Chicago fishing: Big salmon/trout on Lake Michigan, variable conditions inland

“Bullfrogs may be taken only by hook and line, gig, pitchfork, spear, bow and line, or bow and arrow and arrow, hand, or landing net.June 15 through October 15, both dates inclusiveDaily Harvest Limit is 8; possession limit is 16A sport fishing license is required to harvest reptiles and amphibians”

“Frog hunting season runs from June 15, 2024 – April 30, 2025, and hunters can harvest the American bullfrog and green frog. The bag limit is 25 frogs per day with a possession limit of 50 frogs, and any combination of bullfrogs or green frogs maybe be used to reach these bag and harvest limits.”

Summer heat, storms and wind have made fishing day’s limited.

Hey Dale,

Here a recap from the past weekends fishing. The unstable atmosphere that we are having has created some excellent bite windows for both bass and bluegill. Swim baits rigged weedless have been very productive as a search tool to cover water and find those active bass. Throw back a texas rigged senko on a Vector Hooks 4/0 EWG on misses. FINS Braids spin 5 braid is a great choice when pulling bass out of heavy cover.

Bluegill have been very active along outside weedlines using a Wiggleyourworm_fishing custom ice jig paired with a Wackem and Stackem Custom Baits micro split tail. FINS crappie braid is perfect for this setup to detect those light biters. Looks as though we have one more day in this weather pattern before it breaks. Get out and play those bite windows.

Here is the nature pic of the week courtesy of Hailey O’Malley.

TTYL

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

Hi Dale

The great bite for largemouth bass continued this week on island lake. I had Rob “The Brushfather” Reed from Santa Clarita California of Ergo Styling tools fame I u on Saturday morning. We caught some very nice largemouth on oxblood robo worms rigged on slip shot Texas rigged and wacky rig. Fish were in a backwater bay near a fountain feeding on bait fish. Also midlake grass areas were productive for largemouth. I got some more bass on Berkeley slobberknocker in gold and white in grass beds. I got some bluegill in a small mepps in line bucktail spinner.

I pulled the boat Sunday and headed north to the Wisconsin River. On Alexander flowage I resumed my quest for a musky on a senko and found pike hitting in weedy areas in 1 to 5 feet of water. Some small but very fat smallmouth indicates plenty of forsge is available. The flowage seemed quiet as it was Monday afternoon and the recent rains have been keeping people away. Will be back on the water rigged with several different sizes and rigs for the senko...a wirine leader may be in order.

On the music front this week It’s Reggies rock club in Chicago with Gozortenplat Friday and Family fest at lily lake with midnite mile. The first Gozortenplat show in Milwaukee was a smashing success and we are announcing zappafest with Ray white for December in Milwaukee. Time is flying by gotta get after that senko esox!

Tight lines and good health!

Rob

Did do a couple of sessions on riverwalk, lately i been Noticing that i been catching more white crappies than black ones, bait wise they were more interested in plastics than the real ones, i was using gulp minnows on a 1/16 oz jighead, finding good Structure is the key to finding em

Delavan Lake 7/15/24 through 7/22/24

Delavan lake fishing has been fantastic. The northern and largemouth bite is exceptional. It has been almost boring at times catching 16-23 inch largemouth bass !?!? I have to remember when fishing is tough ho w good this time of year is.

Largemouth bass are on the deep weedline in 16-18 ft of water. I’ve been catching them on nightcrawlers or drop shotting small plastic worms. Concentrate on locations in the weeds that have a hard bottom. This is obvious with a good fish locator. On my sonar it will show up as very dark red. Look for the fish along the north shore from the Yacht Club to Willow Point.

Smallmouth bass have been all right. I’ve been catching a few fish almost every trip out. The average size is about 17 inches. I’m either catching them on small suckers or on a lindy rigged nightcrawler. They are not on the weedline. They are about 3 ft outside the weeds in 20-21 ft of water. Try by the Oriental boathouse or west of Willow Point.

Bluegills remain everywhere on the lake. The key to catching them is to stay in the deeper water. The best bite has been in 20-22 ft of water. Belvidere Park or the point by the gray condos is producing most of the action. Leaf worms fished on a single hook has been the best approach.

