More change comes: Smelt & Heidecke for Chicago fishing, Midwest Fishing Report

* No open fires * No enclosed tents * No alcoholic beverages * No parking or driving on the grass or sidewalks. Park only in designated areas. Violators will be ticketed and towed. * Do not destroy fences, benches, trash receptacles, walkways, and grassy areas. * Do not dump hot coals under trees, on concrete or on grassy areas. Dispose of all coals in the appropriate trash receptacles. * Harbor Gates will close at 1 a.m. –start breaking down at 12:30 a.m. to be out by 1 a.m.

I also spent time targeting salmonoids along the lakefront. I personally did not have any luck but saw anglers near the North Ave beach having success power lining with minnows. Mostly Coho but one nice brown (pictured below) was pulled in that morning as well.Thanks again, Tim Baker

Coho action over weekend decent lots of good catch’s lots of so so catches fish are spread out Cal park to new buffalo giving up fishFishing top 15 ft of water in 20 to 40 ft of water thinfish jointed rapalas and bayrats doing a lot of the catching variety of other crankbaits doing ok alsoShore guys in Michigan city and portage riverwalk did ok skein on bottom was best

While it is not specified in the release, most early-stocked trout fishing sites are open to catch-and-release fishing, including fly fishing, for trout beginning March 23. IDNR Fisheries encourages early-season catch-and-release fishing for trout at these open sites, including fly fishing, as we try to provide more fishing opportunities for anglers, including fly fishing enthusiasts. The early-stocked sites are mainly IDNR sites (same as last spring): Apple River at Apple River Canyon State Park Rock Creek at Kankakee River SP Pine Creek at White Pines Forest SP Siloam Springs SP Gridley Lake at Jim Edgar Panther Creek SFWA Horton Lake at Nauvoo SP Morgan Lake at Nichols Park in Jacksonville IDOT Lake in Springfield Willow Lake at Peabody River King SFWA And as an additional reminder – catch-and-release means just that; no trout may be kept (harvested) until the opening of the Spring Trout Fishing Season on April 6.

Justin McGuffin sent a note on the photo of the largemouth bass as the topper:Largemouth bass on the fly.

Dale Bowman 5lb~ range. I should buy a scale for next time.

Hey Dale, Here is a recap of this past week’s fishing.Braidwood- bass are good on a variety of baits considering they are post spawn. Lipless cranks, senkos, and craw imitators worked best. Focus on areas with wood, break points, flats, and wind blown shorelines holding baitfish. North end water temps were 65-67 and south end was up to 75. Best bite was in the 70-72 range.TTYL—Ken Husker O’Malley Husker Outdoors Waterwerks fishing team

I hit Braidwood with friend Joe The Grasseater Schatz of the Schatzee Lure Company Saturday and the good action for Bass continued at Braidwood. The morning bite was best on with bass hitting on crankbaits in chartreuse and white colors along the cool side rip rap. Shad were following baits as they were being retrieved to the boat. Matching the hatch and banging the rocks is critical to help get more bites cranking. I also was getting more bites on soft plastics in the midlake natural areas around plackards #13 through #16. A black and blue senko took good bass near grass edges and pockets. The tournaments will be starting for the season with Happy Hookers Open this weekend with 40 boats already registered, and Anglers Choice Braidwood division to start April 14th.Tight LinesRob

The Show Season ended for me this weekend with the Greater Chicago Boat Show at the Schaumburg Convention Center. It was the first time the promoters did the show in Chicago. There were a lot of large boats to view and a lot of fishing boats to compare in one building. Attendance was a bit slow but for those that came out there were some deals. l’m in prep mode this week getting everything ready to start the season. I will be out checking spots and finding new ones for the 2019 season. I’m hopeful it will be the best one yet. I am going to be fishing a couple other bodies of water this year too. Mainly because of request Shabona and the Illinois River are available and I’m also doing a couple weekend trips on Clinton Lake. The Chicago River surface temp is 38/39 right now.Here’s to a Great 2019 Season hope everyone is on em when they get out. Thanks Capt. Pat,

