MIDWEST FISHING REPORT
LAKEFRONT SALMON: Park Bait: At least one king for the last several days at Montrose. Capt. Rich Sleziak: Labor Day weekend is when a few fish show around No. 4 marker and down Port of Indiana wall. Andy Mikos: ‘‘If the shore guys put in their time, they have a shot at a good fish. Heavy southwest wind should bring in cooler water and kings this week.’’ Capt. Jim Miller (Salmon Caddy) guided some Carpenters Local 1185 guys to a 21-king out of North Point. AREA LAKES: For bluegills, try weed pockets or weed lines. Ken ‘‘Husker’’ O’Malley: Bass best evenings; focus lipless crankbaits on inside weed lines.
AREA RIVERS: CHICAGO: Capt. Pat Harrison: Water in the 70s. Panfish steadiest bite on white jig and twister. Largemouth more active than smallmouth. ILLINOIS: B&B Live Bait: River is very low at Starved Rock. Catfish are best. KANKAKEE: Kyle Lund: Smallmouth feeding late day through to early morning; try deep water days, shallower in low light. Catfish caught at all hours.
CHAIN: Triangle: Good catfish on stinkbait. Bluegills on weeds or docks. White and yellow bass on small Mepps or small crankbaits. Some crappie on south end of Pistakee. Frogs working well for largemouth on Loon. DELAVAN/GENEVA, WISCONSIN: DELAVAN: Dave Duwe: Largemouth best bite, adjacent to main-lake points in 15 to 17 feet. Crappie excellent on west end along buoy line. Bluegills best in 13 to 15 feet. GENEVA: Arden Katz: Fair numbers, but good-sized smallmouth on points on dropshots. A few largemouth shallower. Duwe: Best bites are walleye at night or deep-water bluegills (18 to 20 feet). DOWNSTATE: HENNEPIN-HOPPER: Monday is the final day. SHELBYVILLE: Ken Wilson: Lake is normal summer pool and 82 degrees. On main lake, crappie good in 8 to 15 feet trolling Bandits. Tailwaters remain good. SOUTHERN ILLINOIS: Jason Johns: On Rend, catfish are good and crappie OK. On Kinkaid, bass and white bass are schooling. On Lake of Egypt, bass really good at night. On Crab Orchard, bass ‘‘going nuts.’’
LAKEFRONT: Capt. John Warren (Kingseeker) had a customer catch a 31-11 laker off Chicago. Capt. Bob Poteshman: Lakers good with occasional steelhead, coho, king and brown outside the Wreck in 100 to 150 feet off Chicago. Occasional king on the hill from North Point, but more are fishing in 170 to 300 feet for steelhead, some lakers and occasional coho.
NORTHERN WISCONSIN: MINOCQUA: Kurt Justice: Smallmouth (drop-shotting deep rocks best) and largemouth (over weed tops) are very good. Muskie are picking up on topwaters.
NORTHWEST INDIANA: Slez’s: Lakers best in 100 feet. A few catching some perch west of Michigan City. SHABBONA: Lakeside: Good hybrids (to 28 inches). Catfish good all over. Topwaters early/late or crankbaits days for largemouth. A few walleye on jigging Raps, spoons or Flicker Shads. Crappie take sorting. Water is 80 degrees.