MIDWEST FISHING REPORT
NAVY PIER: Future fishing access up in the air with impending closure.
AREA RIVERS: CHICAGO: Jeffrey Williams: Warm water (upper 70s) making slower fishing, but caught carp to 8 pounds. FOX: Pete Lamar: Low water reduced current on tributaries; find areas with cooler water and better current for smallmouth; Fox itself is holding levels better and has more moving water. ILLINOIS: Pete Riedesel: Topwater bite so good, even catching catfish on topwaters. Note: Dresden Island, Marseilles, Starved Rock, Peoria and LaGrange locks are closed. KANKAKEE: George Peters: Low and clear, but some weed bloom lines; smallmouth on minnow or craw baits; few walleye in deep areas. O’Malley: Explore new areas with the low water; pike very good on Mepps by water willows adjacent to deeper water.
CHAIN: Triangle: Walleyes early mornings on jig and crawlers; catfish good on Marie and Petite on cut bait and stink bait; few doing OK on numbers of smallmouth in river; panfish still on deep weed lines, but, with cool nights, some moving to piers.
COOLING LAKES/MAZONIA: Open 6 a.m. to sunset. HEIDECKE: Ken “Husker” O’Malley: Water around 80, stained with algae bloom; some topwater bite very early; water needs to cool for crappie and walleye.
DELAVAN/GENEVA, WISCONSIN: DELAVAN: Dave Duwe: Largemouth on deep weed lines (15-18 ft.); bluegill slowed, best in 12-13. GENEVA: Arden Katz: Pumpkinseeds and bluegill in 17-20 on spikes, jigs and drop-shots on weed lines in Geneva Bay. Few smallmouth caught with the panfish. Duwe: Pike “best in five years” in 33-40; walleye consistent when wind blows by Abbey Springs or Trinkes; largemouth remain on deep weed lines.
GREEN LAKE, WISCONSIN: Mike Norris: LITTLE GREEN: Bluegill picking up shallow; muskie (to 47 inches) following them. FOX: Good bluegill on back side of Brushwood Island. BIG GREEN: Lakers good, troll Sutton Spoons down 80 to 120; bluegill improving on deep weed lines.
MADISON, WISCONSIN: Norris: Outstanding bluegill on Monona (Cubby jig with red worm or three wax worms under a float) on weed edges adjacent to rock piles.
LAKEFRONT: Chicago lakefront officially closed, some walking or biking around to fish. Fisherman’s parking passes are not being sold while the lakefront remains officially closed. Capt. Bob Poteshman: Out of Chicago, lakers in 100-160 feet straight out, mornings better; some salmon around the R4. Out of North Point, northeast blow made for a rough Tuesday, but lakers in 130-200 and deeper; before the blow, some kings and coho in 100-130. Capt. Scott Wolfe: “Good numbers of staging Chinook and coho have parked themselves off of Waukegan.” Many Chinook heavier than 20 pounds; “best staging salmon action I’ve seen in at least six years, maybe 10,” in 90-180.
N. WISCONSIN: Kurt Justice: Bluegill good on outside coontail edges suspended down 8-12 in 16; largemouth (tall cabbage in 8-12) and pike (cabbage flats) are good to fair; NW INDIANA: Slez’s: Decent salmon/trout in 90-120; Trail Creek has steelhead and lots of anglers. Stan’s: Salmon/trout in 90-150; a few walleye on Wolf; catfish on Kankakee. POWERTON: Shutdown through Sept. 15 for levee repairs. SHABBONA: Lakeside: Bass good on the dam face, a few in no-motor zone; crappie mainly in deep trees; catfish on the dam face, chicken liver bait of choice.