MIDWEST FISHING REPORT
BRAIDWOOD: Cooling lake opened Monday. It is open daily from
6 a.m. to sunset. Pete Banach: Caught more than 100 bass, with a best of 5 pounds (lots of smaller ones). Jimmy and Chaser Ellison: Caught 80 bass (lots of smaller ones). Rob Abouchar: From shore, caught largemouth on squarebill crankbaits (shad and purple craw) near the rip-rap.
LAKEFRONT PARKING: The Chicago Park District’s parking passes for the two fishermen’s parking lots (DuSable and Burnham) are ready to go when official clearance comes. Readers suggest SpotHero app downtown. Foster (free street parking or pay lot); Montrose (free street parking); Belmont (pay lots on north and south sides); Diversey (pay lot or street parking); DuSable (pay lot); Northerly Island/Burnham Harbor (meters); 31st/Burnham (meters between McCormick Place and 31st Street Harbor); 43rd (limited meters); 63rd Street/Casino Pier (pay lot); Steelworkers Park (free street parking, east end of 87th); Cal Park (free parking).
AREA LAKES: Fishable ice nears end south, but northern areas should hold into weekend. Frankie Paull: Found crappie by suspending to 10 feet on hair jig and minnow at Prairie Road Lake in Aurora. Ken ‘‘Husker’’ O’Malley: Ice going fast south, but largemouth very good early mornings on Buck-Shot rattle spoons on flats with remaining green weeds adjacent to deep water. Bluegills decent on Vexan tungsten jigs tipped with multiple spikes.
AREA RIVERS: FOX: Dicky’s: Ice out around Montgomery Dam. People bank-fishing. ILLINOIS: Rod Thorson: Anglers catching sauger near Starved Rock. KANKAKEE: Ice cleared quickly. River high, fast, dirty. CHAIN: Plenty of ice. Channel drawing most effort. Arden Katz: Channel holding 13 to 14 inches of ice. Decent crappie and bluegills (wax worms best) if hole-hopping constantly. Triangle’s Greg Dickson said: ‘‘Looking into the weekend, I think we will be fine. Thank God, we are not getting a quick transition. The ice is going to hold, and the sportsmen will be able to get out.’’
GREEN LAKE, WISCONSIN: Mike Norris: BIG GREEN: Most areas have 12 inches or more of ice. Good lakers in 80 to 120 feet on Northland Rattle Jig, VMC spoons or white tube jigs. FOX: Ice of 12 to 18 inches. Bluegills and crappie in 4 to 5 feet.
LAKEFRONT: In Chicago, some casters and powerliners trying for coho but catching mostly lakers. Stacey Greene: Expects to reopen Park Bait at 5 a.m. Saturday.
MAZONIA: Both units open. Ice fishing nears end.
NORTHERN WISCONSIN: Gamefish season ends Sunday. Kyle Lamm: Outstanding crappie over weekend around Hayward. Kurt Justice: Travel difficult around Minocqua, but ice more than 2 feet. Bluegills (tungsten jigs tipped with waxies) and crappie (tip-down action improving daily, some jigging) good to very good.
NORTHWEST INDIANA: Stan’s: Hammond Marina still iced, so no launching (should be open in a few days). Slez’s: Skein on bottom or squid were catching good coho at Michigan City and Portage Riverwalk until high, dirty water slowed action Saturday. Boaters at Gary Light seeing steady action.
ST. JOSEPH MICHIGAN: Tackle Haven: Coho off the pier the last couple of days.