Good day fellas. Here is what I have for the fish report The ice is slowly starting to dwindle as it usually does this time of year and most fishermen are starting to gear up for the open water season. So we are a bit in-between seasons here, but this is what I’ve up until this point. Whitefish action is still good for the walk-out fishermen that are fishing relatively close to shore. Henderson’s Point and Sherwood point have been quite popular areas along with the shoreline to the north of Sturgeon Bay. An assortment of jigs tipped with minnow pieces and wax worms work well Walleye fishing is really starting to heat up as it usually does this time of year as those Walleyes are staging up and getting ready for the spawn. Henderson’s point, Riley’s Point, Sherwood Point and Sawyer Harbor are the go-to areas this time of year, or until the ice is no longer safe for ice travel. Oddball jigs, Rapala jigs, Rippin Raps and Shiver minnows are just a few of the top baits. Pike fishing still going strong and will be good until the ice is gone. Sawyer Harbor, Little Sturgeon, Riley’s Bay and Sturgeon Bay all good spots to target pike in the spring. Large Golden shiners and sucker minnows suspended under tip ups and auto fishermen generally the method of choice. Brown Trout fishermen are catching fish through the ice on the bayside of the peninsula and trolling the open water on the Lakeside of the peninsula. Ice fishermen will concentrate their efforts in the bays from Sturgeon Bay north up to Sister Bay ice permitting. Golden shiners and sucker minnows under tip-ups and auto fishermen the ticket there. And on the lakeside of the peninsula, fishermen generally troll in as little as 2 feet of water out to that 20 foot mark. Floating Rapalas, Thundersticks and Mauler spoons just a few of the top baits And stream fishermen are starting to see fish in most of the Lake Michigan tributaries now that we are seeing a substantial thaw. Drifting with spawn sacs or pitching spinners and spoons into the pools generally the ticket there Thanks; Lance LaVine Howie’s Tackle 1309 Green Bay Rd Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 Ph: 920-746-9916

Steelhead action ok in salt and trail creek spawn saks and voodoo jigs tipped with waxworms doing good

Good Afternoon noon Dale. My report for the Kankakee River was looking somewhat stagnant up until last night when a i caught word of a 30″ 9lb 15oz slob walleye caught out of the Kankakee by John Schnell. He informed me the fish was measured, weighed, photographed and released to fight another day. Water temps have been flirting with 46° during the day and falling off to around 41° over night for about 2 weeks now. I would say that some fish have spawned or are about to and more fish will spawn in the coming days. River levels are looking very good for both the fish and the fishermen. Rain is predicted for Thursday and Friday so things could be high and muddy come the weekend. Saw a few reports of smallies being caught on the warmer days in deeper current breaks on craw imitation baits. The carp bite has also turned on with a few locals landing fish in access of 20lbs. Once we can establish an actual spring weather pattern and get a few consecutive days above 60° the river will really come to life. If you are looking for something to do until then the Kankakee River Rats along with Elliott’s Bait and Tackle will be hosting a grand opening event this Sunday March 31st in the parking lot of the bait shop (975 N 5th Ave, Kankakee, IL 60901) from 8am until 2pm. Food games and a fishing tackle swap meet will be taking place. For more information call Elliott’s Bait and Tackle. I feel like todays quote is very appropriate and more of a direct thank you from myself and from other anglers to John Schnell and the many others that practice CPR on the true giants of our waterways The greatest gift you can give to another fisherman is to put a good fish back – Lee Wulff

First bass Kankakee River. Bass starting if you can locate them.@BowmanOutside @mullady21 @gilford_fishing @AlexOquendo1

Warmer temperatures and easier travel (by foot) has brought more anglers out to do some late season ice fishing. Snow pack has gone down on lakes, with the exception of southern shores where the sun doesn’t hit the snow to melt it down as fast. There is still plenty of ice, reports vary from 20 to 25+. Bring your ice creepers, it can be very slick in spots. There are areas where standing water and slush is present though. A few people are going out with ATV’s and snowmobiles, but we’re not recommending it, once you hit a slushy spot and get stuck, it’s very difficult to get your machine out. Bluegill: Very Good – Plenty of good reports of Gill catches this weekend. Anglers were finding them in the weeds from 7-12’. Waxies and spikes were working the best. For the bigger Gills, tip your jig with plastics to keep the smaller ones off the hook. Crappies: Good – Tip-downs tipped with minnows and jigging with small spoons are a good combination to finding and catching Crappies right now. Small pinmples, rockers and Lethal Cecils are all producing well tipped with a minnow, minnow head or waxie. Best times are early morning and at dusk. Yellow Perch: Fair-Good – If one’s willing to walk a little bit, Perch are coming on mud flats 15-20’ of water for larger fish. Wigglers are really working well this time of year. Pound your jig in the mud to stir up the bottom to get the Perch’s attention. Warmer weather and a few rain showers are predicted for the week. We’ll be updating, or feel free to call, for changing ice conditions. We should still be ice fishing for a little while though. Kurt Justice Kurt’s Island Sport Shop Like us on FaceBook —

Coho action over weekend decent lots of good catch’s lots of so so catches fish are spread out Cal park to new buffalo giving up fishFishing top 15 ft of water in 20 to 40 ft of water thinfish jointed rapalas and bayrats doing a lot of the catching variety of other crankbaits doing ok alsoShore guys in Michigan city and portage riverwalk did ok skein on bottom was bestSteelhead action ok in salt and trail creek spawn saks and voodoo jigs tipped with waxworms doing good Crappie action was great in Hobart in lake George for crappie below the dam on rufas jr jigs tipped with waxworms and minnows on gold hooks hundreds caught over weekend

Dale, Ice went out Friday night. Still some chunks coming down, but very fishable. Mornings and late afternoons best using jigs or river rigs. Walleye are biting