times switched to a new posting system and I am scuffling to comprehend it without breaking anything. So bear with me as I try to learn new ways

A mix of open water and ice leads this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.

Photo at the top is of Bob Johnson with a late winter smallmouth bass from the Kankakee River. Yes, river reports are back in force this week for the MFR.

UPDATE ON CHICAGO PASSES

The Northerly Island Visitor Center remains closed, but parking passes or pier passes (credit card only) may be bought at these places and times at Carl Vizzone emailed:

Monday – North Park Village Nature Center 5801 N Pulaski Rd. Building “D” 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Thursday – Lincoln Park Cultural Center 2045 North Lincoln Park West 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Friday – Big Marsh Park 11559 S. Stoney Island 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM I suggest emailing fishing@chicagoparkdistrict.com with questions.

Chicago Park District’s parking passes ($20 for two months) are for the anglers’ parking lots at DuSable and Burnham harbors.

The park district pier passes ($10 for the season) allow legal access to select piers at Jackson Park, Burnham, DuSable, Diversey, Belmont and Montrose harbors.

NAVY PIER ANGLING

North side of Navy Pier is open for anglers. Discounted parking for anglers is $9 daily, beginning at 5 a.m.; must be out by 10 a.m. for the discount. Click here to prepay for the discounted tickets.

LAKEFRONT PARKING

My column from Nov. 30, 2022, on parking the length of the Chicago lakefront is posted at https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/11/30/23485385/chicago-lakefront-parking-fishing

AREA LAKES

Dave Kranz of Dave’s Bait, Tackle and Taxidermy in Crystal Lake and with his You-Tube channel, Dave Kranz Living the wild outdoors, texted:

Looks like if you want to fish in Northern Illinois this week the rivers are the place to try. Pike are always one of the first to species to cooperate. Spinners and spoons should work. Below the McHenry and Algonquin dams is always a good place to start early season.Fathead minnows on a 1/8th. Oz. jig head might get you walleye, white bass or smallmouth bass.Don’t forget about catfish, use a chuck of cut bait on the bottom.

Ken “Husker” O’Malley of Husker Outdoors emailed:

Hey Dale,

It was a beautiful April day to be out. The birds were singing, muskrats out and about, and saw a few turtles peeking their heads up. Oh wait, it’s only February! Ice finally went off yesterday after the near 60 degree days and the thunderstorm that went through last night. I played the mid afternoon bite when the temps reached its high. The focus was the north shorelines working a lipless crankbait with Vector Hooks tornado replacement trebles. Ripping the bait free from the weeds triggered reaction strikes. On sunny days work those north shorelines as they will warm the quickest. I would perfer still been drilling holes, but I’ll take what Mother Nature has to offer.

The cold front that pushed through Friday night had fish tight lipped for sure. The bite window that normally would occur under first ice out never developed due to the high pressure. A few bass were caught on either jerkbaits or lipless cranks. Downsizing was key to getting any bites. The tornado trebles by Vector Hooks definitely did the job keeping those fish pinned. The bluegill also decided to play along and be finicky. Downsizing to a 3mm ice jig by Wiggleyourworm_fishing got a few to commit to my offering. I have to remember the calendar says early February and open water fishing may be challenging on days.

TTYL

Ken “Husker” O’Malley
Husker Outdoors
Waterwerks fishing team

Rob Abouchar messaged:

A bit of a cruel tease from mother nature. I took a few casts down by the bridge where there was some open water. I tried a rattle trap with no success. It’s a waiting game now for Braidwood opening. In the yard purple larkspur a favorite of the hummingbirds is sprouting and spring bulbs also coming up. Also hearing sandhills above in island lake.

On the music front this Saturday is a big day with a recording session for a couple original songs in the morning and in the evening the Bob Marley bash at two brothers roundhouse in Aurora with hurricane reggae band. And the set list for summer shows with Gozortenplat is out. I have yet to look at it but im sure some deep cuts from Frank Zappa and the mothers will be in the mix...music is the best! Tight lines and good health!
Rob

As always, my Tuesdays are better with his musical update.

CHAIN O’LAKES AREA

Proprietor Greg Dickson at Triangle Sports and Marine in Antioch said nothing going.

NOTE: Check updates on water conditions at foxwaterway.com or (847) 587-8540.

NOTE 2: Stratton Lock and Dam is closed through April 30, 2024.
DES PLAINES
Dan Edwards at Bridgeport Bait and Tackle said a customer reported some smaller sauger.

DOWNSTATE

POWERTON:Boat fishing reopens Thursday, Feb. 15. Bank fishing is already open. Hours are 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

EMIQUON PRESERVE: Open. Access permits and liability waivers are available Tuesday to Saturday at Dickson Mounts Museum, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Randy Smith, Illinois River project director for The Nature Conservancy, emailed this year’s end overview:

I haven’t heard any good reports from bass anglers this year [2023], but the folks chasing crappie and catfish have done well. Finding the old ditches that are now underwater and fishing the bottoms for catfish or the vertical sides for crappie seems to be the strategy.