Northern Pike have been aggressive throughout last week. Lindy rigged suckers are producing most of the action. It has been kind of hard the last few weeks to get the suckers. Either one or both of the bait shops have been out frequently. Fish the pike suspended in 20-25 ft of water about 2-3 ft off bottom. Last week was the first in a couple that the average size was around 25 inches and I didn’t catch a legal fish.

Walleye fishing has been okay. I’m catching a few on nightcrawlers right at low light conditions, either 5-5:30 a.m. or 8-8:30 pm. Leeches and nightcrawlers fished on a lindy rig are producing most of the fish. The best depth has been around 19 ft of water. Fish the areas by Willow Point or by the gray condo weedline.

Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 262-728-8063.

As far as fishing, I tried the Fox Tuesday night-hours after submitting a report to you-down near Oswego and Montgomery. It wasn’t raining hard-let’s call it a steady drizzle-but it went on all night and totals were a half inch or more. The river was running high while I was there and probably became unfishable with all the subsequent rain. But I got into a few fish. With only one exception, all came from right up against the bank. These weren’t areas of slower current; they were areas of no discernible current. They seemed to be avoiding fighting the current at all costs. The exception was a hard fighting 16 inch fish. I was using a trout Spey rod and wish I could say that I made a beautiful snake roll cast to a likely spot and the fish was so impressed that it had no choice but to attack the fly. Instead, I had the line in the water with the fly dangling downstream as I navigated under a tree limb overhanging the river. The fish hit and hooked itself while I was trying not to bend so far that water would go over the top of my waders. The fish turned out to be a classic river smallmouth, built like a torpedo, long and thin, rather than the rugby ball shape of his lake-dwelling relatives. It hasn’t rained since, so the river may finally be on its way to normal Summer levels in a few more days.

Pete

Summer heat, storms and wind have made fishing day’s limited. Catfishing is still great on the Fox River. Use cut bait or stink bait. Smallmouth Bass fishing is excellent below Algonquin Dam all the way to the Illinois River. Small spinners or top water baits will work well.

Lake Geneva 7/15/11 through 7/22/24

Lake Geneva fishing is still going steady. There are several active species and some numbers on the panfish as well. The mid- summer traffic is heavy but there’s always room to fish on Geneva.

Bluegill fishing has been good in 16-18 ft of water. Look for the fish by Elgin Club or by Covenant Harbor. The best approach is split shot rigging leaf worms straight beneath the boat. I prefer to drift and once I find a school, I will anchor on them. This time of year, I catch my biggest bluegills of the year in the deeper water. You need to move until you find an active school.

Largemouth bass are being caught in 14-16 ft of water. The best approach is drop shotting small finesse worms in green pumpkin or watermelon seed. The best location is on the weedline in Trinkes or by Linn Pier. Another approach this time of year is dragging a ¾ oz football head jig along bottom with an Arkie Crawlin’ Grub in root beer red flake. You can also catch largemouth bass on top water lures by the old Military Academy or in Williams Bay. Any top water lure in chrome/blue or chrome/black will do the trick.

Lake Trout fishing has been excellent. The fish are in 108-110 ft of water approximately 75-90 ft down in the main lake basin. They can be caught on Dodgers and Flies. Use a silver Dodger and a green fly. Some success has also been coming off of nickel/green or nickel/blue spoons fished on down riggers. The best time to fish is the first two hours of sunlight or the last two hours of sunlight in the evening.

Rock bass continue to be the most active fish in the lake. They can be caught in 12-15 ft of water. The best location is by Belvidere Park or by Knollwood. The rock bass can’t resist a split shot rigged nightcrawler.

Walleye fishing has been good after midnight. The key to walleye fishing is to fish an evening when there is some winds. If there isn’t any wind, they don’t seem to bite as well. Look for the fish in Williams Bay or by the beach in Fontana. You can catch them one of two ways. Lindy rigging Jumbo leeches or trolling medium diving crankbaits.

Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 262-728-8063

Fishing Report – 7/15/2024

By Mike Norris

Big Green Lake: The surface temperature on Big Green rose to 79 degrees last week, and the smallmouth bass have all but vacated the flats and moved out to the deep weed edge. This is a great time to hook up with big smallmouth bass as they pursue crayfish, bluegills, and perch. A Strike King structure jig paired with a crawfish imitation bait shines this time of the year. Plenty of largemouth bass are still in the mid-depth range, and I have been targeting them with either a drop-shot rig paired with a Berkley Flat Worm or Geecracker Bellows Gill. When paired with a weedless Owner Wacky Jig, a Bass Pro Shops Stick-O lure is a great alternative presentation for fishing through cabbage weeds. Duckweed is now spreading across the lake and reducing visibility in some areas. Try to avoid it.

Fox Lake: Fox Lake’s water levels are also higher than normal, reducing visibility. However, fish can find food in dirty water, and I am receiving reports of good catches of largemouth bass and walleye.

For largemouth bass, try working a flat-billed crankbait with rattles around the rocky tips of the islands. Try a jig and twister tail at the same locations for walleye. Crappie fishing is good in the basin with a minnow and split shot. Forty-six and 55-inch muskies were caught on Fox Lake last week.

Lake Puckaway: The water level on this lake continues to rise due to recent rainfall, and the increased water flow has improved both the pike and walleye bite. Anglers are catching northern pike and walleye on a variety of lures. My favorite lure to throw is a #3 white Mepps bucktail.

Hi Dale! Summer river fishing in Illinois is a challenge. Last week prior to and between thunderstorms fish were feeding on crawdads in moving current, this 20" max size is an example. Now flood waters have put a halt on fishing. Unlike lakes, especially in the south where you can catch fish over 300 days a year, the Kankakee probably has 10 weeks or less when fishing is good. This is good for the fish but bad for fishermen. If you work all week and can only fish weekends that leaves maybe 20 days to fish, unless the floods are on the weekends or it’s your wedding anniversary! Take heart, the challenge is the best part that’s why I keep at it. G.Peters

ITS NICE TO FISH WITH YOUNGER KIDS THAT LISTEN TO YOU
YOUNG MARK SIPOLT AND HIS FATHER SPARKY MARK WENT 5 FOR 5
MISSING THE BROWN FOR THE GRAND SLAM HE HAD SOME NICE FISH ON AND PLAYED THEM WELL
19 LB LAKE TROUT
18 LB KING
10 STEEL HEAD
7 LB COHO
WE DID WELL IN THE ELEMENTS. WE WERE OUT IN 5 TO 7 FOOT WAVES AFTER THE SECOND STORM HIT
IT WAS NOT A FUN RIDE IN FROM 170 FOW OFF EVANTSON

Dale,

Here is a quick report and some more pictures.

Myself and Captain Gintas have been blown away with the fishing on the Angler. There is truly so much life in our waters, it feels like Jurassic park out there sometimes . The theme of the week has been appreciating the amazing fishery we have here while being knee deep in coho, kings, steelhead, and lakers every single day, with the fish getting bigger every trip. The summer bite IS ON!

The year of the coho continues with big, healthy, and fast coho continue to gorge themselves in deeper water.

We’ve run into some big king salmon, with one weighing in just under 25 pounds. Nearly spooled us on the initial run. Had to turn the boat and pull lines to land the King. Such a powerful animal. (pictured below)

We also landed a giant summer run steelhead/rainbow trout on a lead core. The 15 pounder jumped completely out of the water 3 times before hitting the deck. Pictured below.

Lake trout- big, heavy, mean, and deep. Coming on larger spoons and spinners. Feeding on large alewives. In deeper water. They get bigger every trip. They make for such a cool fight with massive head shakes and raw power. The beasts of Lake Michigan. The bigger fish have started to wake up and feed for the summer. More size to come.

I believe Danny will be calling you to give you the bait shop report.

Thanks dale, hope your doing well my friend-
Johnny McIntyre

The deep summer smallmouth bite on an ultralight and slip bobber has been awesome btw.

Lot of really big smallies staying resident

Waukegan 7/15

Hi Dale. This season is one for the history books. One of the best Lake Michigan seasons ever. Incredible limit and near limit catches of mostly coho with chinook, lake trout and steelhead most trips this week. The average coho is 6-10 pounds with some much larger in the mix. The fish were moving deeper throughout the week. We started in 80-90 feet early in the week. By Sunday 150 to 200 was great.

