Wisconsin opener, lakefront coho/trout: Chicago fishing, Midwest Fishing Report

While bass fishing Sunday morning I ran into a lot of hungry longnose gar that made for some excellent battles. Some as small as 15inches and few around 40 inches including a 54″ I landed in the kayak after a 5 minute fight.

good day on Lake Michigan even though it snowed yesterday. Lake trout were plenty but the Coho were not. See ya soon, Dave..

Coho action on boats good from cal park all the way east to new buffalo a good number of kings mixed in also 25 to 50 ft along the shoreline good using thinfish spoons and some plugs Fish full of smelt and alewives Thanks some really big kings are around some in mid to upper 20s A bunch caught near and around Michigan city But some all along shoreline

About the same as last week, this stupid weather isn’t hurting the fishing, they are still biting,,,, it’s the fishermen who don’t want to go out in the chilly temps! I’ve told a few guys to grow a pair and just do it!

Hi Dale Fishing all over the South end of Lake Michigan is on fire now. Waukegan has some of the best trout fishing of all time. Limits of lakers are the norm in 50 to 70 feet of water South of the harbor. Most fish are over 10 pounds with some well over that. If anglers don’t want to keep the fish this is the time of your you can catch and release them safely. The water is still cold and they do not get the bends from being brought up from deep water. If anglers want to do that they should use de-hookers like are common in salt water and not handle the fish at all. Jimmy Fly laker rigs and Mo rigs with the UV skirts run near the bottom behind 0 metal Luhr-Jensen dodgers are the work horses. More and more silver fish are taken each trip with coho staring to show in good numbers. Peanut flys and Warrior flutter spoons off yellowbird trolling boards should be run. Jimmy fly UV peanuts or Lake Michigan Angler Liz flys have been the top choices. Waukegan shore fishing is getting good. On Friday guys casting were getting steady action with coho and browns coming in. Flicker shads custom painted for Lake Michigan by Lake Michigan Angler in Winthrop Harbor were best with small spoons like Cleo’s and Krocs a close second. Unfortunately The weekend was slow and it appeared the coho there moved. This is typical for the start of the year and indicates for the next 4-5 weeks at least fishing will be good. Chicago fishing was excellent with limits of coho the norm. The best news was that fishing inside the break wall near Navy Pier, protected and great for small boats, was the best area. The closer to shore the better with massive amounts of bait and coho. There are also kings there so at least some Magnum Warrior spoons should be run. The alewife are huge in Chicago so match the hatch with Magnum spoons. Elsewhere I traded emails with Captains in Indiana and New Buffalo and it was the same story – excellent fishing. Now is the time to book your charters or get out on your own. Capt. Scott Wolfe School of Fish Charters 630-341-0550 http://www.schooloffishcharters.com

Hey Dale, Here is a recap of this past week’s fishing.Area lakes-before winter decided to make another appearance, bass were cruising shorelines. Best bait was a 1/4 oz jig and craw trailer. After the front passed, bass moved out to deeper water. Chatterbaits produced a few fish here are there as they were scattered. A few warm days and they will start staging for the spawn.TTYL—Ken Husker O’Malley Husker Outdoors Waterwerks fishing team

Hi Dale The first Anglers Choice Braidwood Lake division tournament went off Sunday with 35 boats in the field. The tournament was won by Nick Connor who fished solo and brought 10.26 lbs to the scale with 3 fish. Second went to Randy Miller and Andy Wegner. Third went to Thompson and Elizando . The big bass of the tournament was caught by 4th place team Ragan and Budach it weighed 5.13 lbs. I would not be surprised if a 6 pounder comes in this season as the average size of largemouth seems to be getting a little better. I missed the tourney to attend a wake of a longtime friend Andy Lucchesi. He and his family lived on the Loch Lomond lake down the street and we had so many memories of hockey, baseball, football and most of all fishing. Even after Andy moved away from the house his mother would allow me to pass through and use the giant yellow aluminum canoe to fish for Bass on the lake. These are the things that remind us of who we are and where we come from. This week will be the Sectionals for IHSA Bass Fishing. My Leyden High School squad is participating for the first time. Going through this i see what the coaches have to do and it is quite a bit of work. So I tip my hat to those who have made this such a big deal. And Friday will be the Gig at Penny Road Pub and then finally some time back on the water in Wisconsin.Tight LinesRob

To facilitate ongoing construction operations at the Stratton-Bolger facility, the lock will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays (with the exception of Memorial Day on Monday, May 27) during the months of May and June. During the months of May and June, IDNR lock tenders will operate the lock on Wednesdays through Sundays from 8:00 a.m. until midnight.

