MIDWEST FISHING REPORT
PERCH: Henry’s: Scattered up and down the lakefront. Some good bags at Burnham on soft shells or minnows. Park Bait: Perch in but take sorting at Montrose.
AREA LAKES: Bob France noted frog- fishing on office ponds had bass ‘‘ like piranha. Like, every cast!’’
AREA RIVERS: CALUMET: BoRabb Williams: ‘‘ Plenty of action’’ for catfish, bass, bluegills, perch and drum. CHICAGO: Capt. Pat Harrison: Eighth- ounce jig and white twister taking more crappie, bluegills, catfish and a few bass. FOX: Receding off flood. Closed from Montgomery dam to Stratton Lock and Dam. ILLINOIS: Projected to fall below flood stage Thursday at LaSalle. KANKAKEE: Kankakee River Valley Fishing Derby begins Friday. Kyle Lund: Water came up. Fish pushed to shore or up creeks.
CHAIN O’LAKES: Triangle: Bluegills finishing on beds. Bass very good on East and West Loon on Senkos ( weightless or wacky- rigged). With high water, muskie are very good. Walleye best around the south river mouth or in holes or deep cuts on the north river. Catfish good on cutbait or stinkbait.
NOTE: River closed from Montgomery dam through the McHenry Lock and Dam; Chain and upper river are no- wake. Updates at foxwaterway. com or ( 847) 587- 8540.
DELAVAN/ GENEVA, WISCONSIN: DELAVAN: Dave Duwe: Bluegills very good on weed line in 15 to 17 feet. Largemouth are excellent ( either frogs on top or weed lines in 14 to feet).
GENEVA: Arden Katz: Bluegills are ‘‘ outstanding in Geneva Bay in 12 to 14 feet on a dropper- rig.’’ Rock bass are good, too. Duwe: Walleye very good on nights with wind.
LAKEFRONT: Perch at top. Park Bait: Some quality drum; best in nasty weather. Henry’s: Smallmouth moving deeper. Drum good up and down lakefront; think catfish- style heavy tackle with 2 to 3 ounces of weight and soft shells. Capt. Harrison: For smallmouth, work rocks in harbor mouths and riprap. Capt. Bob Poteshman: Fishing improved off Chicago for coho ( 4 to 6 pounds) and some lakers ( throughout the column). North Point slowed last few days; fishing from hill to 200 feet. Capt. Scott Wolfe: Off Waukegan, bigger fish ( kings, larger lakers) holding in 100 feet. Smaller fish ( coho, lakers, steelhead) in 175 feet and deeper.
LaSALLE: Jim Hartley, via Ray Thompson: Hybrids everywhere. Try smaller crankbaits for yellow bass and many drum. Frank ‘‘ CatDaddy’’ Smith, via Williams: Twelve blues on cut bait. NORTHERN WISCONSIN: MINOCQUA: Kurt Justice: High water. Pike ( work cabbage tops in 6 to 10 feet) and largemouth ( topwaters picking up) good to very good. Bluegills and perch are good.
NORTHWEST INDIANA: Slez’s: Coho with a few steelhead and lakers in 80 to 150 feet. Some steelhead off Michigan City pier on shrimp under a float. Some fresh steelhead in Trail on Voodoo jigs under float or No. 4 Mepps. NOTE: Skamania Mania is Saturday and Sunday in Michigan City.
ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN: Tackle Haven: Some perch in 40 feet off pier heads and south. No skamania run yet in river. Coho, steelhead and a few kings in 180 to 230 feet.
SHABBONA: Lakeside: Walleye, hybrids and bass. ‘‘ Pretty much everything is going along the weeds in 6 to 8 feet,’’ Clint Sands said. ‘‘ Find the weeds, and you will find fish.’’ Crappie ( take sorting) are in the cribs. NOTE: Muskie Rescue postponed.