SPRING LAKE: Open.

HENNEPIN-HOPPER: Closed.

FOX RIVER

Pete Lamar emailed:

Hi Dale,

The unusually warm weather was good for one thing: some open water fishing last week. Normally, fly fishing in February for me is either fishing a Wisconsin spring creek or a warm water discharge along one of our local waterways. But a week of temps well above freezing and consecutive days pushing 60 were enough to convince me to make a few casts on a Fox tributary. This was on an upstream area near bridges with deep water and almost no current. I’d have been happy with a couple of rock bass or crappies, but things went considerably better than that. More than a few smallmouths, some rock bass and even a couple of carp were landed. I even got a bluegill that, before he ate the fly, attacked the strike indicator several times. It’s strange enough to catch fish on the fly in February; topwater action is unheard of. All fish came on a balanced minnow under a strike indicator.

Pete

KANKAKEE RIVER

Bob Johnson emailed:

Hi Dale - Hope all is well with you. Joel Wilson and myself fished the River today February 10 and did pretty good. We caught mostly Smallmouth with biggest around 17” and Joel also caught a Walleye at 16”Water temp was 44.5 degrees and good visibility. River is slightly above normal pool so conditions were ideal for this time of year. All fished were released. A prelude to opening day on Braidwood.

That Braidwood opener is coming quick.

LAKE ERIE

Click here for the Ohio DNR Report.

LAKEFRONT

Dave Dempsey messaged on Instagram that they’ve been catching small coho on Kastmasters around Burnham.

Jim Shell emailed the YouTube above and this:

Hi Dale,

Launched out of Burnham harbor this past Saturday with Casey, who was home for the weekend. Checked Navy Pier for perch, didn’t see or mark any at all. After that we went to the Chicago lighthouse and worked that area for lake trout. The bite was really good! We caught them both casting and trolling. We’ve been fishing this early season bite for several years now. It usually lasts until the end of March. We had a great day on the water, and the scenery was spectacular! Here’s a link to a video of our day on the water.

https://youtu.be/SHjWNhn9vJ4?si=-_lrkxOS9WxWSX2J

Jim Shell

Dan Edwards at Bridgeport Bait and Tackle said back end of the perch at 87th, smaller now; spotty reports of coho, including 39th, 63rd and Diversey), being caught on a variety. The shop carries everything for powerlining, including rubber bands and shooter weights.

MADISON LAKES, WISCONSIN

Staff at D&S Bait said on Tuesday they were still ice fishing such places as Monona Bay and Waubesa, it’s day-to-day.

Click here for the update from D&S Bait.

MAZONIA

Fishing is open at both units.

Hours are 6 a.m. to sunset.

NORTHERN WISCONSIN

Kurt Justice at Kurt’s Island Sport Shop in Minocqua emailed:

Once again there was much concern in regards to the Northwoods ice conditions following last weeks temps that cracked the 50 degree mark on Thursday (2/8). It definitely is correct to be worried as pressure cracks (Willow, Rainbow Flowages) and open water areas (North Trout, Squirrel) and areas of thin ice (South Trout – 4-5”). On the other hand, we’ve had below freezing temps since Friday (2/9) and the sounds of “making” ice can be heard at night and mornings.

Ice thickness has been measured on many area lakes at 6-10” with 7 ½ - 8 ½ being the most common. No matter where you go, always check, especially along shorelines by walking out and drilling first. Usually (but not always) the shoreline ice has been thinner than ice out towards the middle.

Northern Pike: Very Good – Lots of action on tip-ups baited with large shiners and suckers in depths from as little as 4’ out to 14’ where weeds are found. Good numbers and some very nice fish in the 30-36” range this past week. Let some of those big girls (30”+) go to grow and pass on those good genetics!

Crappie: Very Good-Good – The bite slowed on Sunday (2/11) and Monday (2/12) a bit. Action could still be found in 11-13” weeds but Crappies held tight to bottom those mornings. Coaxing bites with tungsten jigs (5’s & 6’s due to wind) tipped with plastics (pink, yellow, white) best. Basin fish (20-34’) moving rather quickly, most being caught 4-6’ off bottom using “blingy” type jigs and spoons to lure fish up to bite, followed up by a more subdued tungsten jig to deliver a subtle piece of plastic or grub to seal the deal. Lots of reports of good action with some 14-15” slabs to brag about.

Bluegill: Good-Very Good (size) – As with Crappies, anglers finding weed relating fish in 6-10’ using tungsten jigs to deliver waxies, spikes and plastics (red, motor oil, black and purple) to hold their lines down in the wind. Nice catches with enough 7 ½ - 8 ½“ ers for a meal or two. Others plying open water Gills in 20-34’ finding large Gills (8-11”, yes, I saw the pics) suspending 4-8’ off bottom taking large size 6mm tungsten jigs to offer spikes and dark plastics!

