MIDWEST FISHING REPORT
HEIDECKE OPENER: The former cooling lake near Morris reopens Monday. Fisheries biologist Seth Love noted water levels are better than last year, though ‘‘still fairly shallow.’’ He was able to launch easily. ‘‘I think the news of state-record qualifying fish being in the lake made some anglers realize that there are some big fish at Heidecke,’’ he emailed. Smallmouth numbers and size have been good the last couple of surveys, and he expects crappie anglers to ‘‘have a fantastic year.’’
SMELT: Season opens Monday. 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.
TROUT: Catch-and-release trout season is open. Nearby sites include Rock Creek, Kankakee River SP, Pine Creek, White Pines Forest SP, Apple River and Apple River Canyon SP. Regular trout season opens April 6.
AREA LAKES: Ken ‘‘Husker’’ O’Malley: Lipless crankbaits or bladed jig on windblown riprap for largemouth. Crappie and bluegills in wind-blown coves on jigs. Dave’s Bait: Smaller ponds warm faster, making panfish and bass more active. Rob Abouchar: With cold returning, went back to large roaches under a Thill slip-float on Island Lake for largemouth. Bridgeport Bait: Crappie at Papoose and Centennial Park in Tinley Park. Crappie and bluegills at Monee Reservoir. NOTE: FPD of DuPage County: ‘‘Trout Fishing for Kids,’’ 15 and younger, Saturday, Wood Dale Grove FP.
AREA RIVERS: CHICAGO: Jeffrey Williams: Caught bluegills downtown Sunday. Brother Jesse Gonzalez caught first slab crappie of the year. ILLINOIS: Mike Clements caught a freak perch below Marseilles Dam. Wisconsin team of Ross and John Hertensteiner won Spring Valley MWC with 10 fish weighing 22 pounds, 14 ounces. Jason and Ethan Kline caught big fish (6-2). KANKAKEE: Bob Johnson: Smallmouth good on swimbaits, Ned rigs and flipping craw. Bonus pike and largemouth.
BRAIDWOOD: Johnson: Largemouth on Ned rigs, swimbaits and ChatterBaits. Water in mid-60s.
CHAIN: Arden Katz: Bluegills good on Mini-Mites and Jigabites with spikes, 10 inches under floats, in channels. Water remains very low. Use caution launching and navigating.
LAKEFRONT: Capt. Ernesto Amparan: Coho at McCormick Place and south by trolling ThinFins in 20 to 28 feet. Bridgeport Bait: Shore coho picking up at McCormick Place, 31st and 39th. Steelhead at Northerly Island. Park Bait: Powerliners doing well up and down lakefront for coho; rod and reel, too. Some nice browns and a few harbor steelhead.
LaSALLE: See Fish of the Week for big blue by Darryl Turner, who caught blues on shad or bluegills.
NORTHWEST INDIANA: Volunteer Bruce Caruso helped move largemouth and panfish at Willow Slough. Slez’s: Trolling coho good from Hammond to Michigan City on ThinFish, Flicker Shad or Dodgers and flies. Coho hit-and-miss for pier anglers on squid, shrimp or skein.
SHABBONA: Boondocks reopens Monday. Summer hours — 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. — begin Monday.
ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN: Tackle Haven: Catching coho in New Buffalo. Some catfish in St. Joe River.
FISH OF THE WEEK
Darryl Turner found big blue catfish Sunday at LaSalle Lake.
‘‘The big one, I missed it when he slammed it, but I reeled down to it,’’ said Turner, the king of fishing blues from shore at the cooling lake south of Seneca. ‘‘Out of the blue, it came in and slammed the bait.’’ That’s big, as in 30 pounds. Turner primarily used shad because he only caught one bluegill for bait. He caught 11 smaller blues (five around 10 pounds, the rest between 3 and 5 pounds) before the 30-pounder. After that, he caught a 17-pounder.
‘‘I caught six or seven when floating [bait] under a bobber, but they were smaller, so I went back to the bottom,’’ he said.
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SHOW & GO
Lake Michigan fisheries meeting: Hosted by IllinoisIndiana Sea Grant, 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Wilmette Harbor Club. Speakers: Charlie Roswell on Lake Michigan perch, Luke McGill on Chicago River largemouth and Paris Collingsworth on trends in lower trophic levels in Lake Michigan.