The best set ups this week were Musselhead flashers in Cornfed and Megatron in front of Jimmy Fly bullfrog and Aqua flies on divers and downriggers 45 to 75 feet. Stubbie dodgers with White, Aqua and blue/green flies and Warrior Spoons in Glow patterns with Blueberry Muffin, Pink Bloomers and Bloody Nose run in those same depths worked well.

We certainly don’t get mid July catches like this on Sundays trip most years. It’s common this year.

Capt Scott Wolfe
312-933-0552

With surface water temps into the mid-70’s (74-77 degrees), summer patterns settling in. Warm days in the 80’s, and all that brings – lots of boat traffic, it’s best to schedule your fishing early and late in the day (even after dark!).

Largemouth: Very Good – The “heroes” of summer! Evening action on top-water baits such as plastic frogs and spiders, buzz baits and tail baits such as Whopper Ploppers HOT! Early mornings twitchbaits on inside weed lines and great Wacky Worm action throughout the day. Mid-day fish also coming on square bill cranks and chatterbaits over cabbage flats and stump fields. Nice fish to 6#’s reported (with photographic proof) this past week on the above-mentioned baits.

Bluegill: Very Good – Actively chasing small plastics (1-2” twister tails) roaming cabbage flats and coontail tops. Fan casting these areas to locate then coming back with small leeches under small floats effective.

Smallmouth: Good-Very Good – Working rock/gravel humps with drop-shot rigs using 2 ½” Gulp Alive minnows or 3” Wacky Worms, Ned Rigs and tube jigs in 14-22’ of water. Search deep coontail edges also, especially with the drop-shot rigs.

Crappie: Good-Very Good – Work deep weed tops using jig/minnow, 3” Keitech Swing baits or 2” twister tails. Aggressive fish willing to chase and take! On flowages deep wood in 16-20’+ using tubes or jig/minnow combos.

Yellow Perch: Good – Finding in heavy weeds using weedless jigs tipped with minnows or crawlers. Also picking up nice Perch on 3” Wacky Worms and light Ned Rigs. Good Perch in the 9-11” range.

Walleye: Good – Either along deep weed edges or 14-18’ or out on rocky bars of 18-26’. Use redtails or the largest leeches you can find. 1/8-1/4 oz jigs, Lindy Rigs, drop-shotting and slip-bobber rigs. The brighter the day the deeper typically. Mornings and evenings. Lighted slip-floats in 10-14’ weeds at night.

Northern Pike: Good – Spinnerbaits, chatterbaits over cabbage flats. Twitchbaits also effective.

Musky: Good – Early and late. Bucktails and top-water bait time. Work weeds early, then moving out to deeper water as the heat builds. After dark, top-water for the fearless!

Typical summer-time patterns, nice that the weather has finally matched the calendar. Enjoy this time, get out early on the larger lakes – boat traffic building by 9:30-10:00 AM. We anglers need to share, so pick your time on the water wisely.

Kurt Justice

Kurt’s Island Sports Shop
– Like us on FaceBook

Perch bite has been decent to good for a lot of groups fishing from the dune state park building to Michigan city in 25 to 35ft of water using baby golden roaches

Trollers getting a mix bag of salmon and trout fishing 80 to 150ft of water. A lot of warm water around making the bite on the tough side last week.

Catfish at night fishing deep river and burns ditch using triple s stinkbait and shad.

Crappie at night for boaters fishing pine lake in Laporte using minnows under lights in 24ish ft of water.

Hi Dale

. . .

I pulled the boat Sunday and headed north to the Wisconsin River. On Alexander flowage I resumed my quest for a musky on a senko and found pike hitting in weedy areas in 1 to 5 feet of water. Some small but very fat smallmouth indicates plenty of forsge is available. The flowage seemed quiet as it was Monday afternoon and the recent rains have been keeping people away. Will be back on the water rigged with several different sizes and rigs for the senko...a wirine leader may be in order.

. . .

Time is flying by gotta get after that senko esox!

Tight lines and good health!

Rob