Yellow Perch: Good – Lots of action Perch, seemingly all over weed flats (4-10’) adjoining mud flats (12-18’) but you really need to sort through for the keepers (8-11”). Off shore over sandgrass humps (18-22’) or mud bottoms (20-30’) using Halis, Pimples and Kastmasters to get wigglers down has been most effective for better average eaters.

Walleye: Good-Fair – Conditions over the weekend slowed from what was a good week during the warm spell. Jigging with Raps, Tikka Minnows and Slender spoons in 9-12’ along weed edges at dusk. Tip-ups with suckers best from 4:30 PM through 6:30 PM, then another bite about 10:00 PM.

Largemouth Bass: Good-Fair – Lots of reports earlier in the week, quieted down by windy weekend. Medium shiners in cabbage of 8-12’. Jigging with Bluegill shaped lures (Forage Minnows, Chubby Darters, K-Rips) also picking up fish for the rod & reel gang

Bullheads: Poor – What happened to our Bullhead reports? Someone isn’t trying hard enough to score…or they are staying tight lipped so as not to see a rush on these tasty mid-winter treats!

Forecast, forecast, forecast…

What do they know? If we can believe it, we may see at least 15 straight nights of sub-freezing temps (some in teens to single digits). Only a few afternoons above freezing in that span. We hear the lakes making ice, as I wrote at the start of this report. If you had asked at the beginning of February, I would have said I doubt we will have ice by the end of the month, but now it looks like things will improve on into March. Still not enough for trucks or large UTV’s as of now, but easy access and good travel by foot (bring creepers), ATV and snowdogs.

Just three weekends left to Wisconsin inland lakes gamefish, so get yourself and your tip-ups out on the ice.

Upcoming Events

Feb 17^th – Lake Tomahawk Family Fisheree – Lake Tomahawk

Feb 24^th – 3^rd Annual Newbold Fire Dept Ice Fishing Tournament – Muskellunge Lake

Feb 24^th – Winter free fishing contest – Any Lake – Sponsored by County Line Station

Feb 24^th – Kids Ice Fishing Day – Lake Minocqua – Sponsored by Northwoods Chapter of Muskies, Inc

Mar 2^nd – KISS Annual High School Ice Fishing Tournament – Lake Minocqua

Kurt Justice

Kurt’s Island Sports Shop
– Like us on Facebook

NORTHWEST INDIANA

Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez’s Bait in Lake Station texted:

Perch perch perch still the deal for boaters fishing in 50 to 60ft of water straight north of Gary lighthouse when the weather allows them out there.

Perch still decent to good most days fishing the slips what everybody calls 87th and 89th.

Coho action still not going strong yet but a few coho and browns here and there being caught from portage Riverwalk and Michigan city lighthouse. Coho will show in numbers soon.

Crappie action good fishing lake George in Hobart off the Wisconsin street bridge using minnows or small jigs tipped with waxworms

Steelhead action being had in nwi tributaries for those putting in the time and covering some water hitting the log jams. Voodoo jigs tipped with waxworms and spawn saks doing best.

SHABBONA LAKE

Through February, site hours are 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

Boondocks is closed.

SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN

Staff at Tackle Haven in Benton Harbor said some browns, steelhead and a whitefish were caught on Monday off the St. Joseph pier; a few walleye and steelhead are at the Berrien Springs dam.

WINNEBAGO SYSTEM, WISCONSIN

Sturgeon spearing season could run through Feb. 26. Previous permits required.

Strange opening day on Saturday, Feb. 10, as the Wisconsin DNR described:

STURGEON SPEARING

Today marked what will likely be a very memorable opening day for many spearers around the Winnebago system. Warm weather, rain and wind in the days leading up to the season kept many spearers off the ice for opening day.

During today’s aerial counts, just over 450 shacks and pop-ups were counted on Lake Winnebago. In 2023, there were 3,000 shanties on opening and 6,000 in 2022. The majority of shacks were observed in the southwest portion of the lake.

For those who did go out, many found themselves in pop-ups instead of their regular shacks, walking all their gear about 300 yards from shore to their spearing spots.

Where people could get out, good water clarity was reported around the system.

Opening day on Lake Winnebago saw the harvest of 45 lake sturgeon (29 males, 12 adult females, and 4 males). The Southwest Winnebago registration station was the busiest, likely due to the ice conditions, and had 32 lake sturgeon come through with 22 males, 7 adult females, and 3 males.

The Upriver Lakes also had less effort than standard opening days, with only 170 shacks and pop-ups observed on Lake Poygan and 42 on Lake Butte des Morts. Although the Upriver season started slowly, 13 lake sturgeon were harvested (7 males, 3 adult females, and 3 juvenile females).

WOLF RIVER, WISCONSIN

Guide Bill Stoeger in Fremont texted:

Ice conditions have been deteriorating with the warm weather. Partridge Lk. still has 6-8", but walking seams to be the travel of choice. Bluegill and northerns are still active. The river is open with walleye action very good in the deeper waters