MIDWEST FISHING REPORT
SHORELINE SALMON: Return of warm water slowed shoreline salmon, but Oscar Santos reported two good ones early Tuesday in Chicago. Chicago lakefront remains officially closed, but those walking or biking in are fishing. Capt. Scott Wolfe: Warmer water slowed shore salmon in Waukegan. Slez’s: Some salmon in Indiana tributaries on spawn sacs or spinners, a few off Portage Riverwalk or East Chicago at night on glow spoons.
STURGEON: Hook-and-line sturgeon season, below the Dells dam (and other spots across Wisconsin), runs through Sept. 30. Erik Brztowski: Nothing huge, but caught decent numbers over weekend, water coming up. River’s Edge: Report of a 62-inch caught and released.
AREA LAKES: Fall feeding near or here. Charles Zheng: Bass schooling on shad in Lake County, try spinner baits, flukes, jerkbaits, Whopper Plopper (almost anything). Pete Lamar: Bluegill more active after the heat eased. Ken “Husker” O’Malley: Try jig and craw trailer on bottom for bass. Bob France: Active bluegill and panfish in northwest suburbs.
AREA RIVERS: CHICAGO: Jeffrey Williams: Water temperatures dropping, crappie (including a 15-incher) picking up. ILLINOIS: Levels remain normal. Active smallmouth; active catfish; spotty white bass. Closures continue for the Dresden Island, Marseilles, Starved Rock, Peoria and LaGrange locks to facilitate major repairs. KANKAKEE: Levels remain low. Glamor fish in Kankakee River Fishing Derby: 34-pound, 15-ounce flathead (Paul Smith); 10-11 northern pike (Aaron Rice).
CHAIN: Triangle: White bass top bite in 8-15 ft., some suspended over deeper water; for walleye, try flats early morning or evenings with crawlers or minnows; for bluegill, try 8 ft. or deeper; muskie fair. NOTE: Stratton Lock closed.
DELAVAN/GENEVA, WISCONSIN: DELAVAN: Dave Duwe: Spotty fishing, best bluegill in 16 ft.; largemouth on topwaters early, otherwise live bait in 16 ft. GENEVA: Duwe: Rock bass “everywhere” and bluegill “great” in 21-26.
GREEN LAKE, WISCONSIN: Mike Norris: Bluegill off weed edge at Keno Trail, Maple Point and Boat House; largemouth on swim baits along north shoreline weed patches. PUCKAWAY: Shallow bluegill excellent on redworms under float. LITTLE GREEN:
Work 10-12 ft. for big muskies with bucktails. BEAVER DAM:
With good flow, anglers below dam catching walleyes, perch and crappie.
HEIDECKE: O’Malley: Water cooled to mid-60s; a few short walleye on humps; lots of boats, little success.
LAKEFRONT: Shorelines salmon at top. Capt. Bob Poteshman: Lakers good mornings in 100-140 ft. out of Chicago; out of North Point, lakers also good, but a couple of steelhead, a few coho and jack kings, too, in 140-180. Wolfe: Out of Waukegan, when weather allows, offshore lakers “spectacular” in 105-150.
N. WISCONSIN: Kurt Justice: Yo-yoing temps made for inconsistent fishing; Crappie (deep wood on flowages, coontail edges on natural lakes), bluegill, pike and muskie (fast-moving glide baits, twitch baits or bucktails, some topwater, even suckers on quick-set rigs) and walleye are good.
POWERTON: Reopened.
WOLF RIVER, WISCONSIN: Bill Stoeger: Around Fremont, white bass and crappie moving into the river as water reached 50s.