MIDWEST FISHING REPORT

AREA LAKES: Bass going early and late (into the night) on topwaters; bluegill (some bedding) also active. With the heat, focus on shaded areas.

AREA RIVERS: FOX: Violet Talley: Water dropped dramatically; bass scattered, try slackwater edges; muskie reports between McHenry and Algonquin dams. ILLINOIS: B&B Live Bait: Levels down, catfishing again the focus. KANKAKEE: With the heat and dryness, main river should be wadeable by Bears camp. Ken “Husker’’ O’Malley: Main river up and muddy; better wading tributaries, try TRD baits on a 3/16-ounce jig, focus on deeper pools and current seams.

CHAIN: Triangle: Some bluegill on the beds; crappie going on Marie and Bluff in 8-12 ft.; those trolling crawler harnesses catching big catfish and white bass; walleye good around bridge areas trolling crankbaits or using a split shot and gold hook and piece of crawler. COOLING LAKES/STRIP PITS: Hours are 6 a.m.sunset. With excessive heat, avoid Braidwood and LaSalle this weekend.

DELAVAN/GENEVA LAKES, WIS: DELAVAN:

Dave Duwe: Most fish in 15-20 ft.; bluegill are “fantastic’’ on split-shot rigs with leaf worms or hellgrammites; largemouth schooling on deep points. GENEVA: Duwe: Lake trout “phenomenal’’ in 106-112 feet on trolling spoons; largemouth schooled on main lake points; smallmouth moving deeper.

GREEN LAKE AREA, WIS.: Mike Norris: On Big Green walleye good on jig and leeches in 8-12 ft.; also crappie and bass on same setup; deepwater trollers catching bigger walleye in 25-35. On Winnebago, perch good on reefs and rock piles, long-line trollers catching jumbos on half crawler and split shot; walleye the same way. GREEN/STURGEON BAYS, WIS.: Howie’s: Smallmouth pushing deeper, 10-20 ft., perch very good; walleye better than average. LAKEFRONT: Perch slowed, southwest winds could help late week. Henry’s: From shore, primarily drum and rock bass; boaters picking near-shore smallmouth. Park Bait: Some nice pike on perch baits; otherwise scattered drum, smallmouth and rock bass. Capt. Bob Poteshman: North Point: Coho, lakers and a couple steelhead in 150-250 ft. Chicago: Coho and a couple of nice kings from the R4 to Gumby’s Reef or The Wreck to Gumby’s. Salmon Stop: Perch by boaters in 60-80 off Great Lakes. Capt. Scott Wolfe: Excellent catches of mainly coho, averaging 6-7 pounds, a few big kings, lakers and steelhead.

N. WIS.: Kurt Justice: With heat and warming water, early and late best. Largemouth (topwaters evenings, other times wacky-worms), smallmouth (outside coontail edges, off-shore gravel bars) and bluegill are very good.

NW IND.: Slez’s: Some perch (should improve late week) on mud line outside The Ditch and around Black Ditch in 20-30 ft.; lakers and some silver fish in 90-110; steelhead and some coho in 150-250.

SW MICH.: Tackle Haven: Some perch over the weekend in 30-45 ft. north and south of St. Joe; lakers good in 90-110 south of St. Joe. SHABBONA: Lakeside: Walleye on east weed lines or rock piles; crappie in trees or north fish cribs; bass and bluegill feeding shallow, water in 80s.