MIDWEST FISHING REPORT
TROUT: Illinois’ spring trout opened to good reports. Remember, Forest Preserves of Cook County sites — Axehead, Belleau, Green, Horsetail, Sag Quarry East — open today. Regulations are same: daily bag of five, those 16 and older need a license and a stamp.
SMELT: Season runs through April 30. No reports. Chicago Park District regulations: Nets may go in at 7 p.m., must be out of the parks by 1 a.m., no open fires, no closed tents, no parking on grass or sidewalks, dispose of coals in appropriate trash receptacles.
AREA LAKES: Focus on trout and crappie. Dicky’s: If you find warmer water, largemouth picking up. Ken “Husker” O’Malley: Work jerkbaits over the top of emerging weed beds for largemouth; crappie slowly starting to stage, locate then use plastics under bobber.
AREA RIVERS: FOX: Dicky’s: Water temperatures climbing, up to 53.5; catfish going good; a 4 1/2-pound smallmouth caught around Geneva. ILLINOIS: Capt. Mike Hanson: Good, big crappie, including PB with retired veteran Carter Cavitt. KANKAKEE: Chris Strand: Caught 25inch spawned-out female (protected slot is 18 to 26 inches) on shiner; Bob Johnson: On Monday, caught smallmouth and largemouth, some good ones, working slight mud line with crankbaits.
CHAIN: Triangle: Low water limits boaters; crappie decent in channels with water; catfish good on minnows or crawlers; with low water, try for walleye on main lake areas.
COOLING LAKES/PITS: Braidwood, Heidecke, LaSalle, Mazonia open 6 a.m. to sunset. Opening days of Heidecke slow; expect that to change with warmth.
DELAVAN, WISCONSIN: Arden Katz: Lots of panfish (bluegill to 8 inches) in channels, downsize to ice jigs and spikes. GREEN/STURGEON BAYS, WISCONSIN: Howie’s: Walleye picking up with warming waters, casting or trolling nights, concentrate on secondary shoreline drops; pike “quite good,” casting or trolling; catch-and-release smallmouth improving as shallow bays warm. LAKEFRONT: Chris Ranney: “Bigger browns are on the move on the lakefront.” Greg Laveau: Caught second limit of coho of last week on Wednesday on crawlers. Jason “Special” Le: Brother Ricky caught nice whitefish. Tom Platt: Smallmouth doing well, some reports of drum. Park Bait: Powerliners (crawlers or minnows) doing better than casters, but that may change for casters with the warm-up. Salmon Stop: Browns and steelhead off the pier in Waukegan, a few coho, too. Capt. Scott Wolfe: Out of Waukegan, some coho trolling 25 to 65 ft. with Dodgers and peanut flies or bodybaits; big lakers suspended in 60 ft.
NORTHERN WISCONSIN: Kurt Justice: Most lakes completely open; exceptions are Fence and Trout; crappie good to very good in standing weeds in 6-8 ft.
NORTHWEST INDIANA: Slez’s: Coho varied for trollers, best on Brad’s ThinFish or Dodgers and flies; from shore, Portage Riverwalk hit-ormiss; boaters catching bluegill and crappie at Willow Slough.
ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN: Tackle Haven: Boaters catching coho to south; pier slowed; walleye closed in river.
SHABBONA: Hours: 6 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. As of now, no concessionaire. WISCONSIN RIVERS: WOLF: Gary Bloom: Water low in Winneconne, but some walleye limits being caught. Mike Norris: Walleyes active, caught vertical jigging with jig and minnow; expect spawn this week with warmth. PETENWELL FLOWAGE: Norris: Work current breaks below dam for walleye; caution with low water.