MIDWEST FISHING REPORT
SNAGGING: Snagging season opens Monday for Chinook and coho. Four locations are Jackson Harbor (inner and outer), Lincoln Park Lagoon south of Fullerton, Waukegan Harbor (north basin only) and Winnetka power plant.
LAKEFRONT SALMON: CHICAGO: Park Bait: A few kings and pike on glow spoons. Henry’s: Mostly spoons taking a few kings at 31st, Burnham and Montrose. WAUKEGAN: Capt. Scott Wolfe: Few caught are mix of kings, coho and steelhead. INDIANA: Slez’s: More coho than kings in rivers/creeks. Some at night at Washington Park in Michigan City on glow spoons or crankbaits.
AREA LAKES: Ken ‘‘Husker’’ O’Malley: Bass good early mornings on outside weed lines. Rob Abouchar: While demonstrating unweighted Texas-rigged Senkos to Leyden bass club, caught a big bass at Wood Dale Grove.
AREA RIVERS: O’Malley: At Des Plaines SFWA, bass good on rock points, shoreline cover, current breaks and drop-offs. CHICAGO: Capt. Pat Harrison: Went to heavier jigs to reach bigger panfish, bass and catfish nearer the bottom. DES PLAINES: Marcus Benesch: Largemouth and pike picked up with cooler water, hitting anything around timber or creeks. KANKAKEE: Kyle Lund: Low and slow. As long as water and temperature remain summery, start in fast water and work toward slower. Waders working Kankakee dam. CHAIN: Arden Katz: Crappie good in 12 to 14 feet on Bluff and Marie drifting/trolling at 0.8 mph with minnows. Some catfish, too. Triangle: White and yellow bass very good (Salmos or Flicker Shads) over rock bottoms evenings on Marie. Some walleye, too, right at dusk. Catfish remain good on crawlers. Try for crappie at Nippersink and Squaw mouths. Muskie guys already drifting suckers.
DELAVAN/GENEVA, WISCONSIN: Dave Duwe: DELAVAN: Largemouth going on inside turns off main-lake points. Walleye improving in 22 to 24 feet. Crappie consistent on Viewcrest buoy line. GENEVA: Walleye remain excellent at night. Bluegills excellent in 18 to 20 feet. Largemouth improving off weed lines in 22 to 25 feet. LAKEFRONT: Snagging regs/shoreline salmon report at top. Capt. Bob Poteshman: Out of Chicago, mainly lakers in 110 to 150 feet outside of the Wreck. Few trying outside the R-4. Out of North Point, it’s 130 to 250 feet for lakers (with occasional steelhead, coho and king). Capt. Scott Wolfe: Trollers picking up big pre-spawn coho. Brown trout should come in soon. Winds slowed off-shore bite, but Grizzly Cooler guys picked up a boat-record laker of 30.88 pounds. NORTHERN WISCONSIN: MINOCQUA: Kurt Justice: Forecast is for cooler weather, which should set up fall patterns. Otherwise, smallmouth are good in 6 to 14 feet with rock or gravel bottoms along first break. SHABBONA: Lakeside: Muskie active over weekend, including big one Sunday. Lots of hybrids. Surprising catches of walleye on the road bed. Catfish and bass remain strong. Water cooled into low 60s. WISCONSIN DELLS: River’s Edge: Lots of smaller sturgeon; no legals registered yet. Season ends Sunday.