MIDWEST FISHING REPORT
LAKEFRONT CHINOOK: Some kings caught Saturday at Waukegan. Anticipation around Chicago.
AREA LAKES: Ken ‘‘Husker’’ O’Malley: Bass good very early on SPRO frogs in the thickest slop. Evenings, work a Baby 1-Minus over top of weeds. Bluegills coming early and late close to shore. Pete Lamar: Night fishing produced lots of bass, but they were sluggish, likely from the heat, so he is holding off for a while. BIG FISH: The Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Big Fish Contest at Monee Reservoir ends Tuesday.
AREA RIVERS: FOX: Low and slow. Lamar: Focused on a cooler tributary with wood habitat for smallmouth. KANKAKEE: Water stained, around 80 degrees. Bob Johnson: Smallmouth slowed some but best on crawfish imitators rather than surface lures. BRAIDWOOD: BoRabb Williams: Blues good, both for eaters and big ones.
CHAIN: Triangle: Bluegills excellent shallow early and late on ice jigs, waxies or spikes. Catfish excellent on stinkbait, crawlers or roaches. White bass good in the heat in 8 to 10 feet on small minnows, spikes or light jigs. Walleye fair on leeches or crawlers. GENEVA LAKE, WISCONSIN: Arden Katz: Largemouth in 8 to 12 feet around the docks on west side of Geneva Bay. Pumpkinseeds and bluegills in 17 to 20 feet on north side of lake west of ‘‘The Narrows.’’
GREEN LAKE, WISCONSIN: Mike Norris: BIG GREEN: Bluegills excellent outside of weed lines in 20 to 30 feet. Work rocky dropoffs and deeper weed beds for bass on jig-and-crawfish combos, drop-shots or plastic worm on a shaky head. PUCKAWAY: Frog fishing lily pad good for largemouth. Bluegills and crappie along main-lake weed lines.
LAKEFRONT: Salmon Stop: Some kings and steelhead from Waukegan pier Saturday with cooler water; orange the color. Warmer water Sunday shut it down. Park Bait: While waiting on kings, there’s carp in Montrose Harbor. Capt. Bob Poteshman: Caught two big catfish out deep recently. Otherwise, out of Chicago, lakers good with occasional kings or coho in 110 to 200 feet. Out of North Point, good steelhead (troll faster with spoons) in 200 feel, plus lakers, a few coho and an occasional king. Capt. Scott Wolfe: Out of Waukegan, lots of laker limits (most over 15 pounds), plus a few steelhead, mature coho and 3-year-old kings in 110 to 150 feet. NORTHERN WISCONSIN: Christian Howe (Vilas County): Nonstop bluegills and redear in weeds (mainly cabbage) in 6 to 9 feet. Keeper perch deeper (16 to 20 feet) over grass adjacent to mud flats. Night-trolling No. 9 Rapalas and Husky Jerks over cabbage beds produced lots of walleye, some largemouth and smallmouth. Kurt Justice: Bullheads (to 14 inches) very good while slip-bobber fishing for crappie. Smallmouth (coontail edges, off rock humps with Ned rigs or drop-shot rigs), largemouth (topwaters at end of day), bluegills (outside deep coontail edges on small leeches), pike and yellow perch are good.
NORTHWEST INDIANA: Slez’s: Some kings caught out of Portage in 40 feet. Perch from Portage to Michigan City in 20 to 35 feet.
ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN: Tackle Haven: Perch in 40 to 45 feet from north of pier south to ‘‘The Chalets.’’ Expect steelhead soon with cooler water.
WOLF RIVER, WISCONSIN: FREMONT: Bill Stoeger: First fall white bass showed up. Crappie moving in with high water. A few walleye, but it’s early.