MIDWEST FISHING REPORT
INLAND TROUT: Illinois’ fall trout season opened Saturday to good reviews. Daily bag is five. Those 16 and older need a license and inland- trout stamp. Northeast Illinois sites are Axehead, Belleau, Busse North, Green, Horsetail, Sag Quarry East and Wolf in Cook County; Silver, Pickerel and Grove in DuPage; Bird Park Quarry and Rock Creek in Kankakee; Big Lake at Silver Springs SFWA in Kendall; Sand at Illinois Beach SP and Banana in Lake; Spring Grove Hatchery Pond in McHenry; and Lake Strini and Van Horn Woods in Will.
AREA LAKES: Most attention on trout, but crappie will pick up with this weather. Ken ‘‘ Huskier’’ O’Malley: Bass good middays along outside weed lines on drop- shot with finesse worm.
CHAIN O’LAKES: Arden Katz: Yellow bass are nearly every cast. A few crappie and white bass. Triangle: Walleye picking up on north river, deep holes and corners on jigs and crawlers or Big Dude bladebaits. Some crappie around bridges and remaining piers. Muskie fishermen going to suckers. Water cooling through 50s.
CHICAGO RIVER: Capt. Pat Harrison: Smaller crappie and bluegills picking up with more normal water. Bass hitting skirted jigs and 6- inch brown worms. COOLING LAKES/ STRIP PITS: Braidwood, Heidecke and LaSalle are closed for the year. So is Mazonia, except for Monster at Mazonia South, which is open year- round. DOWNSTATE: POWERTON: Last day of shore fishing is Friday. EVERGREEN: Boat rental and bait shop is closed. GREEN/ STURGEON BAYS, WISCONSIN: Howie’s Tackle: Perch are ‘‘ excellent’’ in Little Sturgeon, Riley’s Bay, Sawyer Harbor, the Flats and Sturgeon Bay ship canal. Pike ‘‘ fantastic’’ in same areas. Walleye picking up at night. LAKEFRONT: CHICAGO: Robert Coutinho reported a couple of perch, rock bass and a big catfish at Navy Pier. Henry’s: A few perch and salmon being caught. WAUKEGAN: Salmon Stop: A few perch, a few kings on spoons and a few browns on shrimp. SALMON SNAGGING: Legal spots are the inner and outer harbors at Jackson Park, the Lincoln Park Lagoon south of Fullerton, the discharge area at the Winnetka power plant and the north basin of Waukegan Harbor. NORTHERN WISCONSIN: MINOCQUA: Kurt Justice: Weather will keep cooling water. Moving to sucker bite for muskie. Monday was excellent for walleye after a tough weekend. Smallmouth good on deep rock humps. ROOT RIVER, WISCONSIN: DNR: Good fishing. Most catching at least one and some limits. Mostly kings, but some coho and browns, too. WOLF RIVER, WISCONSIN: FREMONT: Bill Stoeger: White bass best from mouth of river to mouth of Rat. Bite should hold for another week.