Dale, River levels have been receding back to normal up and down the river. Best bite going now are largemouth bass. Pike are fair at the moment. Bass have been close to shore and easy targets for jerk baits. Water temps have gotten up to the low 50s.While bass fishing Sunday morning I ran into a lot of hungry longnose gar that made for some excellent battles. Some as small as 15inches and few around 40 inches including a 54″ I landed in the kayak after a 5 minute fight.Marcus BeneschGurnee, Illinois

The Fox River and all the creeks flowing into it are all flowing high, fast and muddy. Based on this weeks forecast, it’s only going to get worse.Good opportunity for those that like to do that kind of tight to shore, high fast and muddy fishing, but even I might be persuaded by some pond fishing. It’s been a few years since I’ve hit my secret ponds.For those that do want to do that high fast and muddy thing, Geneva was lways the best for it. Why becomes self evident once you get there.Ken G

Good morning fellas. Sorry for the delay, been a bit busy Brown Trout fishing has been going quite well on the bay side of the peninsula along with the lakeside now starting to fire up. Trolling and casting the shallow water, generally less than 20 feet of water. Fishermen generally look for warmer water pockets and clean to stained water areas. Trolling with floating Rapalas, Thundersticks and flutter style spoons like Mauler spoons and Stingers. Fishermen that choose to cast via shore or by boat are using casting spoons like Cleo’s and Krokodile’s along with stick baits like Rapala Shadow raps, Rip Stops and Rogue’s. Stream fishermen are still finding good success in Door County’s Lake Michigan tributaries. Drifting with spawn sacs along with pitching spinners and small spoons in the larger pools Pike fishing is starting to ramp up a bit more now that it seems like the post spawn bite is starting to get rolling. Drifting with large sucker minnows is an option along with casting and trolling large stick baits, spoons and plastics The Walleye fishing is starting to get rolling with a pretty good night bite going on right now for both big pre-spawn fish and a few post spawn fish now getting caught. Same old story year in and year out….trolling the primary and secondary drop-offs along the rocky shorelines throughout the county from as far south as Chaudoirs Dock all the way up the peninsula to Sister Bay all good options for some big Walleyes. As of right now the limit in our area is 1 fish over 15 inches, then on May 4th the limit goes back up to 5 fish. For the trollers, the best baits are suspending baits like Husky Jerks, Smithwick Rogues, Lucky Crafts, Megabass along with Flicker Shads and Minnows. And for folks that want to cast….Rippin Raps, Blade baits, hair jigs along with bigger paddle tails like Keitech baits And on May 4th also marks the opener of our Bass fishing opener which is crazy around here! Hundreds, even thousands of fishermen will be searching for those schools of giant pre-spawn bass. Most likely we will see lots of fish in that 5 to 6 plus pound range along with plenty of 7 pound fish and even a few 8 plus pounders just like we saw last year. Early in the season with the cold water, most fishermen will search for warm water pockets in bottom transition areas like those rock to sand areas we always talk about. Slow presentation is the key! Shorty Tubes, Ned Rigs, Hair and marabou jigs, Keitech paddle tails along with deadsticking suspending jerk baits like Megabass, Lucky Crafts, Shadow Raps, Ripstops and Smithwick Rogues all good options Thanks; Lance LaVine Howie’s Tackle 1309 Green Bay Rd Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 Ph: 920-746-9916

Due to flooding on the Illinois River, the main parking lot and riverside lower area including the boat launches at Starved Rock State Park are closed. Other park facilities including the Starved Rock Lodge are open; parking is available in the lodge lot and overflow lot.

Opener is days away (May 4th) and anglers are chomping at the bit to get out on some soft water to fish Walleyes, Pike and Largemouth Bass. Can they, is still a question. Many lakes in the Northwoods still have ice but its pulling away and melting, just not fast enough to make us all comfortable. Lakes that are smaller, darker and have some sort of current are open completely. Larger bodies, and lakes with clear water are holding to its ice. Temps aren’t forecasted to warm up till Fri/Sat, but rain on Wed (5/1) will also help. There will be fishable lakes, even portions of the Flowages will be fishable. Anglers can expect to find pre-spawn, spawn and even some post-spawn action depending on the water they are on. Wild bait will be near impossible to find, but pond raised fatheads and suckers will work on jigs, as well as, casting shallow running stickbaits such as Rattlin Rouges and #9 Floating Rapalas. Keep and eye on our FaceBook page for further ice out developments. Kurt Justice Kurt’s Island Sport Shop Like us on FaceBook —

If you’re thinking about traveling north this weekend for the season opener, travel with the expectations you will be able to fish everywhere except the biggest, coldest lakes. This time of year, remember that boat fishing won’t be necessary at some places – shore fish, wade, or float any of the area rivers if water levels allow – but steer clear of spawning refuges. If seeking walleyes, you don’t have to keep every one. Please observe slot limits, release all big females, and important to note the Minocqua chain remains closed to walleye angling and harvest.

Weather has the panfish off and on crazy weather fronts If u could post I have huge shipment of triple s stinkbait in formerly known as Sonny’s stinkbait small jars and tubs